Everyone knows about Northhampton, but Easthampton & Holyoke are not as talked about. Still they boasts all the art, outdoors, history, and food you expect from Western Mass.

Set on the Western bank of the Connecticut River, Holyoke (just south of Easthampton) showcases the mill history of the area. While the downtown area is still a little rough around the edges, the red bridge buildings along the canal have potential, and the beautiful town hall brings the eye up to the sky.

Just next to the city hall, Heritage State Park has three attractions in a small space. At the western edge is the historic Holyoke Merry-Go-Round (its 100 years old birthday is coming up), in the center of the park is the Holyoke Children’s museum, and at the eastern edge is the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. All three are small in scale, but could be a nice way to spend an afternoon with children in tow.

On the other side of Holyoke downtown is Wistariahurst; it’s the former home of the Skinner family and is now run by the city of Holyoke as a place to celebrate the history & culture of the area. While the internal spaces are only open during limited times, the garden is open to the public everyday. The garden provides a quiet space away from the city.

As you’re heading towards Mt. Tom from Holyoke downtown, don’t miss taking a few minutes to stop at Dinosaur Footprints. Just a short walk from Rt 5, there are a set of fossilized footprints in the sandstone. It took me awhile to find one, but once you know what to look for, you’ll see a bunch of them. It’s pretty amazing to be able to see something from over 200 million years ago.

Mt. Tom is what brought me to this area as it includes multiple hikes that are worth a few hours time. On this visit, I decided to check out the Eyrie House Ruins at the northern end of the mountain. Eyrie House was one of the popular peak houses from the late 1880s. This one burned down in 1901. While there aren’t much of the ruins left to see, there is an interpretive walking tour that includes the owner’s story and describes what used to be there with historic photos of the space.

While all I got to see for this year’s trip was fog, the view from the neighboring lookout tower (also a nice hike) a few years ago provided some nice vistas of the valley & river below.

Easthampton has a cute few blocks of a downtown along Cottage Street. The murals on the sides of the buildings; the collection of local gift, book, music, and decor stores; and the handful of restaurants create a vibrant scene. It’s not a big downtown, but it has a lot to offer.

One of the draws of Western Mass is the pastoral scenes along the backroads, so no visit out here would be complete with a stop at a local farm or farmstand. For this trip, I checked out Park Hill Orchards. Those of us who live here know that 2023 has not been a great year for farming, so unfortunately many orchards, including Park Hill, had to cancel apple picking. However, this is not all Park Hill Orchards has to offer. Every year they choose 24 new sculptures to showcase (from mid August — Thanksgiving) in their Art in the Orchard exhibit. When you arrive, you’re given a booklet with pictures of all of them and a map of how to navigate the grounds. At the end, you get to vote on your favorite one.

The Orchard also has a small farm stand with a few food & drink selections. They also host live music and shows on occasion. When I was there, there was a selection of local teens performing. They are also home to the famous Big Red Frame art installation.

There are also a handful of breweries & vineyards in the area. On this visit I checked out Glendale Ridge Vineyard. They offer a large selection of wines from sparkling to red and everything in between. While the winery doesn’t have food itself, often there is a food truck on site. The grounds have picnic tables, covered seating, and Adirondack chairs. Sitting in an Adirondack chair with a few samplings of wines on a beautiful fall afternoon was the perfect way to slow down and enjoy the landscape.

For those days where the weather isn’t cooperating, CFE Farmstead, offers a quirky indoor space to hang out. This section of the old textile mill building has been converted into a space that is both green in decor – with turf covering the floor & built in seating areas – and mission – with hydroponic gardening the focus of the company. When I visited, this space was called Mill 180 Park, but CFE Farmstead is the new steward of this same idea of a collective community. While its mission is to support hydroponic gardening, they also have a cafe that serves food and drinks including alcohol. They also host art fairs, music, and private parties.