Hello Hampshire College Families!
Hampshire College | Amherst, MA
Photo by Amanda Schwengel
Top 8 Ways To Make the Most of Your Visits
We already know that your number one priority when visiting western Massachusetts is to see your student at Hampshire College. But while you’re here we think there are a few things you might enjoy as well! Besides, what if your student is busy cramming or working on their unique DIV III project? You’ll need to keep busy somehow! Here’s our recommendations for making the most of your visits to Hampshire College and western Massachusetts!
Come hungry. In Amherst alone there are over 60 restaurants representing over every corner of the globe. Recently The Huffington Post celebrated 15 Reasons Western Massachusetts Deserves Some Serious Food Cred, especially highlighting our local agriculture. With over 800 farms in Hampshire County alone, the food couldn’t be more local and fresh. Browse our complete list of over 200 places to eat!
Get your culture on. We boast a community that’s hugely passionate about culture and the arts. Discover our world-class museums that collectively hold over 1.3 million objects, host over 500 programs and produce over100 exhibitions every year—that’s like having the Lourvre, the Met and the MFA Boston combined! Find a local artist molding pottery or blowing glass at a working studio. Snag tickets to a play, musical or dance performance. Or catch a flick at one of our quirky, independent theaters.
Bring your sense of adventure. We’ve got your fill for dazzling fall foliage, bucolic hill towns, green valley farms, and endless wide-open spaces perfect for biking, hiking, or just escaping the busyness or everyday life. National Geographic featured nearby Northampton as one of its top Adventure Towns. There’s adventure for all seasons and abilities, from cross-country skiing to whitewater rafting.
Feel the groove. Western Massachusetts has a rich music scene, home to notable artists and more than 15 venues to see live music featuring the latest and greatest touring acts to local homegrown folk.
Trade in four wheels for two. Biking is a way of life in western Mass.—even trash collection is via bike. We have over 20 miles of paved bike trails and some of the best cyclists come to western Massachusetts for our pristinely smooth and winding roads, named some of the best for road biking by Outside Magazine.
Come thirsty. Western Massachusetts is home to over a dozen wineries and breweries, and growing. Not to mention we’re home to The Tunnel Bar, Buzzfeed’s #1 Bar to Drink at Before You Die.
Be on the lookout for our award-winning events. Every Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekends, the Paradise City Arts Festival, which has been named one of the Top 10 Arts Festivals by AmericanStyle Magazine, sets up at the historic Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton. Recognized as one of the top summer festivals in 2015 by the New York Times, Rolling Stone and USA Today, the Green River Festival, presented by Signature Sounds Recordings in Northampton, happens here every July—2016 will mark 30 years!
Get lost in the shelves. The New York Times once wrote that we are “arguably the most author-saturated, book-cherishing, literature-celebrating place in the nation.” There's no shortage of used book stores and antiquarian book dealers. Not to mention, Amherst is home to one of our nation's most celebrated poets, Emily Dickinson.