Great Falls Discovery Center

The Great Falls Discovery Center is a nicely kept little nature center, near the fish ladder and Unity Park, a decent playground with the only real see saw I've seen recently. I parked on the street, for free, right outside the Center. There is a cute little garden outside and well maintained yards, but this isn't really outdoor space for the kids to play.
The interior boasts many dioramas of local animal life, including several interactive features (buttons to push, a computer program to play with). However, for my 5 year old, the displays were quickly digested (especially because he has seen quite a lot of these kinds of exhibits). The most engaging area for the kids was a small table set up near the gift shop that held tadpole-to-frog models and books on the same subject. There are quite a few activities held there for the preschool set, though I haven't attended any yet.
The whole museum was clean, including the restrooms.
After exploring the Discovery Center we made our way to Unity Park, down the street. What appeared at first glance to be dilapidated turned out to be a pretty nice park! The equipment was a good mix of new and old, a pavilion provided shade for our snack, and the sport fields were in use, creating a nice community feel.

Laurel Loop Trail at the Notch, Amherst, MA

This is one of my very favorite hikes with the kids because it's super short (.75 miles), it's a loop, so there is no whining about turning around, the trail is well kept, it's right near the Eric Carle Museum and Atkins, and if you worry about being isolated, you don't have to worry much here.


If you are hiking with a small toddler who is barely able to walk the full length, I recommend heading to the right hand side (when the Visitor Center is at your back) to start (going counter clockwise). This is the steepest part of the trail, so if you end up going clockwise you will face a steep hill when the children are the most tired.

After a rain, you'll find every color of fungus on this trail. It is lovely in all seasons, and buggy in most seasons - you really need some serious bug spray here, the poisonous stuff. I have found that the bug repellent wipes are really handy, especially for little ones who can't hold their breath and shut their eyes while you are spraying them.

Heritage State Park Visitor Center, Holyoke, MA

Holyoke's Heritage State Park is home to the Holyoke Carousel and Children's Museum, and the Volleyball Hall of Fame. Our recent stop at the Visitor Center revealed exhibits under construction. After speaking with Charlie Lotspeich of DCR, I learned that the renovations have been undertaken as part of a program called "Creating Holyoke." Funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities were matched by the state, via DCR. This is a wonderful enhancement to a city park, and a city that has an important place in the industrial development of the Pioneer Valley.

The renovation is nearly complete now, and the Visitor Center is open for business Tues-Sun from 12-4PM. I am looking forward to returning there to take a look at the new installments and will certainly post an update with pictures.

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island, MA

Since we discovered this beach, we haven't been to a different one. From our home in the Pioneer Valley it takes about 2 hrs, 15 min. to get there. Many of the beaches on the refuge are closed early in the season, as this land is primarily dedicated to wildlife, not recreation. Later in the summer, once the nesting season is over, all the beaches open. On your drive down to the beach of your choice, you will almost certainly see some gorgeous birds feeding and flying in the saltwater marshes that make up the island.

For $5, you can park at any one of 7 beaches that are part of the Reserve. For FREE you can drive down past beach 7 and park at Sandy Point Beach.

Beaches 6, 7, and Sandy Point are our favorites. The water deepens so gradually that even when your child has become a speck against the horizon, he is only up to his knees. The sand is light and fine.

The nearby (as in, 5 minutes down the road) Newburyport is a great little town for pedestrian sightseeing. A large waterfront walkway lets you see boats of all kinds, and the people who hang out on them! Fisherman are happy to have an audience. Street musicians are happened upon. The downtown is filled with expensive shops and art galleries - we've mainly avoided those! It is also home to a little playground in the middle of a pedestrian mall, adjacent to an ice cream shop (even the small was $3.70 but you get as many mix-ins as you want for free). On more than one occasion, including last Sunday, there was a festival going on downtown with music and street vending. We've always been able to find free parking in town, and have enjoyed the bookstore and toystore (and restrooms!!) in the Tannery building.

