Handbook | Amherst Area and Transportation

1. Amherst Area and Transportation

a. Area: Amherst and Vicinity
UMass is in Amherst, Massachusetts, along with Amherst College and Hampshire College. Mount Holyoke College and Smith College are located in the neighboring towns of South Hadley and Northampton, respectively. Together, these institutions comprise the Five College consortium. For a calendar of events of the five colleges, please visit http://calendar.fivecolleges.edu/FiveCol/calendrome.cgi. The social and cultural atmosphere of the area reflects the cultural interests of the large academic population. As a result, there are a number of excellent bookstores, movie theaters, music halls, and music and video stores in the locality. The Amherst town center is within walking distance of the UMass campus (approximately half a mile). A small, student-oriented town, Amherst functions almost as an extension of the University, offering a cozy environment with several coffee houses, bars, bookstores, and fast-food restaurants. Northampton, the largest town in the Five College area, has the liveliest social and cultural life. Its downtown area, bustling by day and night, is an attractive place for shopping, eating or simply "hanging out." Along with many restaurants, coffee houses, clothing, craft, and art specialty shops, and "browse-in" bookstores, North­amp­­ton has two movie theaters screening international, independent, and art films, and is the venue for a variety of artistic performances throughout the year.

In addition to a lively cultural scene, the Five College area also offers a naturalist's heaven for those who like the out-of-doors. There are several local bike paths, small ponds, and woods that are particularly splendid during the fall. The new paved bike path connecting Amherst with Northampton provides "transportation with a view" for bikers. If you have a car, there are also many unspoiled historic spots, such as Montague, Old Deerfield, or Shelburne Falls. Both downhill and cross-country skiing are available at nearby regional resorts. Please see Chamber of Commerce websites for Northampton ( http://www.explorenorthampton.com/ ) and Amherst ( http://www.amherstarea.com/index.cfm ) areas for more information.

b. Location
UMass is relatively close to two cosmopolitan cities, Boston, the state capital of Massachusetts, and New York City. Many graduate students visit these cities for the weekend or even for the day. Hartford and New Haven in Connecticut, and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania are within a half-day's drive or bus ride. If time permits, you might want to visit Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, which is about an eight hours' drive from Amherst.

There is train service from Springfield to New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., as well as to other cities, and a bus service departing from the UMass campus and the center of Amherst. For greater distances, international airports are located about 45 minutes away by car in Connecticut (Bradley International Airport) and approximately two hours away in Boston (Logan International Airport). Both airports are served by local bus companies. Check your telephone book for information about area bus companies, their schedules and prices. For those who are interested in resorts rather than big cities, Cape Cod in Massachusetts, Kennebunkport in Maine, and Newport in Rhode Island are popular destinations, with beautiful beaches and many other tourist attractions to visit, particularly during Spring Break or summer vacation.

The Pioneer Valley area and its surroundings are ideal for outdoor activities year round. There are numerous hiking trails of varying difficulty in the area. Local places of interest include Mt. Holyoke, Mt. Sugarloaf, and Mt. Tom. National parks such as Acadia in Maine (about a seven-hour drive from Amherst) offer excellent camping facilities. Camping equipment can be rented from the UMass Outing Club, 545-3131, located in the Campus Center. Local bus companies may offer summer bargain trips to such cities as Boston, Atlantic City in New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. Bus schedules and ticket information are available from the Campus Center Hotel, the Hampden Convenience Store, and Print Services at 151 Whitmore. Niagara Falls is also approximately an eight-hour drive from Amherst, while a four- to five-hour drive will put you at the Canadian border. If you enjoy winter sports, there are many resorts to choose from in Vermont and New Hampshire, and several in Western Massachusetts.

