Location: Northampton
Top Things to do in Northampton
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What to do and see in Northampton, Massachusetts (MA): The Best Things to do Good for Couples
Artists, farmers, scholars and professionals come together in harmony in beautiful Northampton, where the Connecticut River winds through the wooded hills of the Pioneer Valley. Once home to such diverse notables as U.S. president Calvin Coolidge, abolitionist Sojourner Truth, author Kurt Vonnegut and punk rockers Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, and current home of the all women's Smith College, the city is famed for its arts scene and liberal values, plus a thriving lesbian community.
Restaurants in Northampton
1. Pioneer Valley Food Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 38 reviews
Pioneer Valley Food Tours offers guided tours that explore local flavors from around the region. Guests taste a selection of local specialties that include award winning cheeses, pasture raised meats, artisanal breads, frozen yogurt, handmade pastries, heirloom ciders and craft beers. Discover a thriving local food community in downtown Northampton and the Connecticut River Valley. Locally owned and operated.
2. The Parlor Room at Signature Sounds
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By tmarian - Terryville, United States
If you love live music you need to attend this venue. My family and I love music and there are so many talented artists out there . We have traveled to several different venues in New England and this venue is one of the most special venues for music.Signature Sounds Parlor Room is an intimate venue that holds about 100 and the sound is great, The shows are General Admission so if you want one of the tables , get there early. There is about 8 tables in front then rows of seating behind that . There is also seating against the side wall. You can bring your own food and drink as they do not sell anything . The audience comes here for one thing to listen to the artists ( imagine that no loud conversations while you are trying to enjoy the show ), Our son is in a wheelchair , they have a portable ramp around back , just call and let them know . If you love music , check out their calendar they have shows all year with the exception of July and August .
3. Smith College Botanic Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 313 reviews
There are ten different garden types and a greenhouse in this Botanic Garden.
Reviewed By olivias33 - Southampton, United States
This place is a really cool place. The suggested donation is $2 per person. They have There is meter parking on the street.There are about 4 different greenhouse. The door tells you if it is hot or cold. The plants and trees are spectacular. There is also an outside area that you can walk around.
4. Norwottuck Rail Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 144 reviews
Ten-mile bike path on the old tracks of the Boston and Maine railroad.
Reviewed By 180larryp - Northampton, United States
I run on the Norwottuck Rail Trail. It's perfect: clean, scenic, mostly flat-flatty-flat-flat. This trail, this route, this option is one of the reasons I'm so happy to live in the Connecticut River Valley.
5. Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 96 reviews
Lovely park that offers a children's zoo, miniature railroad and an outdoor amphitheater.
Reviewed By dustythoughts - Manchester, United States
This fantastic park is the perfect place to enjoy good weather. There are sculpted lawns, bike and walking paths, a sedate river, and areas to play tennis, baseball, and miniature golf. If you want a romantic visit, take pictures on the covered bridges. Definitely a good place to spend a day, especially during the pandemic.
6. Smith College Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 162 reviews
This museum features work by a number of art greats.
Reviewed By kzsull01 - Windsor, United States
My husband and I visited the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton, Massachusetts, on Sunday, December 30, 2018. It was definitely worth visiting. The museum had four floors of a very nice mixture of various types of high quality art organized by time period and type of art, all well laid out and well curated. Both the overviews describing the art on display in each gallery and the detailed descriptions of each individual item on display were nicely done, quite informative, and comprehensive, representing a good lesson in art and history. We enjoyed our visit finding both the permanent and special exhibits to be interesting and educational. We recommend the museum and we hope you have the opportunity to enjoy it as well. We spent about an hour and a half at the museum, based on the amount of time available to us, but we could easily have spent at least two hours there. We parked on the street in front of the museum, on the opposite side of the street from the museum. The metered parking on Sunday was free with respect to where we parked. Special Exhibits: We started our visit with the special exhibit on display on the first floor titled ‘Becoming a Woman in the Age of Enlightenment: French Art from the Horvitz Collection’. This exhibit was quite exquisite and comprehensive, illustrating the distinct stages of women’s lives during the eighteenth-century and the defined roles that they played during each stage, based on cultural, social and political norms with a scientific perspective. It was broken down into multiple unique sections that very nicely addressed the fundamental questions about a woman’s life in the eighteenth-century’s ‘Age of Reason’. Beautiful artwork from this period provided examples of a woman’s role in each stage and how it varied based on her status and class. This exhibit entailed a lot, was nicely done, and quite impressive, definitely worth seeing. It told a very nice story through the artwork on display and detailed write-ups describing the artwork, providing a good lesson in history. . The works on Paper Gallery, a separate gallery on the second floor, exhibited a special exhibit entitled ‘No Man’s Land: Prints from the Front Lines of WWI’. This included very historical etchings and prints of WWI which illustrated how artist’s perceptions of the war and their role changed from the start of the war to the end of the war based on their wartime experiences and the hardships