West Hartford Children's Museum

We've visited the West Hartford Children's Museum several times. It takes one hour exactly from our home, and is very close to the highway so it's easy to find. Parking is free, and though the lot has often been crowded I've always found a spot.

This museum really is a kid pleaser. A physics oriented room painted vividly is a big draw. Other features: A large fossil dig area with goggles and dress up vests, a surprising number of live animals (many snakes, lizards, turtles, and a few small mammals), a lego room, a toddler area, and some other fun nooks and crannies. The outdoor space is disappointing here, and I haven't seen much improvement over the course of my visits - though I allow there has been some. A dinosaur themed mini golf area had really gross old water that the kids kept fishing golf balls out of. My friend and I were appalled. Really Gross.

You can choose indoor seating for your snack, next to some exhibits and basic vending, or outdoor seating at picnic tables under a shade tent.

Admission is FREE with your Springfield Quadrangle membership.

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.

Boston Children's Museum, Boston MA

This is a wonderful place. The location is both a blessing and a burden. My dad's office used to be down in this area, and parking is very expensive in the private lots that surround the waterfront. I suggest parking at a T station and taking the train in - this is what we've done in the past. The T is easy-peasy (though the time we took our stroller was a little hairy) and once you arrive at South Station you are about 3 blocks from the museum. The museum's website has really good directions. In the coldest winter, on the waterfront, this walk might be unpleasant, but in anything but the most bitter cold it's a nice walk. The kids have been fascinated by the busy waterway and the seagulls.

The museum has so many exhibits that we've never seen them all in a day. The large climbing structure is a sibling to the one at the Holyoke Children's Museum, and goes up three stories. There is usually a staff member posted half way up the stairs to make sure that children don't exit there without parents and become lost. Lucky thing.

There is a large toddler/infant area that we've never spent much time in - but I anticipate using this area with my youngest the next time we visit. There is a large and complex water play area (the photo above shows the toddler water play table, but there is a much larger water system with canals, etc), a "city" including stores, barbershop, streets, etc., a construction area with full scale construction vehicles to sit in as well as various child-height tables with roads, ramps and underpasses which serve as a playscape for toy construction vehicles. On the ground floor, a physics exhibit has kids pedalling bikes to power light bulbs and tugging on a pulley to send a tennis ball high into the air. Plus more. These are the ones that stand out in memory.

The only place to buy food at the museum is an Au Bon Pain that is attached. If you bring your own lunch you can eat it at one of the picnic tables outside by the water - or I think you could bring it into the restaurant's seating area. Our experience at this particular Au Bon Pain was pretty terrible - think of many people standing around while you look at the empty sandwich counter and wonder why no one is making an $8 sandwich for your bawling children. When we got the food it was good. But by then I was almost crying with anger and frustration so my taste buds were compromised.

Admission is FREE for members of the Springfield Science Museum, so I'll have to repeat my harangue that this membership is a WONDERFUL VALUE. You'll gain admission to Boston Children's Museum, Boston Science Museum , the Ecotarium, as well as the Springfield Museums. This has been a great membership for our family and I highly recommend it.

Boston Children's Museum

Boston Museum of Science, Boston MA

We've visited this museum several times, and keep discovering pockets that we missed before. This is a large museum with exhibits that will fascinate kids from 1 on up. The youngest visitors will probably spend lots of time in the Discovery Center. Though only a corner of this enormous building, it has two floors of preschool age activities: a vacuum tube, various building materials, a strong blower, a water table, a bee hive, animal costumes, live woodland animals and insects, animal bones, hiding spots... those are the elements I can reel off without even thinking about it. Not comprehensive - so you can get an idea of how much the Discovery Center offers. The exhibits in the rest of the museum are too numerous to count. An electricity show is free with admission and is exciting. I still remember the climax of the show from my childhood, when lightening is created right in front of your eyes. The last time I took my children there, my oldest, at 4, did not have the attention span for the show so we'll try again next time.

