Recreation & Relaxation
The scenic campus, with its tree lined walkways, is a study in contrasts: countryside and city, old and new, sophisticated and rustic. The Campus and the amherst area offer a variety of cultural and historical attractions. Jazz, classical, and popular music concerts, fine theaters and cinemas, quaint shops and superb restaurants, as well as museums, excellent libraries, town fairs, and historical sites, please groups of varied tastes and styles.
The university, located in Hampshire County, is in the heart of the picturesque Pioneer Valley of the Connecticut River basin. Rolling farmland, dense woodland and the foothills of the eastern Berkshires combine to make this one of the most beautiful areas in New England. Western Massachusetts is a year-round recreation area with opportunities for a variety of activities, including cross-country and downhill skiing, biking, hiking, golf, boating, swimming, and camping. In addition to the beauty of the physical environment, the Pioneer Valley represents social and cultural diversity at its best.
The Five College Consortium, which includes the University of Massachusetts, as well as Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges, encourages the sharing of resources among the area’s institutions of higher learning. Also in Hampshire County is the city of Northampton, home of the Academy of Music (the oldest continuously operated theatre in America), the Smith College Museum and botanical gardens, an array of fine restaurants and galleries, festivals, and fairs.
Amherst itself is home to the Emily Dickinson House. These and other communities of Hampshire County combine to capture New England’s distinctive atmosphere. Surrounding Hampshire County and offering a wealth of sightseeing are the Berkshires, with Tanglewood, Williamstown, Lenox, and Stockbridge; the museums and homes of historic Old Deerfield; Springfield and the Basketball Hall of Fame; Old Sturbridge Village, a living museum recreating the agricultural community of the early 19th-century rural New England; and so much more.
Please also see our listing of more area attractions.
