Top 15 Must-See Attractions in Amherst, MA

In the Connecticut River Valley, and bordered in the south by the expansive Holyoke Range, Amherst is recognized for its esteemed educational institutions, renowned poets, and progressive ideologies.

Describing Amherst solely as a college town does not encapsulate its full character. Within moments, one can find the innovative Hampshire College, the extensive UMass Amherst campus, and the distinguished Amherst College, which integrates seamlessly with the city’s downtown region.

Robert Frost taught at Amherst College and later resided in the town, while Emily Dickinson spent nearly her entire life in the Dickinson Homestead, currently a museum overseen by Amherst College.

1. Emily Dickinson Museum

The birthplace and lifelong residence of the poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) is situated just east of Amherst Center on Main St.

After her childhood and a brief period at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, Dickinson seldom departed from this residence, rarely entertaining visitors and, later in life, spending most of her time in her bedroom.

Visiting the Federal-style Dickinson Homestead (1813) offers a profound and poignant glimpse into the extraordinary mind of a talent that gained true recognition only after her posthumous literary discoveries.

The museum additionally includes The Evergreens next door, which served as the home of Dickinson’s brother Austin, his wife Susan, and their children.

The collection features more than 8,000 family artifacts, encompassing furniture, portraits, dinnerware, and textiles. Throughout the year, the museum hosts various events, such as the Tell It Slant Poetry Festival in September.

2. Amherst College

As the third-oldest institution of higher education in the state, Amherst College integrates effortlessly with downtown Amherst.

With an enrollment of fewer than 2,000 undergraduates annually, Amherst College is highly esteemed, standing as one of the leading liberal arts institutions globally.

Among its distinguished alumni are six Nobel Prize winners and Calvin Coolidge, a President of the United States.

Visitors are free to explore the campus at their leisure, appreciating the 19th and early 20th-century architecture, notably designed by the McKim, Mead & White firm, and the stately fraternity houses from the early 1900s by Putnam & Cox.

The exceptional Octagon (1848), commissioned by college president Edward Hitchcock, housed the natural history collections and observatory in its past.

In 1870, Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park, advised on the campus’s layout, leading to the creation of the current quadrangle. The modern Beneski Museum of Natural History and Mead Art Museum on campus both merit a visit.

3. Hampshire College

Founded in 1970 as a groundbreaking model for higher education, Hampshire College boasts a picturesque campus located in the southern region of Amherst.

The peaks of the Holyoke Range rise prominently on the horizon to the south. Hampshire College maintains its distinct educational approach, featuring an unconventional curriculum, self-directed academic concentrations, and a focus on narrative evaluations rather than traditional grading, and has long been recognized for its progressive values.

Notable alumni include Ken Burns, Barry Sonnenfeld, Lupita Nyong’o, comedian Eugene Mirman, and author Jon Krakauer.

The campus is adorned with abundant green spaces, along with a food cooperative and interesting attractions such as the Yiddish Book Center and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

4. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (The Carle)

In 2002, the beloved children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle (1929-2021), along with his wife Barbara (1938-2015), established this distinctive museum on the campus of Hampshire College.

Carle published over 70 books, with his most famous being The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969), which has sold more than 50 million copies and has been translated into 66 languages.

The museum features three galleries that host six exhibitions annually, showcasing national and international picture book artists, while the West Gallery is dedicated specifically to Carle’s extensive work.

Designed with young visitors in mind, the museum celebrates the beauty and creativity inherent in picture book art.

The museum provides a myriad of programs and includes a library, a studio where children can create their own masterpieces, a garden/meadow commemorating Barbara Carle, and a quality gift shop.

5. UMass Amherst

Covering almost 1,450 acres, the largest campus in the University of Massachusetts system, UMass Amherst, is located less than a mile north of Amherst Center.

You may take a guided tour or explore the campus at your leisure. The predominant architectural style here is Modernist, following extensive construction during the 1960s and 70s.