Parking is extremely convenient and usually costs us $11. The garage is attached to the museum itself so even in winter weather it works out great. There is a large cafe with tons of food choices and copious seating. We choose to bring our lunch and then supplement with buying a treat there. It's really expensive. The other huge advantage is that by bringing your own food you are skipping the whole line experience. There are often large school groups, and it is always crowded. Once the kids' tummies are full they are ready to go.

If you are a member of the Springfield Science Museum/Springfield Quadrangle, your admission is FREE. And you don't wait in line, just continue on to the turnstiles, show your membership card and you are in the museum. That's it. Through the Association of Science and Technical Museums, the Springfield membership will privilege you to free admission at the Boston Children's Museum, the Ecotarium, the Boston Science Museum, and many more museums in other states. We have been members for several years now- our annual fee would be paid for in visits to the Quadrangle alone, never mind the aforementioned additional places.

Museum of Science

Eric Carle Museum, Amherst, MA

On the grounds of Hampshire college sits this unusual building with it's enormous windows and gnarled apple trees studding the lawn.
There are several areas inside to explore. The staff and volunteers at the museum are very friendly and knowledgeable.
In the art room, children are invited to do a project. They can also choose to color on a papered table. If they are not interested in, or too young for, the project, they can play with a variety of toys in an attractive play area.
In the library, board books, toys and puzzles are available for play. Thousands more picture books line the shelves.

The gallery has some great exhibits, but we usually skip it. It is best seen with a 1:1 child-parent ratio.
The cafeteria is a large sunny room equipped with high chairs. There is no longer any food served there, but there are several vending machines with drinks, snacks, and lunchy items from Atkins Farms. I'm sure the food is good, but it's also quite expensive.
The movie theatre is well appointed. We have seen a couple of shows there.
The gift shop looks lovely, but I've been telling my children for years that it is off-limits to children. I've never really looked around.
The outdoor space is beautiful and we always spend time out there when the weather is nice.
The restrooms are immaculate, cute, and each has a child size potty. Best restrooms ever.
Parking is copious, but there is no shade in the lot.

Eric Carle Museum

Grossology Exhibit, Springfield Science Museum, Springfield, MA

This exhibit was better than I expected it to be. My oldest, who is almost 5, liked it the most and utilized almost every display, except for one that really required reading. The activities spanned oversized "Operation," a climbing wall, a burping feature where you pumped soda up a straw until the machine burped (a favorite), video games and a fart noise maker. It really kept them occupied, though I was pretty bored. I get my share of gross raising my family, you know?

The exhibit is housed in the same special exhibit room that is usually used. Take the right hand staircase when you reach the double stair, or wheel up the African animal ramp then make a left.

The prices of the special exhibits keep going up, unfortunately. This time you'll spend $4 per person over 3 years old.

My post on Springfield Science Museum

Springfield Science Museum

Ecotarium, Worcester, MA (Update)

Our recent visit (June 2009) was a lot of fun. I found that exhibits had been changed/renewed since our last visit, sometime in the midwinter of 2008-2009.

We got to see the polar bear. The tree canopy was still not open. The person I spoke with said that there are pretty strict weight and height limits so my kids might not be eligible to do that yet anyways. We'll be back there soon - after several visits I am even more convinced of it's lasting interest. The boys played on the pirate ship in the toddler area for a good 45 minutes, a feature that had barely caught their eyes previously. There are plenty of corners to discover here.

Original Post:
We are very happy to have discovered the Ecotarium. Our admission is free with our membership pass to the Springfield Museums. After gaining admission at the front gate, the parking is free.

The museum itself is an interesting building with an eclectic array of exhibits. You'll enter at the top level, right by the gift shop. The shop is nice and they do have some smaller items. When we get our kids a treat we tend to want to spend $1 or so.

Walk down a curved staircase to the second level. More animal stuff, some dino stuff, a presentation area - on our first visit we saw an excellent owl presentation.

