Afternoon Adventure in Northampton

Some street art on the walls of downtown Northampton — Some street art on the walls downtown

Northampton is a small city located less than 10 miles from the University of Massachusetts campus. Easily accessible by either car or the B43 bus route, this neighbor to Amherst provides students with a fun off-campus experience for the day. The city is known for its small city charm, lined with boutique-style shops and restaurants. For Eastern MA residents such as myself, I’d compare it to our beloved City of Newburyport; with an artistic flare.

Over a weekend visit, my mom and I explored Northampton together and stopped in for lunch at Fitzwilly’s Restaurant, another Northampton staple. Established back in 1974, Fitzwilly’s is known for its quality comfort food listed at affordable prices. The menu had lots of options and generous portion sizes. We left the restaurant with full stomachs and smiling faces.

Another favorite store of mine is Sweeties, a local sweets and candy shop that has been in business for over 30 years. I love going in and checking out all of their goods. They cater to a large range of audiences from chocolate enthusiasts to old fashioned penny candy lovers.

The city also has a large arts and culture community; as it’s home to a number of local galleries including the A.P.E Ltd. Gallery and R. Michelson Galleries. The R. Michelson Galleries is the largest commercial art gallery in Western MA; with many of its pieces now featured in prestigious museums around the U.S. More signs of the artistic community are all around through the various pieces of street art found on the benches and walls of buildings around town.

Notable buildings, like the First Churches of Northampton, add to the city’s charm. The large church is located in the center of downtown, making it an eye-catching sight. In addition to holding regular Sunday ceremonies, the church is used for a number of private and public events, making it a popular meetinghouse for Northampton.

The historic Union Station is another one of the city’s treasures. This station served as the city’s train station from 1897 to 1978. Years later in 2013, the building was converted into a 200 seat banquet facility, a sports bar, and a facility known as the Tunnel Bar which runs beneath the building.

The New Haven & Northampton Canal Rail Trail Overpass — An overpass on the bike trail in Northampton

Northampton is also a hub for many important transportation services. The New Haven & Northampton Canal Rail Trail is a four-mile long, multi-use trail extending from the MassCentral Rail Trail on the northside of town to the Easthampton town line and beyond. This trail feeds into the Norwottuck Rail Trail, which is an 11-mile combination bicycle and pedestrian trial. The overpass overlooks downtown Northampton.

Northampton is also home to an Amtrak stop. In Northampton, the Valley Flyer train and Vermonter allow passengers to travel as far south as Washington, DC and up to Northern Vermont.

Two major bus services: the Peter Pan and Greyhound busses have a stop in Northampton, giving passengers lots of options to choose from. I actually took the Peter Pan bus to NYC, back in the fall for my AHLA trip from UMass Amherst, and we stopped in Northampton along the way. Since I don’t have a car on campus, knowing there’s a lot of transportation options in the area is a really big benefit to me—and lots of other students use these services when traveling.

Northampton is also the location of Smith College, one of our partner colleges in the Five College Consortium. Smith is an all-women’s private liberal arts college. More than 30,000 students take advantage of cross-registration opportunities for 6,000 courses offered between the 5 different colleges in the consortium. This collaboration allows students to access additional resources provided by neighboring colleges and gives students increased flexibility when choosing classes.

Northampton’s historical charm gives the city character and it’s mix of individually owned and chain stores provide customers with a unique shopping experience. The city’s mom and pop restaurants and cafes enhance the city’s uniqueness and personalization. I always look forward to exploring there!