Tag Archives: Attraction

January 2, 2017

Geographical Center Of Massachusetts (Rutland, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Visit: December 26, 2016

Location: Central Tree Rd, Rutland, MA (I can give you the exact address if you are planning on visiting) (about half an hour northwest of Worcester, MA and 1 hour west of Boston, MA)

Hours: Everyday, 24 hours a day

Cost: Free

Parking: You can park on the side of street or park at one of the farms or stables on the road and walk over to it

Handicapped Accessible: Ye

Dog Friendly: Yes

Highlight: A maple tree planted at the geographical center of the state of MA

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This may look like any ordinary tree, an ordinary maple tree to be exact.  But, it is actually a very special tree.

The tree located on appropriately named Central Tree Rd is the marker for the exact geographical center of the state of Massachusetts.

Previously, an Elm tree stood there but it died of Dutch Elm disease around 1969.  The red maple tree was planted as a replacement.

A small wooden fence with a sign on it marks the center of the state.

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I’m sure the residents love all the attention.

 

13 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in historical, landmark, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, trees, Uncategorized

July 22, 2016

Magic Wings (South Deerfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Visited: May 29, 2016

Location: 281 Greenfield Rd, South Deerfield, MA 413-665-2805

Hours: presently open 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Fall, Winter and Spring hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas

Cost:

Adults: $14.00

Seniors (age 62 and over): $12.00
Seniors pay $10.50 on Wednesdays.

Children (age 3 through 17): $10.00
Also for students up through age 22
with valid student ID.

Children under age 3: Free

Parking:  There are about 50 parking spaces.

Size: 8,000 square feet

Time To Allot For Visit: 1 to 2 hours

Dog Friendly: No

Highlights:butterflies, birds, reptiles and other animals, cafe

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Home to nearly 4,000 species of exotic and domestic butterflies, Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens touts itself as a center for butterfly-related education,
recreation, entertainment and gardening needs.  But, there is so much more than just butterflies there.

By far, the highlight of Magic Wings are the butterflies.  The range in colors and shapes of the butterflies is amazing.

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Sometimes you will have a few butterflies land on you.  These “hitch hikers” are often attracted to your scent.

The layout of the facility is very decorative.  Designs of butterflies, benches, pretty flowers, a fish pond, walking bridge and even a gazebo are scattered throughout the lobby and butterfly museum.

Meet Akbar, a Senegal parrot, the resident parrot at Magic Wings.

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Akbar is not the only animal in the conservatory.  Turtles and birds also roam the conservatory.  In addition to the animals pictured below, there is also a room with reptiles, chicks and other animals but I don’t like seeing animals in cages, tanks or limited in those ways.  All of the animals I photographed for this post had some ability to roam.

Dogs aren’t allowed at Magic Wings, for obvious reason (although most dogs would love to chase the butterflies).  So, here are a few other pets for your viewing pleasure.

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12 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in butterflies, museum, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Uncategorized

December 24, 2015

Yankee Candle Village (Deerfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date visited: December 23, 2015

Every year during the holidays, I make my annual trip to Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield, MA.

 

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The flagship shop of New England, the Yankee Candle Village is known for his decorative and at times eccentric displays.  But, during the holidays they go the extra mile.

From the moment you walk onto the property, the Yankee Candle Village welcomes you with holiday cheer and some unique decorations.

Inside the store, there is an assortment of holiday decorations and not just holiday decorations.  Wizard of Oz statues, model cars and other displays can be found throughout the shop.

There are Christmas trees galore.  Every where you look it seems there is a tree decorated in a unique way.

 

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There are also Christmas village light up displays located in one room.  They also have a Halloween village set up.

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There is also a stream with koi fish

Try as we might, we could not find Santa.  He wasn’t at his regular place

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He wasn’t at his desk either

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Finally, I found him in the shopping area

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There is also an area where customers can make their own candles with the colors and scents they choose.  They can also have a candle made in the form of their hands whether it be a fist, peace sign or index finger extended (no middle fingers allowed)

 

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There is also a fountain in the shopping area and a mechanized band that plays for the children.  It looks kinda creepy to me, though.

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As I left the shop and day turned into night, the lights from the trees and decorations outside lit up the area.  It was raining pretty hard so some of the images produced spots that almost look like snow.  Sadly, it was only raindrops.  There will not be any snow on Christmas for us this year.

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There are also many automated attractions at the shop.  For instance, in the front of the store there is a toy train that runs along the wall.

Every 4 minutes, it “snows” at the Snowplace Factory in the North Pole of the store.

 

To get a full appreciation of the light display, I am including a short video showing off all the lights outside the store.

40 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in attraction, Christmas, decorations, lights, Massachussetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, shops, site seeing, store, Uncategorized, video

November 14, 2015

Mayflower II (Plymouth, MA)

By New England Nomad

After visiting Plimoth Plantation, the next obvious destination was the Mayflower II.  The Mayflower II, an exhibit of the Plimoth Plantation, is a replica of the original Mayflower.  It is located only a few miles from Plimoth Plantation in the Frazier Memorial State Pier.

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Before you board the boat, you are informed the people on the boat are still living in the 17th century.  They are not aware of cellphones, automobiles or any other modern day comforts.  There is a replica of the Mayflower Compact in the entrance to the boarding area.

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Actors on the boat discuss the duties of crew members and portray people from that era.  This man reminded me of James Franco, particularly because of his dry sense of humor.

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The quarters of the Mayflower were not the most comfortable.  Not exactly Carnival Cruise.

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The views from the harbor were very pretty.

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Meet Porsche, a service dog I saw as I was leaving the pier.

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18 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in attraction, boat, dog, harbor, historical, history, massachusetts, Mayflower, Mayflower II, New England, Plymouth, ship, view, water

October 11, 2015

Witch Trial Memorial (Danvers, MA)

By New England Nomad

When most people think of the witch hysteria that gripped the New England colonies in 1692 and 1693, they are likely to think it began and took place exclusively in Salem.  However, although they are known as the Salem Witch Trials and Salem largely takes the infamy of the witch hunt, Salem does not hold that infamous title.

Salem Village, now known as Danvers, has the infamous distinction of being the beginning of the Salem witch hysteria.  It is here in Danvers, Massachusetts, where a somber memorial stands as a constant reminder to remember this past and to never let something like this happen again.

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Erected in May, 1992, the monuments lists the 20 people who were executed during the witch trials.

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Each slab lists a quote of innocence from each victim.

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The rays spilling in from the top of the memorial was a nice touch.

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Some of the more poignant quotes listed on the wall are:

“Well!  burn me or hang me.  I will stand in the truth of Christ…” – George Jacobs, Sr

“Amen. Amen.  A false tongue will never make a guilty person.” – Susannah Martin

The memorial also has a sculpture of “The Book Of Life” on top of a table that has a tribute etched in the base.

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Attached to each side of the book are chains.  Stark reminders of the pain they endured.

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Someone left a flower at the memorial, a common occurrence at this memorial, particularly during this time of the year.

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The memorial site has many pretty views to photograph from a variety of angles and the foliage added a nice touch.  The foliage gave a serene feeling in contrast to the moving memorial.

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In front of the memorial, there is monument that lists the generous donors who made the memorial possible.  You may notice the red door on the house in the background.  This is not unusual for the area.  The houses in Danvers and the surrounding area were beautiful in their understated uniqueness and pretty yet rustic nature.

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A sign, inconspicuously posted by the side of the road explains the origins and history of the site and surrounding area as well as the meaning behind the memorial.

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3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in attraction, Danvers, Fall, foliage, historical, history, massachusetts, memorial, monument, New England, photography, photos, site, witch, witches