A highlight from this period is the W. E. B. Du Bois Library (1974), which, at 286.5 feet, is the tallest university library and the second tallest library overall in the world.

In terms of athletics, the UMass Minutemen and Minutewomen compete at the NCAA Division I level, maintaining a strong reputation in ice hockey and lacrosse.

The university’s Brutalist Fine Arts Center (1975) occupies a prominent position by Campus Pond and serves as a monumental entrance to the campus, featuring a 2,000-seat concert hall, studios, galleries, and the University Museum of Contemporary Art.

6. Amherst Center

Downtown Amherst serves as a vibrant hub in its own right, filled with cultural venues, notable sights, vibrant events, and a wealth of independent shopping and dining options.

Part of this allure is attributed to the adjacent Amherst College campus, which boasts grand architecture and world-renowned museums. Just along the Amherst Town Common, diners can explore a diverse array of restaurants, offering everything from falafel to pho.

The Amherst Cinema has stood as a staple of entertainment for almost a century, while a relatively recent addition is The Drake performing arts space, which opened in 2022.

For introspection, visitors can also stroll over to the historic West Cemetery (1730), which is the final resting place of Emily Dickinson, and Jones Library (1919), which holds extensive collections of manuscripts and correspondence related to both Dickinson and Robert Frost.

Back on the common, patrons can enjoy a farmers’ market on Saturdays, along with free weekly outdoor concerts on Fridays throughout the summer.

7. Yiddish Book Center

Another significant site on the Hampshire College campus is a cultural center dedicated to preserving Yiddish-language literature and media.

Founded in 1980 by graduate student Aaron Lansky, this was the first Yiddish museum globally and was established to recover and conserve Yiddish books that were being discarded by American Jewish families no longer fluent in this ancestral language.

The collection has grown to encompass over one million books. The current 49,000-square-foot facility opened in 1997 and features compelling permanent and traveling exhibitions.

One notable exhibition, Unquiet Pages, showcases 19 panels highlighting Yiddish novels, poetry, plays, and memoirs.

The Lee & Alfred Hutt Discovery Gallery focuses on traditional Eastern European Jewish culture, while there is also a children’s area with a reading nook and a pretend restaurant where children can learn Yiddish terms for typical Jewish dishes.

8. Beneski Museum of Natural History

The contemporary Beneski Earth Sciences Building on the Amherst College campus features three floors of exhibits, showcasing over 1,700 specimens.

These extensive collections date back to the institution’s origins in the 1820s, with many amassed by geologist Edward Hitchcock, who was also the college’s third president (1793-1864).

This includes an extraordinary selection of dinosaur tracks, housed in the Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet, noted as the largest collection of its type in the world.

Visitors can also explore rich displays related to vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, anthropology, minerals, and various geological specimens.

Iconic exhibits include Ice Age mastodon and mammoth skeletons on the first floor, as well as the world’s best-preserved Dryosaurus specimen located in the basement.

9. Mead Art Museum

The third essential museum at Amherst College, the Mead Art Museum, houses the college’s distinguished art collection and is named after alumnus William Rutherford Mead (1846-1928), a graduate of the class of 1867.

Mead’s wife, Olga Kilyeni Mead, bequeathed her entire estate to the college, which provided funding for the museum’s construction designed by James Kellum Smith and inaugurated in 1949.

Featuring 19,000 pieces, the college’s art collection spans a variety of styles, including ancient Assyrian carvings, Japanese prints, West African sculptures, American and European fine art (including works by Claude Monet and Frans Snyders), Mexican ceramics, Russian art, Tibetan scroll paintings, and even an English paneled room from the 1600s.

The Mead Art Museum is open to the public without charge and exhibits selections from the collection, as well as modern and contemporary art showcases, with recent exhibitions featuring artists such as Liliana Porter, Sonya Clarke, and Michael Mazur.

