The Berkshires region has a wonderful variety of fine museums & galleries

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Smith College Museum of Art

Elm Street Northampton, MA 01063 Phone: 413-585-2760

Open: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 4 p.m.; Second Fridays, 10 a.m.– 8 p.m. (4 – 8 p.m., free admission); closed Mondays and major holidays

More than 25,000 art objects from a variety of cultures from 2500 B.C. to present. Special exhibitions. Internationally known for collection of 19th- and 20th- century European and American art.

Springfield Museums & Dr Seuss Nat’l Memorial Sculpture Garden

21 Edwards Street Springfield, MA 01103 Phone: 413-263-6800

Life-size statues of Springfield native Dr. Seuss and his favorite characters including Horton, the Grinch and the Lorax, greet you at the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden. Then step inside the four museums where you'll find fierce Samurai armor and weaponry; an internationally-acclaimed collection of Oriental bronze, jade and porcelain; intricate Middle Eastern rugs; fine American and European paintings and sculpture; the live-animal Solutia Eco-Center; a savannah-full of animals in the multi-level R.E. Phelon African Hall; Dinosaur Hall with its towering tyrannosaurus rex; Astronomy Hall complete with a planetarium; and changing exhibits highlighting Connecticut River Valley history since 1636. Learning is more fun hands-on in the colorful Hasbro Games Art Discovery Center and stimulating MASSPOWER Science Discovery Laboratory. A variety of curriculum-based tours and programs are available.

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

225 South Street Williamstown, MA 01267 Phone: 413-458-2303

Open: September-June, Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays; July and August, open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Clark Art Institute boasts one of this country's most impressive and prestigious fine art collections, including many French Impressionist paintings, with more than thirty by the esteemed painter Renoir. Also gracing the walls are noteworthy Old Master paintings and a significant group of American works by Homer, Sargent, Cassatt and Remington. Admission charge.

Stone House Museum

20 Maple Street Belchertown, MA 01007 Phone: 413-323-6573

Open: Guided tours mid-May-October, on Wednesday and Saturday, 2-5 p.m.

19th century artifacts and exhibits, featuring a carriage shed with carriages, sleighs, and early furniture. Open seasonally. There is an admission fee.

Storrowton Village Museum

1305 Memorial Avenue West Springfield, MA 01089 Phone: 413-205-5051

Open: June 19-August 24, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; group tours by appointment year-round.

A restored New England village, featuring blacksmith shop, homes, schoolhouse, and a meetinghouse. Open seasonally. There is an admission fee.

Williams College Museum of Art

Main Street (Route 2) Williamstown, MA 01267 Phone: 413-597-2429

Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m., free admission

Modern and contemporary art, American art from the late 18th century to the present, and the art of world cultures. Maurice and Charles Prendergast gallery.

Wistariahurst Museum

238 Cabot Street Holyoke, MA 01040 Phone: 413-322-5660 Fax: 413-534-2344

Open: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, noon- 4 p.m.

Twenty-six-room Beaux Arts mansion of silk manufacturer William Skinner featuring many outstanding architectural details and a house tour that weaves the tale of the people who lived and worked there. Dinosaur footprints and gardens. Admission charge.
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Amherst History Museum

The Strong House, 67 Amity Street Amherst, MA 01002 Phone: 413-256-0678

Open: May 17– October 28, Wednesday through Saturday noon-4 p.m. Call ahead for seasonal changes in hours.

Exhibits of 18th and 19th century art and furniture. Open seasonally. There is an admission charge.

Berkshire Museum

39 South Street (Route 7) Pittsfield, MA 01201 Phone: 413-443-7171

An all-in-one museum, featuring galleries of art, natural science and history exhibits, and a cinema. The museum schedules programs for children, lectures, and art classes throughout the year.
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; closed Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Admission: Adults, $13; children, $6

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum

10 Willow Creek Road Lenox, MA 01240 Phone: 413-637-2210

Open: Call for schedule of rides and events

Restored 1902 depot with railroading exhibits and model train displays; Berkshire Cottages exhibit in vintage railroad coach. On summer weekends and holidays the museum offers two 90-minute round trip excursions from Lenox Station to Stockbridge and a 45-minute round trip excursion from Lenox Station to Lee narrated by a uniformed conductor. Admission charge.

Children's Museum at Holyoke

444 Dwight Street Holyoke, MA 01040 Phone: 413-536-KIDS

Open: Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; closed Monday-Wednesday. Call for seasonal changes.

Hands-on exhibits for children. Admission charge.

Crane Museum of Papermaking

Housatonic Street Dalton, MA 01226 Phone: 413-684-6481

Open: June to mid-October, Monday-Friday, 1-5 p.m.

Situated in Crane's historic 1845 old stone mill. Exhibits and displays of nearly 200 years of papermaking in Dalton.
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Hadley Farm Museum

208 Middle Street Hadley, MA 01035 Phone: 413-586-1160

Open: May-October, Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

Early New England farm equipment in restored 1782 barn: blacksmith tools, ox cart, stage coach, plows, early domestic appliances.

Historic Deerfield

88 Old Main Street Deerfield, MA 01342 Phone: 413-775-7214

Open: Daily, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; call for seasonal changes.