Both the Parker River Refuge and Joppa Sanctuary have visitor centers, though we haven't been yet.
Parker River Refuge

Sandy Point Beach

Peaked Mountain, Monson, MA

What a wonderful hike! There are two parking areas, one at the Miller Forest Tract and one at the Peaked Mountain Tract. The second was our choice for our walk. We picked up a map, unusual for us but serendipitous as there are a lot of well networked trails. They are blazed but also numbered at key intersections, which was great. We first headed to the "Valley View" area, and after taking in a snack and a lovely vista, headed to the "Peaked Mountain" area and climbed around quite a bit taking in the view from many directions. A marker indicated the mountain's highest point, and a mailbox jutted out of the side of a pine tree. A journal inside contained memories left by hikers past. A new volume is needed, so if you take this hike you could bring a notebook with you to leave there.

The fact that this park is borded by a wildlife sanctuary (and endless miles of woods) showed itself in the forms of many frogs, croaking away and leaping among the reeds of a small pond we encountered. A larger pond was visible from the top of the mountain, located in the Miller Forest Tract of land. A magical encounter with a fawn was the highlight of our day. For several minutes my family clustered at the edge of a trail, whispering with excitement and peering into the eyes of this graceful and solemn little guy. None of my photos came out, naturally.

This summit was a long hike for our boys, who are quite hardy. I wouldn't choose it for kids who are starting to get used to hiking. But it wasn't too long- we'll do it again in a minute!

Peaked Mountain

Strawberry Picking

Here's a short list:

J.M. Pasiecnik Farms, 207 River Road, Whately

Koran's Farm and Gift Stand, 160 East Hill Road, Monson

Lakeside Strawberries, River Road at Warner Road, Hadley

Nourse Farms, 41 River Road, Whately

Sapowski Farms, 436 East State St. (Route 202), Granby

Teddy Smiarowski Farm, 487 Main St., Hatfield

Val's Berry Farm, 81 Parker St., East Longmeadow

Meadowbrook Farm, 185 Meadowbrook Road, East Longmeadow

Dickinson Farms, Rt. 202, Granby

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Quabbin Hike, Belchertown, MA

After checking to see whether the viewing tower had reopened (it has not), we headed down one of the trails that snakes down the hillside.

In the aftermath of severe weather, we found massive trees downed, jagged trunks and limbs, dripping sap from a severed pine, and twig litter all over the path.

The trail had no spectacular view, save for the top of the hill. It wound through beautiful old forest, was lined with soft mosses, and offered glimpses of that gorgeous pink Quabbin rock. We ended up at a road and decided to turn around, as two juice boxes would barely get us through the climb back up.

Quabbin Reservoir (DCR site)

Quabbin Fishing Area (my post)

Quabbin Viewing Tower (my post)

Winsor Dam (my post)

Purgatory Chasm, Sutton, MA

Our first visit here was a great success. We hiked the short but challenging chasm, then circled back on a one mile loop. The trails were well-blazed. The "hike" through the chasm involves mostly climbing, some precarious. The kids needed help in one or two places. The only injury to our party, a severely skinned knee, happened on the sidewalk my oldest was hurtling down, so eager to show me that he had just safely descended a slab of rock two stories high. The second part of our walk was a more traditional hike through woodland with really cool, huge rocks scattered about.

The parking area was clean and new, as was the pavillion where we ate our sandwiches. The trails were very well blazed. The visitor center looked very kid friendly and hosts a lot of programs.

If the natural wonder of the place were not enough, they've built a fantastic playground in a clearing surrounded by incredibly tall pine trees. Swingset, climbing structure, climbing rocks, even a spinning, climbing thingy. The playground was so well situated it seemed to have grown there.

Picnic spots dot the playground area and the areas near the parking lots. The spots have barbecues and picnic tables. The restrooms were clean.

