Northern Mass Roadtrip

Hi there and thanks for reading.

Sorry if I%26#39;m using the incorrect term for the region, but I%26#39;m going to be driving roughly I-91 from Hartford, then east on Route 2 to Concord, where we%26#39;re staying the night before flying back the next afternoon.

I had planned to stop in Amherst for a little while, but, other than that, I%26#39;ve got nothing. We have pretty much the whole day to do this drive.

Any interesting little towns along the way? Maybe interesting sites?

I imagine it being densely forested and slightly hilly. Are there any arboretums or pretty state/regional parks?

Is there anything to do in Springfield?

Thanks in advance,

Colin

Northern Mass Roadtrip

Hi Colinaz,

What you really should do is take I-91 North to I-90 (Mass Pike) West near Springfield which will take you out to the Berkshire Hills. Take exit 2 and take Route 20 to route 7 North. Take 7 North all the way to Williamstown and pick up Route 2 East (Mohawk Trail). The scenery along route 7 and 2 is breathtaking in some areas. There%26#39;s a great place to grab lunch at Bob%26#39;s Country Diner on route 7 in Lanesborough. There%26#39;s also another decent restaurant/lounge for food at the Hairpin Turn in North Adams. The name escapes me right now. There%26#39;s a awesome scenic overlook right there in the restaurant parking lot with spectacular views. There are TONS of State Parks, Scenic Overlooks and Points of Interest along the way. You wouldn%26#39;t be able to stop in Amherst however, since you would need to take I-91 past Springfield to reach Amherst. You could still backtrack after Amherst but it wouldn%26#39;t be ideal.

If you must go to Amherst, a basic Massachusetts Road Map would allow you to meander up the Pioneer Valley to Route 2 near Greenfield. You will see some decent scenery, but nothing like the trip from Williamstown to Greenfield. Taking 91 north from Amherst to route 2 isn%26#39;t a good way to see much scenery. The ride on route 2 east from Greenfield to Concord is decent, but becomes more populated and industrialized the further east you go. A great spot to stop is at the King French Bridge, about 5 miles east of Greenfield on the Gill/Erving town line. There%26#39;s a small parking area on the left just after crossing the bridge. Walk out onto the bridge for beautiful views of the hills and the Connecticut River. The bridge won an award as being a beautiful steel bridge. It was built in 1932. There%26#39;s plenty to see along the way, whichever way you go, but for me, it%26#39;s the way I just spoke of. If you NEED to go to Amherst then go, but don%26#39;t go just to check out U Mass or Amherst College.

Northern Mass Roadtrip

I have driven route 2 east from Interstate 91 to Concord many times over the years since 1969. There isn%26#39;t much to see along that road although you could stop at the Wachusett Brewery:

http://www.wachusettbrew.com/

I%26#39;ve stopped at the company store but never actually done the brewery tour.

Another tourist attraction along the route would be French King Bridge, which you will cross:

www.mhd.state.ma.us/default.asp…

Rather than go out of your way to see Amherst, the trendier place is Northhampton, although I%26#39;ve never had occasion to go there. I just know that it%26#39;s now a famous gay community with a famous restaurant scene.

Don%26#39;t forget that there%26#39;s a lot to see in Concord itself, so if you get there early, that%26#39;s not a bad thing.

Having just ridden the bike path from Hadley and stopping for lunch in Amherst, I thought it was a nice little town and luch at Judie%26#39;s was great. There is a butterfly museum (live butterflies) at Exit 24. I don%26#39;t particulary care for parts of Route 7. The gardens and arboretum at Smith College is very beautiful. You should find plenty to fill a day.

The Basketball Hall of Fame is just off I -91 in Springfield MA if that interests you. Northampton mentioned above has a nice college type downtown with lots of interesting shops.

Just off of I-91 in Deerfield or Whatley is the flagship store for Yankee Candle. I haven%26#39;t been there, but understand it is the mother of all candle stores! There is also a Butterfly conservatory in the area. www.magicwings.com

For a quick stop for something a little quirky, you could try ';Gravity Hill'; in Greenfield...

www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6523

The route through the Berkshires (I-91 N, I-90 W, route 7 or route 8 north) is an interesting suggestion too.