that they faced during the war. The changes included documenting battles as they happened on the ground where the artists experienced the true devastation of war, rather than after the fact, as was done in the past. This exhibit was quite interesting and a good tribute to those who served in this war. The special exhibit on the third floor entitled ‘Object Histories: From the African Continent to the SCMA Galleries’ traced the unique histories of over twenty of the museum’s most important works of African Art. It interestingly illustrated a variety of different types of objects, including those that served as status symbols, personal objects and objects related to performance. The cultural histories and meanings of the objects were examined along with the role of their collectors and donors. This exhibit was quite unique. Permanent Exhibits: The permanent exhibits on both the second and third floors were quite impressive and very educational. We really enjoyed them. Below are more details about these exhibits. The second floor permanent exhibit displayed art created before 1800 from America, the Ancient World and Europe. The major theme was ‘Sacred and Secular’ artwork. The artwork included beautiful ceramics, dishes, plates, bowls, figurines, jewelry, coins, sculptures, and paintings. Topics on beauty in Ancient Greece, the new Egyptian kingdom, gardens in Ancient Rome, ceramics and stone working in the Ancient Mediterranean; materials and techniques of Medieval Art; and private and public devotion in Western Europe were illustrated through artwork and nice informative write-ups. Art reflecting teachings and traditions of the Christian Church from 1150 – 1650, paintings during the Dutch Golden Age showing a strong realist approach to art, 18th Century Anglo-American Portraits, and transatlantic influences were also illustrated. The third floor permanent exhibit had new and innovative forms of artwork created after 1800 from Africa, America, and Europe in three galleries with the theme of ‘Tradition and Transformation”. Multiple topics were very nicely illustrated and explained through write-ups and specific artwork. This included ‘French and American Landscape Traditions: The Barbizon School and Hudson River School’; ‘American Art from 1800 -1850, Being a Self-Taught Tradition’, expressing an American identity; ‘The Two Traditions of Neoclassical and Romanticism in French Art’; and ‘Impressionism in France and in the United States’. Details on the French Artist Edgar Degas were nicely displayed in ‘Degas: From Tradition to Innovation – the Evolution of an Artist’ exhibit. Pablo Picasso’s fractured image of reality and ruptures in representations through multiple viewpoints were also nicely depicted. In addition, the Arts and Crafts Movement, American Realism (1875 – 1915) and Modernism (from 1929) Movements were also addressed. This museum definitely has much to offer, much more than what I mention here and is worth visiting.
7. Academy of Music Theatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 51 reviews
Reviewed By SandnWind
Keep you eyes on their calendar for the concert or performance you may want to see in an beautiful, historic theatre. Went to this theatre many times and each time was a wonderful experience. It's a beautiful theatre and the staff are very nice and accommodating. It's in a fun town with multiple concert venues. Plenty to do in this town and surrounding area..
8. East Heaven
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 54 reviews
A Spa founded in Japanese tradition, our private tub rooms are crafted of the finest woods, both indoors and outdoors. Enjoy a luxurious soak with the music of your choice when you tub indoors, or listen to the sounds of nature when you soak under the sky in one of our famous outdoor tubs. All of our Jacuzzi-jetted tubs are available in your choice of teak or fiberglass. For your comfort and convenience we provide towels, soap, and hair dryers. Our 104-degree water is always so pure that you feel like you are in heaven. To keep it that way, we use bromine, ozone gas and silver catalytic purifiers for the ultimate in comfort with a minimum of chemical purification, to keep you and the Board of Health happy and proud to claim us as one of the finest relaxation facilities on the east coast.
Reviewed By ctmom25 - Bethlehem, United States
We just returned from East Heaven and can’t wait to go back! The staff were all wonderful, especially Tony and Fiona (don’t be fooled by her small stature, she gives a serious deep tissue massage!!) This was a much need getaway between, work, school and covid! The facilities are beautiful and kept spotless. Excited to go back and try some of the other soaking tubs!!
9. Brew Practitioners Brewery and Taproom
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
Brew Practitioners is a Craft Beer Brewery that brews and serves small batch beer in a historic building with a backyard beer garden. Open 5 days a week (closed Mon -Tues). Open Mic Nights every Wednesday and Trivia Thursdays! Take cans of beer or growlers of beer to go!
Reviewed By retslag1 - Belchertown, United States
We love taking the dogs for an adventure in Look Park, picking up some food and heading to Brew Practitioners after for our favorite brew "Pink." Most recently when I visited with friends, they had the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck! A definite must if you are in the area!
10. Iron Horse Music Hall
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 77 reviews
Reviewed By SandnWind
The Iron Horse Music Hall is among the multiple concert venues in Northampton and has legendary bands that were big back in the 70's & 80's for a reasonably priced general admission ticket. Small old multi level bar with as many tables and chairs as can fit so it's tight but your part of an intermate concert experience. Been there a few times and each time was enjoyable & memorable. The more popular artist typically sell out which means you'll want to get there an hour early if you want a seat closer to the stage. Just saw Nektar and they were awesome there, even for being on a tiny stage, somehow they managed to fit all their equipment. In the past enjoyed Rickie Lee Jones and Jorma Kaukonen - excellent experience. Looking forward to going again. There's also other nice venues in the town: The Calvin Theater, Academy of Music, Smiths College and others.