On the ground floor, there are live animals in the aquarium/terrarium area, lots of fun weather related exhibits. My husband's favorite feature is a tidal pool camera; by turning a dial you can watch hours of sea activity in mere moments. It is really cool to see the starfish and sea urchins moving in time lapse.

From the ground floor you exit to the grounds. This is the reason that the compound is such a wonderful destination. There are more animals in small, self contained buildings and environments throughout the grounds. We haven't seen the polar bear (!) but it has been fun to explore the trails.

The playground is fine - the rope ladder is an interesting feature & the sandbox is large.

There is a train - tickets are several dollars. We haven't gone yet.

The snack bar that is open only a few hours a day, so bring your food.

Ecotarium

Granby Public Library, Granby, MA

I had a great first visit to this library today. The children's room is separated from the rest of the library, with the whole downstairs to itself. (The videos are located upstairs, which could be a boon or a burden. I found myself glad about it today, because the kids were more focused on books than DVDs). The restroom was clean and well equipped for children. There was a train table as well as another play table with plant and dinosaur legos. I browsed the parent - oriented books, such as crafts and activities. The selection was fantastic. There were lots of themed backpacked available to check out. Plenty of puzzles too. Two computers were set up, but I didn't bother checking whether they were library-catalogue only or had internet access.

The room is small and cramped, but has a well cared for and friendly feeling. A large table had coloring sheets and library information, but it was being used more as a work surface during my visit there. There was an adult sized chair that I sat in to nurse the baby, but in a small space it's hard to create true privacy.

When I checked out my books, on the main level, the children's librarian introduced herself and welcomed me to the library. All in all, a really nice small community library.

Granby Public Library

Mud Spun Arts Center, Belchertown, MA

The studio at the Mud Spun Arts Center, settled with pink dust, decorated with works in progress, is a wonderful place to spend time with your children. It is a well- appointed workspace, with several wheels, open shelving for projects, canvas covered tables, and bright windows that open up the room. A blue kiln stands in the corner, a generous sink stands at the rear. It is a space that is prepared, a space where creativity has room to grow.

The space put me in mind of Reggio Emilia, a theme that seems to crop up continually in my exploration of truly great places for my children. This educational philosophy values playing with clay very highly and posits that clay itself, not play dough or silly putty, is an important aspect of kids' art experiences.

The proprietor and resident artist at Mud Spun is Becky Laliberte. Her gallery and studio here are labors of love that have expanded gradually over the past few years. With experience in both art and education, Becky is well suited to the task she's set for herself. From her website: Mud Spun strives to offer experiences in art that encourage exploration, discovery, and creativity.

On our visit there my children were offered clay, a wide variety of tools, and introductions to techniques like creating patterns, rolling out, and wetting the clay. On the potter's wheel the kids watched Becky center the clay and begin to form a vessel. They were able to touch the clay as the wheel spun, poke it with a tool, splash water on it. It was a thorough and much appreciated introduction to the medium.
Becky is an open teacher who interacted so well and so calmly with my guys, who can be revved up easily. She offers courses at the studio ranging from adult classes to summer camps, as well as birthday parties/get togethers. In the fall, look for a Mommy & Me class also - I will be!
Mud Spun

Intro to Clay for Kids

Odyssey Book Shop, South Hadley, MA

This is a fantastic bookstore and it does a lot for children. The children's book section itself is fun and well stocked. Additionally, the Odyssey hosts storytimes and in the summer, weekly saturday morning family entertainment.

I'll confess I don't go there often, I think I went to a reading by Jenny Boylan several years ago and haven't gotten back. I plan on returning soon, however. A local writer (and parent) named Samantha Wilde will be reading from her new, mommy-lit, novel at the Odyssey on June 25, 2009 - you can check out her website, linked below.

A South Hadley afternoon might include a visit to the Mt. Holyoke Conservatory, or the Art Museum. The Village Commons, where the Odyssey is located, is an interesting outdoor mall with businesses that include a delicious deli, movie theatres, and a few stores.