We'll definitely go back to explore some of the overlooks and special features.

There is an ice cream place down the road, if you're into that sort of thing!

Purgatory Chasm

McCray's Farm and Creamery, South Hadley, MA

McCray's has improved it's petting zoo since my last visit, but still straddles the fence between ramshackle charm and dilapidated mess. My previous visit there was so unpleasant that it kept me away for several years. The animals had been groomed fairly recently and looked somewhat healthier than last time, but the smell was still overpowering (in relation to other farms and petting zoos). The beginning of the petting zoo path is well maintained, but the further you go, the grosser it becomes. The duck pond was adorned with lots of trash, as well as the adorable baby duck pictured above. They've removed the dirty but fun "castle" that used to be there. The pig was nowhere to be seen, but his sty was still the stinkiest pen. One of the best parts of the outdoor area is an old tractor planted in the ground for kids to ride. My boys spent more time on that tractor than anywhere else. So, McCray's is a mixed bag.

The store/restaurant is very clean and very cute, with murals painted all around. Cones of animal feed are 3/$1. Most of the patrons that we saw had brought their own bags of stale bread or vegetables, which the animals were eager to gobble.

The restrooms can be accessed from outside and were clean.

The real reason to visit McCray's is for the hayrides in the fall. They have a super scary one for adults, which I have been on and it really was scary! (Well, disclaimer: I can't even tolerate previews for horror movies). They have a more tame version for kids. The lines are often long but these are great rides. Next time I visit here, it'll be for that reason. In a couple years probably, when my kids are ready.

McCray's website.

Lake Wyola State Park, Shutesbury, MA

This is a small recreation area with nice amenities. The restrooms were spotless - though I was there on the off season, on a rainy day. Perhaps the restrooms don't sparkle quite as much when the park is being used heavily.

Parking is $5, but that of course includes swimming. Two lifeguard chairs were being installed on the beach during our visit. The beach is quite small, but the sand is nice. Restrooms are adjacent. There is a floating fishing dock. My boys enjoyed the rocking feeling you could get when you tried moving the dock.

Several trails lead from the parking area side of the road. We hiked a small loop that was very pretty. Markers along the way indicated various species of trees on the trail.

Lake Wyola

UMass Duck Pond, Amherst, MA

Kids find a lot of things fascinating when walking through UMass Amherst. The dramatic architecture of the Fine Arts Center, the W.E.B. Dubois Library, the sidewalks, installation art, etc.
Throwing stale bread to the ducks is just the icing on the cake. You can also go into the library and take a LOOOOOONG elevator ride.

Exploring the campus on foot, especially if you did not attend UMass or grow up near it, is pretty cool. It's a large place when you are walking, and the conglomeration of landscaped pockets, handicapped access ramps, lawns and roads and sidewalks, make for visual interest and a feeling of discovery.

Sometimes I participate in psychology experiments at Tobin Hall at UMass - the kids do anyways. You don't get paid, but you get to park in the heart of the campus and it's usually fun for the children. They get a little toy at the end.

So, best bets for parking, in my opinion, are free spots on town streets adjacent to campus. That's a bit of a walk. There are metered spots in the U shaped drive in front of the Fine Arts Center. I'm a paranoid parker - always convinced I'll get a parking ticket, which I have already dedicated thousands of dollars to paying. Thousands.

New England Air Show, Westover Air Force Base, Chicopee, MA

Update, June 2009: There will not be an air show this year, or next. Maybe not until 2012. Bummer!
However - check out the Barnes Air Show in September of 2009.

Original Post:

I did not attend this event. My husband took our two older boys - they had a blast. There was plenty of shade under the enormous wings on this hot summer day. The tricks in the air and the displays on the ground were both great. The kids climbed into an army vehicle, sat in a C5 (a C5!!), and played other games. Food was available, but my guys had brought their own.

Parking was free.

Great New England Air Show