Anyone been to Old Sturbridge Village? See it and go, or stay there overnight? Restaurant suggestions?

It's been a few years since I've been to Old Sturbridge Village, but I've been there a few times, and I love it. You can easily spend an entire day there, it's quite large, and there's a lot to see. They also have special programs and events on different days. The characters who "live" there stay in character, acting as if they really are living in the early 1800's. You can watch them do things like making barrels, cobbling shoes by hand, creating pottery, blacksmithing, milling grain, and other jobs that people in a village of the era would have had, with detailed explanations of what they're doing. It's quite fascinating. It's also a really lovely place, almost enough to make you wish you lived there! You can take a ride in a horse drawn wagon, if you wish. They do have a couple of restaurants in the village, not gourmet food, but okay for lunch. I can't recommend a hotel, as I only live an hour from there, but I do know there are several motels and restaurants right outside of the village. They also have beautiful gardens, and a nice gift shop. You should really enjoy it, especially if you're interested in history.

Jacquie, you didn't say where you would be traveling from in order to see Old Sturbridge Village. It is only an hours drive from Boston, so it's really not necessary to stay over if that's where you're based. On the other hand, there are a number of nice places very near by. The Old Publik House (I think that's the name) is an old, historic inn, much expanded over the years into a major hotel. They have a very fine and "olde" restaurant. There is also a Sheraton that is on a lake which looks very nice (I attended a conference there once, but did not stay overnight). As with Sara, I live just 45 min. from Sturbridge, so overnight is never an issue. It is absolutely worth a visit. I hope you decide to go, whether or not you stay overnight.

What do you think about 2 nites in Sturbridge Village and area. Anyone know of Holiday Inn Express motel. Is it a clean, decent property. We are foodies. if it,s not moving we eat it.If it,s moving we kill it & eat it. All types of food. Also can you please suggest other sites within reasonable driving distance of Old S. Vill. Thanks.

Rich,

Sturbridge Village, as noted in the earlier posts, can be done in a day. Check http://www.osv.org/ for current events schedule.

One of the nice things about Sturbridge is the restaurant scene. Being competitive, you have a great many choices. The Publick House and Whistling Swan are very good. Rovezzi's for Italian (very small dining room) is very nice.

Answering your specific question, if I were to stay 2 nites, I'd spend one day in the village, and the second day going to Northampton/Amherst and maybe historic Deerfield. What you end up doing depends on the time of year.

The HI express looks nice enough, no direct experience. There's an Inn and restaurant run by a couple who emigrated from the Canadian maritimes that's really nice...I don't remember the name, but I'm sure they're in the C of C site.

And finally, there is a lot of good shopping. The Seraph is a fine, upmarket furniture store selling high quality shaker reproductions. Next store is a shop called Pufferberries, I believe. A delightful gift store with a year-round christmas shop.