Odyssey Book Shop

Samantha Wilde

Dr. Spooky's, South Deerfield, MA

"I vill Suck zee Money out of your Wallet!"

Dr. Spooky's cost us $26.50 to get in with 2 parents and 2 kids . However, there were a lot of cool exhibits. Spiders, bats, birds, and rodents were the stars of this zoo. There was also a dinosaur section which included killing claw fossils (the second toe of many carnivorous raptors was elongated, curved, and razor sharp), a model of a large pterosaur, and a somewhat disappointing "dinosaur fight" where you basically go in a dark tent and they play a recording of roars and thundering footsteps. The store area had a lot of dinosaurs also. It was open to the rest of the museum (slightly annoying).

On one hand I would love to go back to see it again, on the other hand.... $26.50? I could take us all out to lunch.

Outlook Farm, Westhampton, MA

Outlook Farm was holding a special event on the day of our visit. Activities included a water balloon toss, free ice cream, face painting, tissue paper flowers. The shop is a deli/convenience/small grocer and a restaurant. Westhampton is quite rural, so this is a store-of -all-trades. Quite charming!

I was able to pick up a few plants for my garden at GREAT prices. This is not a regular spot I would take my kids, but I will definitely visit again anytime they are holding a family event like the one I attended yesterday.

Outlook Farm

Trolley Museum, Shelburne Falls, MA

This small museum has model train sets which function, history and hobby items. The treat is the real, working trolley car outside which you can ride in - the trip is short but exciting for toddlers. My visit was around 2006/2007 - when we go back I'll add some updated information.

Opening Day for 2009 is May 23rd.

Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum

Higgins Armory, Worcester, MA

Parking is ample, and free. Admission is on the pricier side. The exhibits were fantastic, many many full suits of armor, weaponry, a large and fun kids room, stained glass windows, and more. The museum is even designed to look like a castle inside.

The children's area was a large open room. My sons spent most of their time at a model castle, using a myriad of toy horses and knights. There was a large dress up area - I wore the "queeniest" thing my oldest could find. An oversized chess board was surrounded by smaller gaming tables, set with checkers or chess. Other features were a puppet theater, a reading area, crayon rubbings, real helmets to try on.

I was disappointed that they were asking an additional $5 for the kids to make a cardboard shield. I peeked in, to decide whether I wanted to pay that much, and it was a very easy decision. We did not participate in that project. Just a few months ago we made much more impressive shields at home with a diaper box and some hot glue. For free.

There was a gift shop downstairs with several small tables adjacent to it. There was a vending machine with soda and juice.

Higgins Armory

Nature/Art/Music Playshop

This is a day long program to be held at the Hitchcock Center on April 26. I haven't attended one of these in the past, but it sounds like a compelling mixture of disciplines.

From workshop leader Marcy Gregoire:

"This is our third day long work/playshop, and has been a GREAT success.
Each time we spend time in nature, create original art, and write, record, and perform an Earth-based song.

We are asking a $35 fee for the day, with scholarships and sliding scale prices available. No one will be turned away due to lack of financials.

We do ask that they bring a lunch and snack. The age ranges from 3-12 so far. We love involving various age groups. It's great to see them all interact."

For registration or additional information:

marcy@underthetreeart.com

(413) 768-7114
Under The Tree Art

Hitchcock Center, Amherst, MA

Near the Larch Hill Reservation and the Bramble Hill Farm, this low brown building houses a gem of a nature center. Not only a great selection of books for browsing (borrowing if you are a member), but a live turle, goldfish, stick bugs, madagascar hissing cockroaches, millipedes, and more. Stuffed (as in, taxidermically) animals surround you, animal-themed puzzled, puppets and toys abound. There's a clean restroom there. It is a small space. The storytime at 11 on Tuesdays is fantastic and includes a nature walk. The walk is usually well under one mile and geared toward the group on any particular day. It is guided and the children are engaged in nature study- finding tracks, buds or birds' nests.
Hitchcock Center
Hitchcock Center History

Bramble Hill Farm