Northampton, home to Smith College is a typical New England college town, courtesy Tim Grafft/MOTT
There is so much to do in Western Massachusetts that you might want to take a family vacation there even if you are not visiting colleges. Located 2 hours west of Boston and 3 hours north of New York City, the Five College area centered around Amherst, South Hadley and Northampton, MA contains a range of great colleges, and fun family activities to add on to make your college tour a mini-vacation.
In terms of academics, the area is home to the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts as well as the highly respected Smith, Mount Holyoke and Amherst Colleges and the innovative Hampshire College.
The five schools collaborate freely, openings classes to each other’s students and sharing libraries, shuttle services and access to many social and cultural events. The schools are all a short drive from one another, usually 15 minutes.
Add Some Family Fun to Your College Tour Schedule
If you have come from outside of New England and are into basketball be sure to make time to visit the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in West Springfield, MA which is about 35 minutes away from the colleges. This 40,000 square foot shrine to basketball houses memorabilia from every era of the game from the jersey worn during the 1946-47 season by Max Zaslofsky of the Chicago Stags to jerseys, shoes and balls used by greats such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and many more. The museum also has a number of interaction zones where you can test your skills.
Whitewater rafting on the Deerfield River
If you have enough time, within an hour’s drive of the colleges there are numerous opportunities to white water kayak, do ziplines, or go for a hike assuming that the weather cooperates. We’ve enjoyed the Crabapple Whitewater funyaks, which are basically inflatable kayaks. This trip leaves from Charlemont, MA and is good for teenages and older tweens. Crabapple also offer family trips in larger rafts if you have younger kids along.
The Zoar Outdoor company, also in Charlemont, MA offers a wide range of white water kayaking, rafting, canoeing, zip line, rock climbing and other outdoor adventures. They also have bike and kayak rentals available if you want to explore on your own. If you are planning to head farther west to visit Williams College or some of the other western Massachusetts schools, Charlemont is about half way between Amherst and Williamstown.
Williams College in western Massachusetts, courtesy MOTT
If you are visiting in winter try to fit in time for some skiing at Mount Snow in West Dover, Vermont which is just over an hour north of Amherst. In the warmer seasons Mount Snow has both golf and mountain biking available.
This is one in a series of articles about fun family activities to add onto college visits. Check the full list here. In particular, check out our ideas for fun in Boston if you are heading that way either before or after you check out central Massachusetts.
