My husband is there for work this week and I am going to join him Thursday-Sunday. What should we see/do in the area? We plan to drive to Boston on Saturday. Any suggestions?

There's not a lot to do right in the Springfield area, but you will be in the center of New England, with all it has to offer -- scenery, hiking, museums, mountains, cities. There are a million possibilities within two hours/ drive. What do you enjoy?

Joanne is right that there's not much to do right in Springfield, unless you're interested in the Basketball Hall of Fame (I'm not). One option would be to drive an easy hour or so west on the Turnpike and spend some time in the Lenox/Tanglewood area. Tanglewood is closed for the season and the foliage is mostly gone, but so are the crowds and there are several very nice museums in the area. I particularly like Chesterwood, Daniel Chester French's (Lincoln Memorial sculptor) home and studio, and the restored homes (mansions, really) Naumkeag and The Mount (Edith Wharton). There's also the Norman Rockwell museum, which I have not yet visited. Many nice restaurants in Lenox and surrounding towns for an elegant lunch.

Basically, we like outdoor type things. Beautiful scenery, parks, etc. And, I love shopping! What about Hartford? Is there anything of interest there?

My condolences T, I grew up in that area and its a virtual wasteland for tourism! If we wanted to get away we drove down to the CT shore or up to Vermont. I have to agree that Tanglewood and Lenox are your best bet. Don't bother with Hartford. Sorry I can't offer more help but tIMO I can't think of an interesting place to visit in that area, with the pessible exception of Amherst. Great little college town with a nice campus and cute downtown.

Just a note about the Basketball Hall of Fame. I am a basketball fan and still found the HOF to be pretty much a waste of time.

I second the idea of taking a ride to Amherst, and then maybe heading over to Northampton. Can't recommend anything in the Hartford area (other than Mark Twain's House).

If you like shopping....
The Yankee Candle flagship store is in So. Deerfield just off Rt. 91. The big draw here is the Christmas displays and German village decor! There are also several historic sights in old Deerfield worth exploring.
And if things get really tough, there's always the Holyoke Mall!

Another thought would be the town of North Hampton, which is a very interesting college town, lots of funky restaurants and shops. Unfortunately, Hartford doesn't offer too much, other than it's excellent art museum, the Atheneum.Of course, you could drive north into southern Vermont, where there are lots of hiking opportunities.

By all means go to Stockbridge and inhale the atmosphere, visit the shops, eat the the Red Lion Inn (make reservations) and visit the Norman Rockwell Museum.. we were there last Tuesday and it's delightful. There is also Lee with a huge outlet area.

Another vote for Lenox, Stockbridge, and Great Barrington.

You could drive to Litchfield County in CT--it is maybe an hour's trip. It is a beautiful, scenic area of CT, with many antique shops, state parks, etc.

I also grew up in the area, and sadly must concur that there's not a whole lot to do in Springfield, although no one has mentioned the museums on the Quadrangle. They have some interesting work.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend a 1 to 2 hour drive to the Berkshires at this time of year, post foliage and pre-skiing.

Driving north on Route 91 would be the way to go, in my opinion. About 5 miles north is the aforementioned Holyoke Mall at Ingleside. Pretty generic, although they do have one of the few Christmas Tree Shops outside the Cape Cod area.

Another 5 miles or so will get you past Mt Tom and into Northampton (one word), college town, interesting shops, good restaurants - East Side Grill, Spoleto, Cha Cha Cha, as examples. Smith College has a gorgeous campus and is a wonderful art museum.

Another few miles and you're in Yankee Candle Country. The "flagship store" has certainly become a tourist destination, but it's a little kistchy for me. I'd prefer a walk through Deerfield village, perhaps visiting one or two of the historic homes. Home of Deerfield Acadamy, this town has a rich history, including being almost completely burned to the ground during the French and Indian Wars. Henry Ford was instrumental in restoring the town long before the concept caught on in Williamsburg, Mystic, etc.

There is nothing to do in Springfield. I grew up in Holyoke. Here is what I wrote on an earlier message board to someone who was going there on business:




I was born and raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts. My first questions is what the heck type of business are you on that would send you to Holyoke, MA?

Having said that, I would recommend that you check out the Delaney House located in Holyoke (Smith's Ferry is a section of Holyoke) it is a restaurant and hotel. Excellent. They just underwent a 10 million dollar renovation.
If you like Cajun food, I would check out Big Mamou's located in Springfield. They are right across the street for them main post office. The basketball Hall of Fame just opened it's new building.

And of course you have to shop at the TAX FREE Holyoke Mall.

Hey nabtam,did you look at the date of the post????