Arts & CultureHampshire
Academy of Music Theatre
An 1891 opera house on Main Street in Northampton, now a non-profit cinema and performing arts venue, one of the oldest municipally owned theaters in the United States.
Northampton · $$
Section
Things to Do
Activities and experiences across the Pioneer Valley: family outings, food and drink, arts and culture, seasonal events, and live music.
Places
26
Towns
13
SeasonalFranklin
Apex Orchards
A hilltop family orchard on Peckville Road in Shelburne, with pick-your-own apples and peaches, sweeping three-state views, a seasonal farm store, and weekend mini cider donuts.
Shelburne · $
Food & DrinkHampshire
Atkins Farms Country Market
A family-run country market and bakery in South Amherst, with cider donuts, a deli and pizza shop, and pick-your-own apples in the fall.
Amherst · $
Food & DrinkFranklin
Berkshire Brewing Company
One of Western Massachusetts' longest-running craft breweries, brewing in South Deerfield since 1994 with a public taproom on Railroad Street and wide draft and packaged-beer distribution across Massachusetts and nearby states.
Deerfield · $$
FamilyFranklin
Berkshire East Mountain Resort
A four-season mountain resort in Charlemont with alpine skiing in winter and a mountain coaster, zip-line tours, the Thunder Mountain Bike Park, and scenic chairlift rides in summer, powered largely by an on-site wind turbine and solar array.
Charlemont · $$
Arts & CultureHampshire
Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity
A non-profit performance and community space at 130 Pine Street in Florence, Northampton, a 19th-century church repurposed as a venue for jazz, acoustic roots, and global music.
Northampton · $$
Arts & CultureHampshire
Eastworks
A 500,000-square-foot former textile mill in Easthampton, repurposed as a mixed-use complex of artist studios, small businesses, restaurants, event space, and live-work loft apartments.
Easthampton · $$
SeasonalFranklin
Franklin County Fair
A four-day agricultural fair in Greenfield each September. One of the oldest continuously running county fairs in the country, first held in 1848.
Greenfield · $
Nightlife & MusicFranklin
Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center
A live music and community arts venue in a restored 1870s commercial block on Greenfield's Main Street, with multiple rooms for concerts, theater, rentals, and community events.
Greenfield · $$
Nightlife & MusicHampshire
Iron Horse Music Hall
A small, long-running live music venue in downtown Northampton, now run by the non-profit Parlor Room Collective.
Northampton · $$
FamilyHampshire
Look Park
A 150-acre family park in Florence with a miniature steam train, pedal boats, a wildlife center, a spray park, and mini-golf.
Northampton · $
FamilyFranklin
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory
An 8,000-square-foot indoor conservatory in South Deerfield with roughly 4,000 free-flying butterflies from around the world, kept at tropical temperatures year-round.
South Deerfield · $$
Arts & CultureFranklin
Montague Bookmill
A used bookstore in a converted 1842 grist mill over the Sawmill River, with an on-site cafe, record shop, and restaurant. Famously 'books you don't need in a place you can't find'.
Montague · $
Food & DrinkHampshire
Northampton Brewery
One of New England's oldest brewpubs, pouring its own beers in downtown Northampton since 1987 with a well-known rooftop deck above Brewster Court.
Northampton · $$
Arts & CultureFranklin
Shea Theater Arts Center
A restored 1927 vaudeville and movie house at 71 Avenue A in the Turners Falls village of Montague, now a roughly 330-seat nonprofit community arts venue running music, theater, dance, comedy, and film.
Montague · $$
FamilyHampden
Six Flags New England
The largest theme park in New England, on the site of the former Riverside Park in Agawam, home to Superman: The Ride, Wicked Cyclone, Quantum Accelerator, and a deep lineup of thrill and family rides.
Agawam · $$$
FamilyHampden
Springfield Thunderbirds
Springfield's American Hockey League team and the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, playing home games at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield from October through April.
Springfield · $$
Arts & CultureHampden
Symphony Hall
A 2,611-seat 1913 Classical Revival concert hall in Springfield's Court Square, home of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, with excellent acoustics and an ornate gilt interior.
Springfield · $$
SeasonalHampden
The Big E
The Eastern States Exposition, New England's largest agricultural fair, run for 17 days each September in West Springfield since 1917.
West Springfield · $$
Nightlife & MusicHampshire
The Calvin Theatre
A restored 1920s movie palace at 19 King Street in downtown Northampton, a roughly 1,300-seat hall that has been dormant since 2023 while its ownership and licensing future remains unsettled.
Northampton
Nightlife & MusicHampshire
The Drake
A small listening-room music venue in downtown Amherst, opened in 2022 and run by the Downtown Amherst Foundation with seated and standing configurations and a full bar.
Amherst · $$
Food & DrinkFranklin
The People's Pint
A long-running Federal Street brewpub in downtown Greenfield, pouring its own beers and serving locally-sourced pub fare since 1997.
Greenfield · $$
Food & DrinkHampden
The Student Prince (The Fort)
A German-American restaurant and tavern in downtown Springfield, serving sauerbraten and schnitzel since 1935 under a collection of beer steins.
Springfield · $$
Food & DrinkFranklin
West End Pub
A now-closed riverside tavern at the foot of the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls; the former pub space has been sold and is awaiting a new venture.
Buckland
FamilyFranklin
Yankee Candle Village
The flagship store of the Yankee Candle Company on Route 5 in South Deerfield, a sprawling year-round candle-and-Christmas village with a Bavarian Christmas room, candle-making demonstrations, a candle museum, and a cafe.
South Deerfield · free
FamilyHampden
Zoo at Forest Park
A small non-profit zoo inside Springfield's Forest Park, with more than 225 native and exotic animal residents, including farm animals, big cats, monkeys, birds, reptiles, and New England wildlife.
Springfield · $