Designated Cultural Districts

Location: Amherst

Description: There's no doubt that you're at the center of it all when you visit here, with plenty of options for every interest. Literary lovers will enjoy the Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst Books, and the Amherst Poetry Festival, while film buffs can catch independent and feature films at the Amherst Cinema Arts Center. Admirers of art can find it around every corner -- at the Mead Art Museum, in Judie's Restaurant, on muraled building walls throughout town, as well as in numerous galleries scattered throughout the district. Amherst has a wealth of history and historical assets too, which can be explored at the Amherst History Museum, in the Jones Library Archives, by strolling through West Cemetery, or visiting the historic homes of Henry Hills and the Amherst Woman's Club. Picnickers and park-goers can relax in one of the three district parks -- Amherst Town Common, Kendrick Park, and Sweetser Park, which frequently feature live music, festivals, book sales and bazaars. Hungry or need to slake your thirst? Foodies fare well here with unique restaurants like Fresh Side, The Lumberyard, Black Sheep Cafe, Amherst Coffee, and High Horse Brewing, among many others. The district is flanked by two distinct educational institutions -- UMass Amherst and Amherst College -- and is centrally located in the beautiful Pioneer Valley.

Location: Easthampton

Description: Located at the base of Mount Tom, Easthampton's Cottage Street Cultural District, known for its down-to-earth funkiness, has an eclectic array of quaint shops, galleries, and bustling night-life all set in the back-drop of a diverse arts scene. Enjoy a Sunday brunch and a movie with views of the Nashawannuck pond at Popcorn Noir -- a cinema and restaurant that serves up movies, cocktails, theater, and live music. Next door is Platterpus, Too - known for being what a record store used to be. Bibliophiles and collectors head to White Square Books and Fine Art replete with carefully selected first editions and reasonably priced books. Luthier's Co-op serves-up live bluegrass, local beers, and a wide-array of guitar strings and vintage instruments. Experience the dynamic monthly Art Walk Easthampton, a vibrant array of exhibitions, performers, and musicians held every Second Saturday. Visit Open Studios twice a year hosted by over 60 working artists in the Cottage Street Studios. Events that happen throughout the year including Art Walk and the Nash Gallery's Plein Air Paint Out make Easthampton's Cottage Street Cultural District a premiere artistic destination.

Location: Greenfield

Description: Do you like journeying off the beaten path and discovering new delights in unexpected places? Visit the Crossroads Cultural District and find something cool and different in every corner; Greenfield proves the adage that great things come in small packages. Come enjoy the completeness of a quirky, small, old-fashioned, full-service New England town that's enjoying a blossoming of arts, music, history, and culture as more and more artists of all stripes discover this easily-accessible yet hidden Western Mass treasure.Located right off the junction of Route 2 and I91, with the Mohawk Trail (2A) and scenic Routes 5 & 10 running directly through it, the Crossroads Cultural District in Greenfield is aptly named. From a painted parking meter to mural that covers the side of a building, from a single busker to a week-long spoken word festival, there?s always something to find in the Crossroads Cultural District.

Location: Cummington

Description: The Cummington Cultural District may be the first and only rural district in the Commonwealth. The town has a population of under 1,000, and its agrarian nature differentiate it from other districts in suburban or urban settings. Nestled in the middle of rural towns, Cummington has a lovely preserved Main Street, is the geographic center and hub of the major roads going through the Northern Hilltowns, and has a unique and especially notable connection to arts and culture since the 1800s. What other town has a poet on their town seal and is the home of two other Poet Laureates? (William Cullen Bryant, William Jay Smith and Richard Wilbur, respectively). Well-known artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Willem de Kooning, Diane Arbus, Marianne Moore, and Archibald Macleish all attended the Cummington Arts School (1923-1993). Cummington has been a place where art and agriculture intersect, and where one can experience the natural beauty of the Berkshire foothills and visit the studios of so many writers, painters, poets, sculptors and potters during the Hilltown Studio Open Tour.

Location: Westfield

Description: Where community and creativity are celebrated with more than 50 independent, diverse small businesses, a wealth of performance and gallery spaces, public parks and trails, and a commitment to inclusion and access, the Downtown Westfield Cultural District is the historic, civic, and economic hub of the City of Westfield. Through lectures and artistic displays at the Westfield Athenaeum, dramatic performances at the Westfield Women’s Club, and festivals and Art Walks supported by Westfield on Weekends! and ArtWorks of Westfield, opportunities to connect with your inner artist abound in the District. Every season, fresh programming is offered, including the famous PumpkinFest, Articulture in April, and the Friday night summer concert series serve to bring families and people of all ages to our Downtown community where they can find unique shopping experiences and a wide range of culinary delights, including Tex-Mex, traditional American, Vietnamese, Ukranian, Spanish, and Polish foods.