Historic Deerfield is “New England as you hope to find it!” Located in western Massachusetts off Routs 5 and 10 in the 330-year old village of Deerfield, the Museum has been called “the gem of rural New England,” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This Museum of New England’s history and art welcomes visitors of all ages from around the world to Deerfield’s mile-long thoroughfare, simply called, “The Street.” The Museum features twelve houses dating to the 18th and 19th centuries and three exhibition galleries within the Flynt Center of Early New England Life. Historic Deerfield’s decorative arts treasures can be viewed on both the guided and self-guided tours. A full calendar of programs, special events, group tours and village walking tours are offered throughout the year. The Museum Store and Bookshop feature gifts for all occasions, museum reproductions and a wide selection of books about early America and the decorative arts. Open Daily, year round, 9:30-4:30 except Thanksgiving, Dec. 24 & 25.

Indian Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame

33 Hendee Street Springfield, MA 01104 Phone: 413-737-2624

Open: March 1-November 30, daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; December 1-February 28, daily 1-4 p.m.; closed New Year’s Day, thanksgiving, Christmas.

Exhibits of motorcycles and memorabilia. Includes a photo gallery. Admission charge.

Joseph Skinner Museum

35 Woodbridge Street South Hadley, MA 01075 Phone: 413-538-2245

Open: May through October, Wednesdays and Sundays, 2 p.m.-5 p.m.

Set in a church built in 1846, this museum feature 19th century glassware, furniture and musical instruments. An exhibit of locally unearthed minerals is also of interest. Open seasonally.

Kingman Tavern Historical Museum

41 Main Street Cummington, MA 01026 Phone: 413-634-5527

Open: July and August, Saturday, 2-5 p.m.

Museum features an exhibit of miniature rooms and antique furniture. Open seasonally. There is an admission fee.

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Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA)

87 Marshall Street North Adams, MA Phone: 413-662-2111

Hours: Regular Hours, September-June 25, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., closed Tuesdays; Summer Hours, June-September, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily

Since opening in 1999, MASS MoCA has become one of the world's premier centers for making and showing contemporary art. MASS MoCA exhibits work by many of the most important artists of today, focusing on large-scale and complex installations that are impossible to realize in conventional museums. MASS MoCA hosts more than 75 performances year-round, including popular music, contemporary dance, alternative cabaret, world music dance parties, outdoor silent films with live music, documentaries, and avant-garde theater.

Mead Art Museum

Amherst College Amherst, MA 01002 Phone: 413-542-2335

Open: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and until 9 on Thursday; closed Monday and college holidays. Call for seasonal changes

More than 16,000 works; collections range from antiquity to present; portraits by Gilbert Stuart, Italian Renaissance paintings, Japanese woodblock prints, Mediterranean antiquities, and pre-Columbian ceramics. Free admission.

Memorial Hall Museum

8 Memorial Street Deerfield, MA 01342 Phone: 413-774-3768

Open: May 1-October 30

Occupying a building originally constructed in 1798 for Deerfield Academy, Memorial Hall Museum holds over 31,000 items and includes the Old Deerfield Children's Museum, offering family activities in a reproduction of a 1690s house. Exhibits focus on the life and world of an agricultural economy from the earliest Native Americans to the arrival of Europeans.

Mount Holyoke College Art Museum

Lower Lake Road South Hadley, MA 01075 Phone: 413-538-2245

Open: Tuesday–Friday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1–5 p.m., closed Mondays and certain college holidays. Call ahead for seasonal changes.

Beautifully exhibited and critically acclaimed broad-based permanent collection. Comprehensive scope ranges from ancient to contemporary art and represents diverse cultures. Imaginative special exhibitions; scavenger hunts for kids. Docent-led tours available with advance notice. Collections focus on Asian art; 19th- and 20th-century European and American paintings and sculpture; Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art; Medieval sculpture; and early Italian Renaissance paintings. 6-8 exceptional special exhibitions annually. Visit the college's botanical gardens next door too. Free admission.

Norman Rockwell Museum

9 Glendale Road (Route 183) Stockbridge, MA 01262 Phone: 413-298-4100

Open: November-April, weekdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; weekends and holidays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m; May-October and holidays, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Largest collection of original work by Norman Rockwell, the quintessential American illustrator famous for his "Saturday Evening Post" covers. Artist's studio; exhibitions of Rockwell's work, his contemporaries, and modern illustrators. Admission charge.

Porter-Phelps-Huntington House Museum

130 River Drive Hadley, MA 01035 Phone: 413-584-4699

Open: May 15-October 15, Saturday through Wednesday, 1-4:30 p.m.; closed Thursdays and Fridays. Open mornings by appointment.

Historic house museum preserving the material possessions and papers of six generations of one of Hadley's founding families. Tours and interpretations of the house and its contents. Concert series and afternoon teas. There is an admission fee.

Pratt Museum of Natural History

Amherst College Amherst, MA 01002 Phone: 413-542-2165

Open: September through mid-June; weekdays, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. July- August, Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

Exhibits at this museum focus on dinosaurs, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, minerals, crystals, and other geologic specimens.
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