10. Mount Holyoke Range State Park

The striking mountain landscapes of the Holyoke Range provide a stunning backdrop to the southern part of Amherst, where this 9.5-mile traprock ridge extends from east to west.

Crossed by the 114-mile Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, the range is favored for its challenging hikes that reward hikers with expansive views from its ledges.

Mount Holyoke Range State Park encompasses seven miles of the ridgeline, in addition to over 30 miles of trails winding through forests and wetlands.

The park is heralded as one of the premier locales in the region for mountain biking, appealing to both those seeking to tackle steep terrains and those wishing to wander through tranquil forests. A visitor center located along Route 116 serves as a convenient stop before embarking on an eastward hike across the ridge.

11. Amherst Farmers’ Market

From April through November, Saturday mornings offer an award-winning farmers’ market at the Amherst Common. Established more than fifty years ago, it attracts producers, growers, and artisans from across the Pioneer Valley.

This popular event features up to 50 vendors each week, providing local and seasonal produce, honey, maple syrup, eggs, jams, cheeses, cut flowers, wines, pasture-raised meats, organic nuts, breads, pastries, and much more.

An impressive selection of vendors for handcrafted items is available, alongside an abundance of prepared foods and beverages, ranging from breakfast wraps to crème brûlée and kombucha.

12. The Norwottuck Rail Trail

A portion of the 11-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail traverses Amherst on its journey from Northampton to Belchertown.

The Norwottuck Rail Trail follows the former rail bed of the Central Massachusetts Railroad, which commenced operations in the 1880s but ceased passenger service in 1932 and freight service in the 1970s.

The trail extends from east to west through Amherst, curving north towards the southern border of Amherst College before veering southeast. A parking area for the trail is conveniently located along Station Rd. at the town line in South Amherst.

Despite encountering some hilly landscapes, particularly in the southeast of Amherst, the Norwottuck Rail Trail provides a flat ride or walk, connecting to the Mass Central Rail Trail from Belchertown, which is expected to span more than 100 miles.

13. Amherst Cinema Arts Center

This non-profit, four-screen cinema center in Amherst dates back to 1926, having been converted from a historic stable.

By the late 20th century, the cinema had transitioned into a second-run theater, before closing in 2000 and reopening in 2006 as a three-screen venue for both mainstream and independent films.

The fourth screen was added in 2012, providing an excellent opportunity to enjoy classic films, Hollywood blockbusters, art house selections, documentaries, shorts, and numerous international and independent features.

Visitors can savor delicious popcorn and order beer, wine, or cider at the cozy auditoriums, all equipped with modern sound and projection technologies.

14. Puffers Pond

The largest body of open water in Amherst is situated to the north, along the Mill River corridor, and serves as a favored recreational space for swimming, picnicking, walking, birdwatching, fishing, and paddlesports.

This area is a remnant of Amherst’s industrial past, once hosting mills as early as the 1720s, although activity ceased by the 1940s, leaving only foundations visible today.

During summer, the beach area is open, with shallow waters routinely tested for quality. Not far west of the swimming area, the pond’s dam features a picturesque mid-19th-century waterfall/spillway, accessible via the bridge on Mill St.

15. Atkins Farms Country Market

Nestled at the base of the Holyoke Range adjacent to Hampshire College, Atkins Farms Country Market is a sizable venue filled with local products alongside specialty food items.

The origins of this enterprise date back to 1887 when George H. Atkins relocated to the area and established an orchard.

The retail aspect of the business expanded rapidly throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with the extensive store welcoming visitors today being doubled in the 1990s and further expanded in the early 2000s.

The apples and apple products available at Atkins Farms Country Market originate from orchards situated just a short distance away in Belchertown and another site off Bay Rd.

Visitors travel from afar for the market’s baked goods, particularly the highly sought-after apple cider donuts, along with a superior salad bar and a deli counter known for its Reuben and meatloaf sandwiches.