Location: Great Barrington

Description: Great Barrington is home to a diverse combination of social, architectural, and cultural resources that reflect the history of the southern Berkshires ranging from popular acts at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, a regional performing arts powerhouse drawing more than 40,000 a year, the annual Berkshire International Film Festival, now in its 12th year, cheese, wine, and charcuterie pairings at Rubiner's, one-of-a-kind concerts and exhibitions at Saint James Place, children's educational programs at Mason Library, and story slams at locally owned coffee house, Fuel. Performing arts organizations working within the district include Berkshire Playwrights Lab (BPL), Berkshire Opera Festival, Berkshire Bach Society, and Aston Magna. Community Access to the Arts (CATA) nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts.Cultural and historic preservation play an important role in the success of Great Barrington’s economy, including recognition of the W.E.B. Du Bois home site and birthplace, establishment of the Housatonic River Walk, and the renovation of Saint James Place, now a cultural center for performing arts groups of all sizes. The district contains multiple buildings on the National Register of Historic Places: among them Mason Library, Town Hall, and the Mahaiwe Theater. Outdoor recreation is available within the district on the Housatonic River Walk. As the first officially designated Appalachian Trail Community in Massachusetts, Great Barrington values connections to the surrounding landscape. The Downtown Great Barrington Cultural District is the bullseye of a much larger cultural target, positioned within a broad array of farm-to-table opportunities, skiing facilities, lodging properties, waterways, antique shops and spas. Venues close to the Downtown Great Barrington Cultural District include Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Berkshire Pulse dance studios, Berkcirque, art galleries in Housatonic and surrounding towns, the Guthrie Center, and historic homes and landscapes like the Bidwell House Museum and Monument Mountain Reservation.

Location: Holyoke

Description: The Holyoke Puerto Rican Cultural District is an emerging, vibrant part of the city, adorned with striking murals that celebrate Puerto Rican heritage and community pride. The district is alive with bustling restaurants, where locals and visitors alike can enjoy authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, and public spaces where people gather, celebrate, and connect. Beyond food and art, the district is a hub for a variety of local businesses, faith-based organizations, and nonprofits all dedicated to uplifting the people of Holyoke. At its heart stands Nueva Esperanza, an arts and cultural center that embodies the spirit of the district, fostering creativity, community, and cultural preservation.

Location: Lenox

Description: Lenox combines New England small town charm with world class culture and arts. It is the home of renowned performing arts venues and historic sites, along with destination wellness and lodging facilities. These amenities keep visitors coming back, provide a rare quality of life for residents, and contribute tremendously to the reputation of the Berkshires. Lenox does not simply entertain, it also educates. Programming abounds for all ages and interests, offered by local schools and churches, long-running summer camp programs, outreach programs of theaters and museums, library and community center activities and life-long learning courses connecting adults with new and inspiring experiences. A full cultural experience in Lenox includes sampling an array of restaurants, shops, and galleries. Many of these are independently owned and their offerings are truly unique and often locally-sourced. Downtown Lenox is compact and walkable, offering a high concentration of cultural assets. However, the cultural richness of Lenox also emanates into neighborhoods and rural expanses surrounding town. Assets in and around the Lenox Cultural District form a well-deserved reputation for world-class cultural experiences and one-of-a-kind treasures.

Location: North Adams

Description: North Adams is a community defined by reinvention and reemergence, with the nexus of this activity located in the North Adams Cultural District. Murals by local and international artists dapple downtown, and restaurants and retail -- from locally owned coffee shops and music stores to dog grooming and other services -- can be found on every downtown street, giving this post-industrial city a unique feel for visitors and residents alike. With its striking mill buildings, the smallest city in Massachusetts is home to the largest contemporary art museum in the country. The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) offers a unique combination of temporary exhibitions, long-term installations, and curated performances. Its 13 acre campus is also home to private galleries such as Ferrin Contemporary and CYNTHIA-REEVES, along with creative economy businesses and Bright Ideas Brewing Company. The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts adds to downtown activity with its gallery space Gallery 51, exhibiting work from emerging and mid-career contemporary artists. MCLA's Design Lab offers multi-use educational, exhibition, and performance space, and the Downstreet Art Initiative brings public art, performances, events, pop-ups and family friendly activities to the district all summer long.Other cultural institutions such as The Berkshire Art Museum, North Adams Museum of History & Science, and the North Adams Public Library populate downtown. Colegrove Park features outdoor movie screenings, concerts, yoga and other community events, while the district plays host to popular annual events including WinterFest, Downtown Celebration, Solid Sound Music Festival, Motorama, Eagle Street Beach Party, Bang on a Can and FressGrass music festivals, and the Fall Foliage Festival & Parade. Reinvent and refresh your creative side in this cultural district!

Location: Northampton

Description: Northampton is a great town for walking. Strolling along Elm Street, shaded by burgeoning elms and maples past classic New England architecture, your steps lead you to the world class collection at the Smith Museum of Art. Further on, you find the historic Academy of Music, where Bogie holds court in the lobby and the latest in film, dance, theater and more are presented onstage. Now you're at the upper end of Main Street, a wide boulevard offering a gauntlet of beguilement. Maybe it's an Arts Night Out, or maybe there's a show at the Horse or the Calvin. You keep walking, heading down Main, and craft shop demands a bit of window shopping, and that gallery demands a thoughtful pause, and the aroma drifting out of that restaurant stops you in your tracks. You finally pass under the railroad bridge and bikeway, perhaps pay a visit to Historic Northampton, but you're out of the clutches of Main Street, headed toward the Three County Fairgrounds. Maybe it's fair time, and you're wondering about a go on the Scrambler, or maybe it's time for the Paradise City Arts Festival and you're wandering through a maze of some of the finest crafts in America. Either way, take a look around and you see a highway in the distance, cars roaring along, and you think to yourself, "Those guys missed this exit."

