Questions about vacationing with kids in Columbia County NY/Western MA

July 4, 2015 11:51 AM

We'll be spending some time in Canaan NY, near the Massachusetts border, this summer. While we have plenty of outdoor sunny day options, rainy days can be tough with a 5- and 2-year-old. Any ideas for my bad-weather destination list? I know the Norman Rockwell museum has a kids' space, for example.

I think Pittsfield, Lenox, and Stockbridge are all about 20 minutes to a half-hour drive. If you live or vacation in the area, is there a "go-to" thing to do with small kids when it's too crummy to play outside? A really good library with a great kids' section maybe? (I suspect the answer to that is Lenox.)

Any suggestions about just general things to do in the area would be appreciated too.

Oh, and--if you are in that area--what is the best ER? We are traveling with someone in poor health.

Thank you!

posted by pipti to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

Best answer: The Hancock Shaker Village has baby animals.
posted by brujita at 12:04 PM on July 4, 2015

Best answer: The Berkshire Museum (Pittsfield, MA) is a pretty good rainy-day activity. They're not huge, but they have a variety of stuff kids might like — some taxidermy, some rocks & minerals, a small "aquarium" with some creatures that the kids might like, and an "innovation lab" for kids (which I haven't seen in person since it opened.)

If you're willing to travel a little further, Mass MoCA (North Adams, MA) also has a KidSpace exhibit; and the rest of the museum is pretty kid-friendly too; I can imagine a 5-year-old enjoying some of the large-scale installation pieces, and the Sol Lewitt wall drawings are big & colorful. The Clark Art Institute (Williamstown, MA) has a few activity booklets for kids, but it's not as family-friendly.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:50 PM on July 4, 2015

Best answer: Hancock Shaker Village only has baby animals in the Spring. It's still a good rainy day option, if a little limited for kids that age.

Mass MOCA is a great rainy day visit (North Adams, MA), as is the Yankee Candle Flagship store in South Deerfield, MA, which is also very close to Magic Wings, a butterfly garden. The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA, should probably be #1 on your list though, they have a small aquarium, and lots of other exhibits geared towards younger kids.

The Mason Library in Great Barrington, MA, has a great children's section and the librarian there is fantastic. The rest of Great Barrington is a lot of fun for window-shopping, ice cream, family-friendly restaurants, and there are 3 toy stores!

Close by in Chatham, NY, you'll find MacHaydn Theater, a theater in the round with children's performances, scroll down to the bottom for the children's schedule.

Check out the Robbins Zust Family for creative puppet theater, their schedule looks packed this year.

I'll post again if I think of anything else.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 12:51 PM on July 4, 2015

Best answer: Link to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory

Link to activities in South Deerfield, with some more details about the Yankee Candle Flagship store experience, also check out the list on the side of the page, and take a look at the Rock Fossil and Dinosaur shop...it also looks there are some candy stores in the area?
posted by lakersfan1222 at 12:59 PM on July 4, 2015

Best answer: Lakersfan1222, I went to HSVin the summer and saw kids, calves, piglets and lambs.
posted by brujita at 3:55 PM on July 4, 2015

Response by poster: These were all great suggestions, thank you! We tried nearly all of them. For families looking for something to do in Western Mass, I also recommend the Ioka Farm, which has toy farm equipment for riding and baby animals for petting—an excellent way to kill a rainy or very hot day if you have small kids.
posted by pipti at 5:50 AM on August 16, 2015