A Grand Trip with the Grandkids in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts
Day 1 starts off with lunch on the road as you are heading toward the Knowledge Corridor in the Pioneer Valley.
First stop will be the Springfield Armory National Historic Site.
From 1794 to 1968 the Springfield Armory was a center for the manufacture of U.S. Military small arms and the site of many important technological advances. A large weapons museum is now housed in the original Main Arsenal Building.
The Armory site was selected by President George Washington as the most strategic place to build the arsenal. Due to its position atop the area's tallest hill, potential intruders could be seen from miles away. Many years later the fence around the park was forged from surplus Revolutionary War cannons. It is the United States first armory.
Head out from the Armory a short distance to the Springfield Museums at the Quadrangle and the Dr. Seuss Memorial Sculpture Garden.
Life-size statues of Dr. Seuss and his characters greet you at the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden on the quadrangle grounds. In the four museums (Connecticut Valley Historical Museum and Genealogy, Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield Science Museum and the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum) you'll discover American and European masterpieces, Middle Eastern rugs, Asian decorative arts, the live animal Solutia Eco-Center, R.E. Phelon African Hall, a life-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex, earth science, aviation and astronomy exhibits, a genealogy library, and regional history exhibits--even the first American-built planetarium! Then stop by the Springfield Library to read more about all of it!
Your motor coach will now take you to the Clarion Hotel in Northampton where you have an evening on your own. May we suggest dinner at Montana's restaurant or a trip into Northampton center where you will find the most eclectic shops and restaurants in New England.
The Clarion offers spacious, well-appointed guestrooms and numerous amenities, including a complimentary continental breakfast and both indoor and outdoor pools. Treat yourself to dinner at the award-winning Montana's Steakhouse, serving the finest Angus steaks, BBQ and fresh seafood seven nights a week.
Day 2 starts with continental breakfast at the Clarion and then you're off to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Never in James Naismith's wildest dreams could he have imagined that the shrine to basketball bearing his name would be the finest sports museum in the world. Come and experience three legendary floors filled with hands on, interactive exhibits that will entice every member of your family. Take a step back into your childhood and relive your fondest basketball memorabilia, enchanting stories and more.
Fly up the highway to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens in South Deerfield. Lunch is available at this stop.
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens offers a 4000 square foot glass conservatory filled with over 2500 butterflies from all over the world. Walk the tropical garden paths and feel at one with nature as they fly around you. If you're lucky one may even land on you! Learn about the butterfly life cycle from one of the "flight attendants" in the conservatory and visit the nursery where you may see a butterfly emerge out of its chrysalis. Visit the three-season outdoor gardens, garden center specializing in butterfly attracting plants, gift shop and food court with 27 delicious flavors of soft-serve ice cream. Eat your lunch in one of our function rooms or outdoors in our garden. A tour with box lunch option is available.
A bit of New England history is up next at beautiful Historic Deerfield.
Historic Deerfield is a museum of New England history and art within the carefully preserved 330 year old western Massachusetts village of Deerfield.
Each year thousands of visitors go to Deerfield to see a collection of 18th and 19th century houses and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life filled with some of the great decorative arts treasures of early America. The buildings and the objects in them are set in The Old Deerfield National Historic Landmark-a thousand acres of rich farmland surrounding one of New England's most beautiful and unspoiled villages. Deerfield is truly the New England travelers hope to find!
Back to the Clarion for an organized group dinner or may we suggest a barbeque in the outdoor pavilion. This requires advance reservations.
We'd like to suggest an additional day for your trip. "Six Flags New England" would be the place to take the grandkids. A whole day of fun for all of you!!