Marcia Glassman-Jaffe - Fun with the Family Massachusetts: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids

fun with the family

Massachusetts

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Copyright 2014 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Editor: Amy Lyons

Project Editor: Lynn Zelem

Layout: Joanna Beyer

Text Design: Nancy Freeborn and Linda R. Loiewski

Maps: Rusty Nelson Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Spot photography throughout Photodisc and RubberBall Productions

ISSN 1537-291X

ISBN 978-0-7627-9675-5

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Mark, Ian, Morgan, Mallory, Marisa, Justin, and Chase.

Thank you for helping me see the wonders around us as we travel lifes many paths. I am truly blessed with a wonderful and loving family. Thank you for your understanding and support; I always sensed your pride in me for my determined perseverance. And lastly, I would like to thank the Walter Mittys of this world, no matter what their age, who dare to dream.

This book is dedicated to the beloved memories of my late parents, Natalie and Cyril Glassman, who inspired my love of travel, discovery, and nature.

Marcia Glassman-Jaffe received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and a Masters in Education and Human Development with a concentration in Travel and Tourism Administration and Policy from George Washington University in Washington, DC. Marcia got her start in the travel industry as a travel agent and eventually worked as part of a management team. She later performed tourism research for the Boston Organizing Committee on the viability of Boston as a host city for the Summer Olympics. Marcia also served as a Research Associate for an adventure travel book before authoring Fun with the Family Massachusetts and Are We Almost There? Where to Go and What to Do with the Kids in Boston (GPP Travel). Marcia lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with her husband Mark. They are the proud parents of Ian, Morgan, Mallory, Marisa, and Marisas husband, Justin, and grandparents of Chase.

Thank you to the members of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, the regional travel offices, and the chambers of commerce throughout the state, the National Park Service visitor centers, and the sites and attractions contained in this book for their time and cooperation in making this book as accurate and informative as possible. I would further like to thank Morgan and Mallory Jaffe and Marisa Jaffe Gelfand for their technological assistance and Morgan Jaffe and Kirsten Williamson for all their proofreading work and support.

My gratitude, too, to my many friends who put friendship on hold so I could follow my writing dream and for their discoveries and tips that they shared with me.

To my dear friend Diane Bair: This project wouldnt have happened without youmany thanks.

I would like to thank Amy Lyons, my editor, for her encouragement, guidance, and wonderful conversations. Amy, youve been lovely to work with. Thank you also to Lynn Zelem, project editor at GPP.

The following is a key to the icons found throughout the text.

SWIMMING
BOATING/BOAT TOUR
HISTORIC SITE
HIKING/WALKING
FISHING
BIKING
AMUSEMENT PARK
HORSEBACK RIDING
SKIING/WINTER SPORTS
PARK
ANIMAL VIEWING
FOOD
LODGING
CAMPING
MUSEUM
PERFORMING ARTS
SPORTS/ATHLETICS
PICNICKING
PLAYGROUND
SHOPPING
PLANTS/GARDENS/NATURE TRAILS
FARM

C overing the western end of Massachusetts, Berkshire County changes dramatically, from the high mountains and isolated valleys in the north to the hilly forests and farmland of the area along the Connecticut border. A magnet for leaf-peeper pilgrimages, the color is brilliant in autumn, sweeping over the knolls and rises of the landscape. Tell the kids to keep an eye out for the carved wooden Indians that guard the tourist shops along the Mohawk Trail; they are a nod to the native peoples who once frequented this road when it was just a path. Williamstown, found in the westerly end of the Mohawk Trail, is known for Williams College and its world-class art museums set in a classic New England village of white churches and clapboard houses along the edges of the town green. To the southeast of North Adams is Mt. Greylock, the states highest mountain, part of a huge park full of hiking trails of varying difficulties, as well as waterfalls, fishing areas, and campgrounds.