Or, you may be interested in heading over to the Quabbin reservoir for some back to nature scenery. You could follow local routes to take a leisurely trip east, or head north or south after visiting the Quabbin and take rotue 2 or I -90 east when done.

www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/quabbin.htm

Westernmass

I forgot to add.... The Amherst area is actually faily flat. The towns near the Connecticut River are considered as being in the ';Pioneer Valley';. Not far to the west are the Berkshire Hills. The areas off route 2 and the Quabbin area are heavily forested and hilly.

Westernmass

Both Amherst %26amp; Northampton are great towns to visit. In addition to the colleges (Amerst, UMass %26amp; SMith) both have great shops and restaurants. In addition, in Amherst you can visit the Emily Dickinson house

http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/

Smith College in Northampton has a beautiful arboretum:

www.smith.edu/garden/Gardens/arboretum.html

If you are in the area, visit Thornes Market in downtown Northampton, fun shops and great ice cream and a terrific vegetarian restaurant - Paul %26amp; Elizabeths:

www.thornesmarketplace.com/northampton.htm

(Though the official nickname of the area is the Pioneer Valley, some people refer to this particular section as ';The Happy Valley';)

Thanks for the responses guys.

I should correct myself: we%26#39;re actually staying in the town of Harvard that night, not Concord. I hope to get out to Concord at some point during our trip though.

How long would the Berkshires detour take?

If you decided to head though the Berkshires, you would take I - 91 north and enter the Massachusetts Turnpike (Mass Pike) heading west. This is a toll road, but there is no cost between these western exits. Just take a ticket and give the ticket back when exiting. You would exit the Pike at exit 2 in Lee. The drive from I-91 to Lee is about 35 minutes. Once you exit in Lee, you may want to head over to Stockbridge, which is west on route 102, about 10 minutes. Stockbridge has a quaint Main St, anchored by the Red Lion Inn. www.redlioninn.com You can eat here and they also have a pub. The Norman Rockwell Museum in in Stockbridge as well. www.nrm.org. From there, you could head north on route 7 into Lenox. Downtown Lenox is nice and has some restaurants and shops. The Edith Warton Estate is in Lenox if you care to visit there. www.edithwharton.org. Also in Lenox at the Stockbridge line is Tanglewood. Depending on your timing, you may be interested in a concert or checking out a rehersal. www.bso.org/bso/index.jsp?id=bcat5240070

Shakesphere and Company is also in Lenox. www.shakespeare.org

If you follow the above, you will still be within 20 minutes of the Mass Pike, and you could get back on the Pike in Lee and travel east to your destination in about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

If you prefer doing a longer drive and spending more time enjoying scenery, you could stop in Lenox or Stockbrige and continue north on route 7. Otherwise, follow the signs for route 20 west after exiting the Pike in Lee. After a few miles you will connect with route 7. Start following the signs for route 7 north. Once in the center of Pittsfield, you can follow signs for either route 7 or route 8 north. The route 7 direction will take you to Williamstown, a little farther west. The route 8 route will take you to North Adams. Route 2 mentioned before runs east/west connecting the two and the route you mentioned earlier.

If you decided to detour through the Berkshires, I%26#39;d guess it would take about 2 to 2+1/2 hours from where you left I -91 at the Mass Pike until you rejoined I 91 at the intersection of route 2 and I - 91. That is if you drove straight though and didn%26#39;t stop.

As to whether you would want to take this route depends on what you want to see and do. The Berkshires is a Summer / Fall tourist area, so there are places to see and things to do, as well as some great restuarants, but if you are looking for more of a drive through the country and seeing mostly nature, you may want to take a route that would bring you by the Quabbin reservoir towards route 2 as I previously mentioned.

Enjoy your trip!

Westernmass

Harvard, MA is really no distance at all from Concord. It%26#39;s 15 miles on Route 2.

I used to love going to the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard as a child, but I haven%26#39;t been there since 1962:

http://www.fruitlands.org/overview.php