For those of you interested in shopping, the Hampshire Mall in Hadley on Route 9 ( http://www.hampshiremall.com/ ) and the Holyoke Mall ( http://www.holyokemall.com/ ), which is about a half-hour's drive from campus, may be worth a visit. Serious bargain hunters may want to undertake trips to outlet malls in Worcester and Lee, Massachusetts, Kittery and Freeport in Maine, or Manchester, Vermont.

c. Bus Services
UMass Transit, a contract carrier for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA), provides free bus service to all students, faculty, and staff of the Five College area during the academic year. The service area also includes 8 communities and involves all the major apartment complexes. Bus service operates from 7am until 2:30am seven days per week, and is reduced during the Summer and Holidays. Bus schedules are available on all buses, at most bus stops, and at the Information Desk on the Campus Center Concourse. For additional transit information, call 545-0056 or visit UMass Transit website at WWW.Umass.edu/bus

d. University Parking Services
Please Park Smart! All lots are restricted to vehicles with valid University of Massachusetts Amherst campus permits. You may purchase a permit at Parking Services, located in Lot 25, north of the Mullins Center on Commonwealth Ave. For those without a valid parking permit, parking is available in the Campus Parking Garage or metered spaces. From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., parking is allowed only in the lot displayed on parking permits. After 5 p.m. or on weekends, parking is allowed in any non-restricted or non-reserved space or lot. Please note that parking is never allowed in Handicap, Resident Staff, or State Vehicle spaces, fire lanes or 24-hour lots unless the proper permit is displayed for those lots/spaces. For more information, please visit our website http://parking.umass.edu or call Parking Services at 413-545-0065.

e. Area Attractions

The following list is a selection of area attractions.

Amherst

Emily Dickinson House - Amherst College

Pratt Museum - Amherst College

Mead Art Gallery - Amherst College

Jones Library

Amherst History Museum at the Strong House

Atkins Farms Country Market

National Yiddish Book Center

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Northampton

Forbes Library

Childs Park

The Words and Pictures Museum

Lyman Plant House & Botanic Gardens- Smith College

Parks and Mountains

Mt. Greylock Reservation (North Adams)

D.A.R. Park (Route 112, Goshen)

Lake Wyola (Off Route 202, Shutesbury)

Look Park (Northampton)

Quabbin Reservoir (Route 9 East, past Belchertown)

Sugarloaf Mountain (Deerfield, Route 116 North)

Mount Holyoke (Route 9 to Route 47 South)

Mill River Recreation Area (Route 63, North Amherst)

Northfield Mountain Recreational Area (the power plant visitors center, cross country skiing and hiking trails) (Route 63 North, Northfield)

Northfield Mt. Area Riverboat Ride (Route 63 North, opposite Northfield Mt.)

Mount Tom (Holyoke, Route 5)

Scenic Drives

.Route 9 to the Berkshires - passing through Northampton, Williamsburg, Goshen,
Cummington and ending in Pittsfield.

.Route 91 to Route 2 West (at Greenfield) to the Berkshires. Route 2, otherwise known as the Mohawk Trail, is a beautiful drive through the Berkshires, ending in North Adams. A drive well worth taking during the fall foliage season (usually beginning of October) but impressive any time of the year.

Museums, etc.

Historic Deerfield (Route 116 North)

Porter-Phelps-Huntington House, Hadley (Route 47 North, Hadley)

MASS MoCA- North Adams

Mount Holyoke College (Route 47 South) - Skinner Museum Art Gallery

Smith College (Northampton) - Smith College Art Museum

Sturbridge Village (East on Mass. Turnpike)

Volleyball Hall of Fame (Holyoke)

Yankee Candle (South Deerfield)

Northampton Historical Society

Wistariahurst Museum - Holyoke

Hadley Farm Museum - Rt. 9 at Rt. 47 - center of Hadley

Springfield

Basketball Hall of Fame

Forest Park Zoo

Seymour Planetarium

Science Museum

Symphony Orchestra

Baystate West (Shopping)

Movie Theaters

Academy of Music (Northampton)

Cinemark (Hadley)

Pleasant Street Theater (Northampton)

Tower Theaters (South Hadley)

Music Venues

Calvin in Northampton - live performances

Iron Horse Music Hall- Northampton