1. Springfield Marriott
City: Springfield, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (413) 781-7111
Address: 2 Boland Way
Description: While there’s plenty of lodging in and around Springfield, there isn’t much variety. The Springfield Marriott offers reasonably priced accommodations that feature spacious rooms, an indoor pool, and a fitness center. Request a room on a higher floor and wake up with a view of the Connecticut River.
2. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame
City: Springfield, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (877) 466-6752
Address: 1000 Hall of Fame Ave.
Description: You can’t miss the Basketball Hall of Fame—the hall’s giant basketball-shaped dome positively looms over the city. Springfield is considered the birthplace of basketball. James Naismith was working as a coach at the local YMCA and invented the game here in 1891. Most decide to start their visit on the 3rd floor, where plaques bearing the pictures and biographies of the more than 300 inductees line the walls of the Honors Ring, the actual hall of fame. The 2nd floor is dedicated to the history of the game along with exhibits (videos and memorabilia) relating to the NBA, college basketball, and international play. On the regulation 1st-floor Center Court there are lots of ball carts filled with basketballs waiting for visitors to shoot a few.
3. Springfield Museums
City: Springfield, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (413) 263-6800
Address: 21 Edwards St.
Description: Spend a couple hours exploring this complex of 5 small museums that house fascinating collections relating to art, science, and history. The Museum of Fine Arts houses an eclectic collection that includes paintings by American artists John Singleton Copley and Winslow Homer, a gallery devoted to Currier & Ives lithographs, and sculpture by contemporary artist Dale Chihuly. The George Walter Vincent Smith Museum focuses on 19th-century American paintings and a collection of Japanese art. At the Science Museum, the life-size replica of Tyrannosaurus rex is the big crowd-pleaser, while the hall of stuffed African animals in a diorama-like setting engrosses young and old. A museum of Springfield history and a Connecticut Valley Museum are also on the campus. With one admission ticket you gain access to all 5 museums. The cluster of museum buildings surrounds a grassy quadrangle, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, which features whimsical, larger-than-life bronze statues of the Cat in the Hat and other characters from the books of native son Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss). The museums are closed Mon; the sculpture garden is open to the public daily dawn to dusk.
4. The Zoo At Forest Park
City: Springfield, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (413) 733-2251
Address: 302 Sumner Ave.
Description: Dating from the early 20th century, this charming park-like zoo has more than 150 species of domestic and exotic animals. There’s the Heritage Breeds barnyard, where kids can peek in the chicken coop and get a glimpse of eggs hatching, or they can buy special feed and offer the goats a snack. Kids are always entertained by the childlike playfulness of the capuchins and lemurs. Other family faves: the Outback exhibit with its kangaroos, emus, and wallabies, and the rubber-tire train ride around the park. The admission fees at this zoo are low too—priced just right for multiple visits. The zoo is closed Dec through Mar.