Location: Shelburne

Description: This rural pairing of two villages -- Shelburne and Buckland -- on either side of the Deerfield River joined by an historic iron bridge is a delightful surprise. Honored as one of the 100 Best Small Art Towns in America the towns are recognized as a nationally desirable cultural destination. Shelburne Falls gets it all right -- preserving its historic, small town character while being open to the best of modern life. It is a village with a thriving cultural community nestled in the heart of farms and country roads. Enjoy world class opera in Memorial Hall's 1898 Met Live series. Visit eclectic art and crafts galleries and studios throughout the village. Enjoy the ambience of Mocha Maya's Coffee House offering live music year-round. The Bridge of Flowers, once a busy trolley bridge, is now a world famous garden. Visit the trolley museum, the candlepin museum, or the curious geological potholes. Linger in local eateries. Fun family-friendly fairs and festivals throughout the year celebrate the arts, culture, and nature of Shelburne Falls and the surrounding hill towns.

Location: Springfield

Description: The Springfield Central Cultural District covers an architecturally impressive, compact, walkable area encompassing approximately 1/3 of a square mile of downtown Springfield, MA. The district is brimming with cultural attractions, a robust calendar of cultural planning, and a diverse roster of restaurants and eateries.

Location: Montague

Description: Turners Falls is the largest of the five villages that comprise the Town of Montague -- nestled along the Connecticut River, just off the Mohawk Trail, the area is rich in history and culture including thousands of years of early Native American habitation. The Turners Falls Cultural District is energized by the same assets as in the past two centuries- the natural beauty of the river, well preserved architecture, and creative people who live and work in its downtown. The Gill-Montague Bridge serves as a gateway to the district and reveals stunning views of the village situated in a rustic landscape. Visitors are greeted by the gardens and rolling lawn of The Great Falls Discovery Center, which is housed within a complex of historic mill buildings. The Discovery Center exhibits the natural, cultural, and industrial history of the Connecticut River watershed. The Center's Great Hall, a former machine shop, regularly hosts art exhibits, educational programs and live music.

The district features green parks, casual and fine dining, craft beer tastings, outdoor sculpture, art exhibitions, galleries, and antique shopping along a wide tree-lined street. The district also has a distinct set of assets, such as historic Carnegie library, built by Andrew Carnegie in 1906; Unity Park, known as the crown jewel of the Turners Falls Waterfront for its recreational assets; and the newly renovated and reopened Shea Theater Arts Center -- the hub of entertainment in the Turners Falls Cultural District -- presenting performances by regional, national and international artists as well as community theater, dance, and music.

Location: Pittsfield

Description: How do you decide among the 50 restaurants, wine bars, and cafes that populate the Upstreet Cultural District? A calendar chock full of events and celebrations that regularly fill the street with vendors and artists that will tempt your aesthetic and culinary taste buds. This vibrant district will lure you into its amazing theater scene and to its family-friendly Berkshire Museum. Upstreet is home to dozens of visual, performing, and literary artists and numerous cultural institutions, including the Barrington Stage Company and its Musical Theatre Lab, the Hancock Shaker Village, and the beautifully restored Colonial Theatre. The district also boasts a number of locally-run retail shops, art galleries, a diverse selection of ethnic restaurants, and a year-round calendar of events and celebrations like 3rd Thursdays and the WordXWord Festival.

Location: Williamstown

Description: Williamstown, nestled in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, is, according to the New York Times, 'one of the loveliest communities in New England.' Home to Williams College, the Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and access to the Appalachian Trail and Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts' highest peak, the town is unique in its mix of extraordinary art, theater, ideas, history, and nature. Given its location in the Berkshires, it is a vibrant four-seasons cultural and outdoors destination.The district's engaged intellectual community centers around the world-renowned liberal arts college that occupies first place in the U.S. News & World Report 2014 ranking. Williamstown's cultural assets run deep, from historic homes, to family-owned farms, four outstanding libraries, and one of the few remaining single-screen, independent movie theaters still in operation. Spring Street, the commercial center, contains galleries, fashion shops, a vibrant coffee shop, and a myriad of restaurants that cater to the tastes of college students and locals.Visitors travel from all over the globe to experience The Clark's exceptional collections in an intimate setting, groundbreaking special exhibitions, and striking architecture by Pritzker prize winner Tadao Ando. The Williams College Museum attracts those interested in modern, contemporary, American, and world art. The Williamstown Theatre Festival presents Tony award-winning summer theater, featuring celebrated designers, composers, directors, choreographers, and actors on two stages at the state-of-the-art 62 Center at Williams -- all located in a setting of great natural beauty.