soboyle

Looking for Kid friendly things to do this spring with 6 year old, in the Northampton, Springfield, Pittsfield area. Zoo's, parks, and similar activities, I live near Pittsfield, so am looking for day trips to do. Thank you.

yk

for outdoor activities, are you familiar with the Mass Audobon society and the Trustees of reservations?

http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Co...anctuaries.php
http://www.thetrustees.org/index.cfm

The Edith Wharton Estate & Gardens in Lenox?
http://www.edithwharton.org/

capxxx

Amherst: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. It is a very nice art museum with paintings from picture book illustrations hung about 3 feet off the wall. Big activity room and lots of books to read, natch. Have a lunch (picnic or inside) at nearby Atkins Farm.

The Amherst College natural history museum has the world's largest collection of dinosaur footprints and tracks. And dinosaur bones and such.

North Hadley Sugar Shack. On a weekend morning, March/April. Pet the animals, watch the maple syrup being boiled away in the huge vat, eat a stack of pancakes with fresh maple syrup. (There are others in the area, I just am most familiar with this one.)

Greenfield(?): Visit the butterfly house, Magic Wings. Awesome even for the grownups.

Northhampton: If the weather is fine, go to Look Park. They have bumper boats, mini golf, a small zoo, and a little train ride.

Springfield: The Dr Seuss national memorial sculpture garden, near the Museum Quadrangle (science, historical, art, and fine arts).

Holyoke: Visit the fish elevator at the Holyoke dam. They have big windows so you can watch the fish being lifted up over the dam. Check the website to find out when the fish are migrating (shad, Sey Lamprey, and salmon). (On the other hand, every schoolkid in western mass eventually visits this place, so you don't have to....)

Amherst, Belchertown, Northampton: Ride the 10+ mile Norwattuck Rail Trail (bike path in an old railroad bed).

Fun hikes and walks: Mt. Sugarloaf in Sunderland, Skinner House in Hadley, the Robert Frost trail Amherst to Montague, Mt Holyoke State park (the Notch) in Amherst.

North Adams: doesnt Mass MoCA have a bunch of kids activities?

capxxx

I thought of some more....

Amherst: The Hitchcock Center for the Environment has nature programs for kids

Sunderland mostly: Visit the many UPick farms in late April/May, to pick peas, strawberries, blueberries. www.pickyourown.org/massveg.htm

Holyoke: the Children's museum, duh.

CAPH52

What a nice list, capxxx! Just wanted to add that the Eric Carle Museum is on the campus of Hampshire College (in case that makes it easier to find!).

tchoiniere

6 Flags in Agawam as well. There is a lot for kids including a water park.

Definitely agree with the list capxxx posted. What about a picnic on top of Mt Greylock (if the road up is re-opened) or the Pittsfield State Forest for hiking / picnic.

soboyle

Thanks, some great suggestions here of places I was unaware of, which is just what I was looking for. Just to add to the usefulness of this thread, I'll add the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield is great for kids, and in North Berkshire county, MassMoCA has a great Kids Space with crafts and hands on art making, as well as a superb museum. Williams College Museum and the Clarke Art Museum in Williamstown are both free during the winter.

suze

www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/skinner

Skinner State Park has an amazing outlook point over the CT river. It's between Amherst/N'hampton just south in Hadley.