The “pioneers” of the Pioneer Valley were those settlers of 350 years ago who came here chiefly for the soil, some of the richest farmland this side of Iowa. Like most of America, the Valley has not been immune from commercial -depredations—notably, some strip development along Route 9 between Amherst and Northampton. But that’s only a parking lot deep, and behind it lies a lot of land still in productive agricultural use. Especially in early fall, farm stands brim with produce. A drive from Amherst takes you over some back roads through the flat fields of Sunderland and toward another of the valley’s cultural landmarks: Historic Deerfield, a splendid collection of restored buildings adjacent to the Deerfield Academy campus.
Historic Deerfield—the enterprise—was founded in 1952, some years after Henry and Helen Flynt, wealthy antiques collectors from Greenwich, Connecticut, enrolled their son at the academy. Struck by the abundance of early houses—most in bad repair, some unoccupied—the Flynts had a vision of a Main Street returned to its 18th-century glory. With the encouragement of the Deerfield Academy headmaster, they set out to buy and restore the houses. What started as an act of rather quixotic nostalgia has grown into one of the most sophisticated preservation efforts in the country. Main Street now provides a showcase of 18th- and 19th-century architecture, and three seasons of the year its houses are open to visitors.
Deerfield is the logical jumping-off point for an excursion into the sparsely populated hill towns that lie along the valley’s western flank. The countryside is long on restful landscape and rural architecture, short on amenities. People who live here routinely drive 40 minutes to get anything more complicated than a can of chicken noodle soup but are happy enough for the absence of traffic. You can pass through seven or eight villages without encountering a stoplight. It’s a place meant for wandering aimlessly, but one destination does suggest itself: the village of Shelburne Falls, which is undergoing a sweet rebirth. Here you can generally find a decent lunch, a glass of wine, even a good espresso. In a welcome invasion, crafts-people and restaurateurs have found their way into this snug town on the Deerfield River that preserves New England village life with an appealing lack of self-consciousness. Like the rest of the hill towns, Shelburne Falls reinforces what is perhaps the single most satisfying quality of the Pioneer Valley—the tenacity of its past.
The Details
Staying There
Comfort and regional charm are givens at the Lord Jeffery Inn (30 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst; 800-742-0358; lordjefferyinn.com; from $79), Hotel Northampton (36 King Street, Northampton; 800-547-3529; hotelnorthampton.com; from $165), and the Deerfield Inn (81 Old Main Street, Deerfield; 800-926-3865; deerfieldinn.com; from $146).
Eating There
A true destination
restaurant has yet to arrive up in the Pioneer Valley, but local chefs are
becoming more innovative in the ways they prepare the region’s wealth of fresh
ingredients. Sienna
(6 Elm Street, South
Deerfield; 413-665-0215), Circa (57
Center Street, Northampton; 413-586-2622), and Café
Martin (24 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls;
413-625-2795) attract a loyal group of regular customers.
Being There
For those who like to poke around in museums and historic homes, the Pioneer Valley is bountiful, and in the last couple of years, many local treasures have become more accessible. The Emily Dickinson Museum (280 Main Street, Amherst; 413-542-8161; emilydickinsonmuseum.org) consists of the poet’s home and an adjacent house once owned by her brother. Formally opened as a museum in 2003, it has taken its place as one of America’s great literary shrines. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (125 West Bay Road, Amherst; 413-658-1100; picturebookart.org), next to the campus of Hampshire College, celebrates children’s literature. The Hampshire College campus is also the home of the National Yiddish Book Center (1021 West Street, Amherst; 413-256-4900; yiddishbookcenter.org), a repository of 1.5 million volumes with exhibitions that are open to the public. The Smith College Museum of Art (Elm Street, Northampton; 413-585-2760; smith.edu/artmuseum) has a small, exquisite collection of 19th- and 20th-century pieces by Sargent, Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, and others, including a regional figure of great interest, the brilliant 19th-century inventor and folk artist Edwin Romanzo Elmer. The museum at the Flynt Center of Early New England Life (37D Old Main Street, Deerfield; 413-775-7214), in Historic Deerfield, displays an extensive collection of antique Connecticut River Valley furniture. The Flynt Center is part of Historic Deerfield, a nationally recognized museum that offers tours of 13 period houses. (Old Main Street, Deerfield; 413-774-5581; historic-deerfield.org)
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