Davis Farmland & Mega Maze, Sterling - Davis Farmland brings you up close and personal with farm animals. There are so many ways to enjoy the animals whether feeding them, petting them, riding on them, or viewing the animals from a hay ride. New to Davis Farmland is a wonderful splash park and playground. Across the street from Davis Farmland is the Davis Mega Maze. Each year, world-renowned maze designer, Adrian Fisher, creates a new themed cornfield maze filled with miles of pathways and bridges. Kid Comment - The racing cars at Davis Farmland and the Mega Maze are the best. www.davisfarmland.com
Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge -- Located on 200 acres with 59 historic buildings, Old Sturbridge Village presents life in New England from the late 1700s to the early 1800s. At every turn, daily life as it was 200 years ago comes alive for children. Youngsters can watch a blacksmith pounding a horseshoe, a tinsmith making a lantern, a potter throwing a clay pot, or smell cornbread baking over the hearth in a farm house. Children particularly enjoy carding wool, riding a horsedrawn wagon, or visiting the old school where a teacher recreates a turn-of-the century classroom. Kid Comment - When you are at Sturbridge Village, it's like your are back in time and living in their world. www.osv.org
Dr. Seuss National Memorial and Sculpture Garden, Springfield - Did you know that Theodor Geisel, a.k.a., Dr. Seuss, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts? Located in the quadrangle of the Springfield Museums is the Dr. Seuss National Memorial and Sculpture Garden. There you will find five large-scale bronze sculptures depicting different Dr. Seuss characters, as well as a sculpture of the author himself. The sculpture of Horton the elephant stands at a majestic 14 feet. After enjoying the Dr. Seuss sculptures, make sure to pop into the Spingfield Science Museum. This very hands-on museum has a number of exciting exhibits including the planetarium, and the dinosaur and African Halls. Kid Comment - It was fun to pose with my favorite Dr. Seuss characters. www.catinthehat.org
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art - We’ve all enjoyed reading the work of Eric Carle with our children. Now, come and see illustrations from some of your children’s favorite picture books. In addition to the work of Eric Carle, the museum features exhibits by other well-known illustrators of children’s books from around the world. The exhibits are displayed in a dramatic and modern space filled with loads of light. After exploring the picture book art exhibits, children can become illustrators themselves by participating in activities in the art studio. They can also listen to a story in the reading library, or enjoy a performance or film in the auditorium. www.carlemuseum.org
Mass MoCA - With soaring ceilings and over 110,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Massachuetts Museum of Contemporary Art presents dramatic and eye-catching exhibits sure to intrigue any child -- art lover or not! The paintings, sculptures, videos, and installations at the museum are on a large scale rarely seen at more coventional museums. And contemporary art itself is very accessible to children since the work is expressed and can be absorbed through so many mediums and senses. Mass MoCA even includes a 3,200 square foot gallery and studio just for kids called KidsSpace. Also see Mass MoCA's rich performing arts division with 75 performances each year. Kid Comment - The video art and large wall paintings were my favorite. www.massmoca.org
Norman Rockwell Museum - The subject of Norman Rockwell’s work, everyday life, makes his paintings and illustrations highly accessible to children. Children will relate to works depicting boy scouts, a baseball game, a child’s trip to the doctor, a day in the life of a little girl, or a family leaving and coming home from vacation. “Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera” is a particularly engaging exhibit for children. Rockwell took staged photographs of his subjects before painting them. At the museum, these staged photographs are hung side-by-side next to a painting or illustration. It’s fun for children to look back and forth from the photograph to the painting or drawing to see the similarities and differences. The Norman Rockwell Museum is sited on 36 beautiful acres which includes the artist’s studio. Kid Comment - The art work is so detailed it looks like photographs, but it's actually paintings and drawings. www.nrm.org
Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge -- Located on 200 acres with 59 historic buildings, Old Sturbridge Village presents life in New England from the late 1700s to the early 1800s. At every turn, daily life as it was 200 years ago comes alive for children. Youngsters can watch a blacksmith pounding a horseshoe, a tinsmith making a lantern, a potter throwing a clay pot, or smell cornbread baking over the hearth in a farm house. Children particularly enjoy carding wool, riding a horsedrawn wagon, or visiting the old school where a teacher recreates a turn-of-the century classroom. Kid Comment - When you are at Sturbridge Village, it's like your are back in time and living in their world. www.osv.org
Dr. Seuss National Memorial and Sculpture Garden, Springfield - Did you know that Theodor Geisel, a.k.a., Dr. Seuss, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts? Located in the quadrangle of the Springfield Museums is the Dr. Seuss National Memorial and Sculpture Garden. There you will find five large-scale bronze sculptures depicting different Dr. Seuss characters, as well as a sculpture of the author himself. The sculpture of Horton the elephant stands at a majestic 14 feet. After enjoying the Dr. Seuss sculptures, make sure to pop into the Spingfield Science Museum. This very hands-on museum has a number of exciting exhibits including the planetarium, and the dinosaur and African Halls. Kid Comment - It was fun to pose with my favorite Dr. Seuss characters. www.catinthehat.org
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art - We’ve all enjoyed reading the work of Eric Carle with our children. Now, come and see illustrations from some of your children’s favorite picture books. In addition to the work of Eric Carle, the museum features exhibits by other well-known illustrators of children’s books from around the world. The exhibits are displayed in a dramatic and modern space filled with loads of light. After exploring the picture book art exhibits, children can become illustrators themselves by participating in activities in the art studio. They can also listen to a story in the reading library, or enjoy a performance or film in the auditorium. www.carlemuseum.org
Mass MoCA - With soaring ceilings and over 110,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Massachuetts Museum of Contemporary Art presents dramatic and eye-catching exhibits sure to intrigue any child -- art lover or not! The paintings, sculptures, videos, and installations at the museum are on a large scale rarely seen at more coventional museums. And contemporary art itself is very accessible to children since the work is expressed and can be absorbed through so many mediums and senses. Mass MoCA even includes a 3,200 square foot gallery and studio just for kids called KidsSpace. Also see Mass MoCA's rich performing arts division with 75 performances each year. Kid Comment - The video art and large wall paintings were my favorite. www.massmoca.org
Norman Rockwell Museum - The subject of Norman Rockwell’s work, everyday life, makes his paintings and illustrations highly accessible to children. Children will relate to works depicting boy scouts, a baseball game, a child’s trip to the doctor, a day in the life of a little girl, or a family leaving and coming home from vacation. “Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera” is a particularly engaging exhibit for children. Rockwell took staged photographs of his subjects before painting them. At the museum, these staged photographs are hung side-by-side next to a painting or illustration. It’s fun for children to look back and forth from the photograph to the painting or drawing to see the similarities and differences. The Norman Rockwell Museum is sited on 36 beautiful acres which includes the artist’s studio. Kid Comment - The art work is so detailed it looks like photographs, but it's actually paintings and drawings. www.nrm.org
Central & Western MA with Kids
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