Parking: there is parking available in the parking lot of the boat launch and there is limited parking on Point Grove Rd.,
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Dog Friendly: Yes
Highlights: boat launch, fishing, scenic
What better way to spend July 4th than at one of the busier lakes in Western MA?
Lake Congamond in Southwick, MA, seemed like the perfect place to spend the summer morning hours before our barbecue. But, mostly because I like to say and write Lake Congamond. What a fun name to say and what a fun lake to visit.
As the name suggests, Congamond Lakes is not one lake but, rather, a group of lakes at the border of Massachusetts and Connecticut. There are various boat launches. We stopped off at the boat launch in Southwick (MA).
With a maximum depth level of 35 feet, the Congamond Lakes are a popular place for boating or taking some other aquatic vehicle.
Ducks are common at the lake and they are so used to being fed they will sometimes eat from your own hand.
Congamond roughly translates to “long fishing place” and we saw quite a few people fishing.
The pier offers spots for fishing, places to view the water and the boats or a place to sit with a friend.
Dogs are allowed at Congamond Lakes. I’m just not sure they’re supposed to navigate the boats.
Some dogs prefer land to being on boats. Samurai is a Belgian Malinois.
Today’s featured link is Paul Samson’s Kayaking Blog. People on boats, or in this case a kayak, can get to places those on land can’t get to and Paul found some gems during his kayaking adventure. Paul’s blog post about Congamond Lakes can be found here.
Location: Noel Field Athletic Complex on Route 8, North Adams, MA (310 State Street, North Adams, MA)
Hours: open daily sunrise to sunset
Parking: There is a small parking area next to the skate park
Highlights: skate park with ramps, stairs and rails for cyclists and skate boarders
You never know what you’ll find if you just keep your eyes open. While driving home from MASS MOCA (blog posts from there will be posted very soon), I came across this newly constructed bike and skate park.
The recently opened UNITY Skate Board And BMX Park (the ribbon cutting ceremony was July 1) is a great place for kids and adults of all ages to come together and show off some of their skating chops.
UNITY (an acronym for the United, Neighboring, Interdependent, Trusted Youth) has several rails, steps and ramps for bicyclists and skateboarders to use. The park also has some decor that are tributes to famous landmarks in the area.
There park has two structures that are dedicated to two separate landmarks of northwestern Massachusetts. The hole in the box in the first photo is a symbol of the Hoosac Tunnel and the grey ball in the second photo is a symbol of the memorial on Mount Greylock, the highest point of Massachusetts.
The park has lots of space for all of the skaters and bicyclists to attempt their stunts.
It was good to see people from all backgrounds, skill levels and ages using the park.
Below is a video of the skaters at the park. As you can see, it attracts a good crowd.
Today’s featured website is Rye Airfield. Rye Airfield in Rye, NH, is considered New England’s premiere skate park.
Are you looking to relive old memories and go back to an easier, simpler time? While it’s not literally possible to go back in time, Pop’s Retro Shop can make you feel as though you’ve gone back in time, or that you’re living in your parent’s hey day. Odds and ends older than many of you reading this post are scattered throughout this vintage shop in Lee, MA.
Coke and McDonald’s memorabilia take up much of the space at the Retro Pop Shop. In fact, Ronald is there to greet you when you walk in the front door.
Old coke bottles, lobsters, Simpson dolls and toy trucks lie scattered around the shop. Walking around the store was much like walking around my childhood room (or present day apartment).
Vending machines, refrigerators and even old gas station filling tanks are stored inthe garage of the shop.
Just walking past the old lunch boxes and lava lamps brought back so many memories and happy thoughts.
But, be aware. There are lots of creepy statues, dolls and other items that seem more suited for Halloween. Of course, it only made me like the store all that much more.
Retro Pop Shop is truly a family run business. While Pierre runs the store, his daughter owns and operates the Local Lee Homemade ice cream store attached to the Retro Pop Store.
Keeping with the decor of the inside of the shop, the outside of the store has some vintage and offbeat items lying around. They must get some pretty big rats out in western MA based on the trap by the entrance.
Although dogs are not allowed in the store (Pierre said a customer had complained about dogs being in the shop in th past), they are welcome on the grounds outside. I spotted this cute Samoyed in front of the shop.
Today’s featured site is a website for a store that is very similar to retro Pop Shop. While walking through the Retro Pop Shop, I couldn’t help but think of another store in New England that caters to the fans of vintage memorabilia. But, Wild Bill’s Nostalgia hs so much more .
Tucked behind the busy streets of North Adams in an otherwise nondescript office building complex stands a museum highlighting the hidden history of the North Adams area. It was truly a hidden surprise. Just be aware if you do visit, you have to walk a short distance into the commercial space area to find the museum. In fact, the museum/visitor center is so hidden that I accidentally walked into some office building in the front of the parking lot. The man working there was understanding and said it “happens all of the time” and he promptly gave us the directions to the museum which he must have memorized backwards and forwards by now.
More of a visitor center than an actual museum (and certainly not a park), the Heritage State Park museum chronicles the history and development of the Hoosac Tunnel, a 4.75 active railroad that runs through the Hoosac Range, a mountainous region of Vermont as well as other historical events of the area.
Much of the visitor center is dedicated to the Hoosac Tunnel which was built 1851 and 1875 (and you thought construction projects took a long time these days). The museum had many. exhibits on display that range from what the area looked like before the construction began to documenting what was involved in the construction of the tunnel. As an fyi, the lighting was very dim and I think they frown upon using your flash. So, some of the photos came out a little dark.
The museum also has some of the tools, equipment and vehicles used to create the tunnel and transport goods.
One hundred and ninety five people were killed during the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel which has added to its lore. The section of the visitor center that deals with the mining history of the area, with its dim lighting adds to this spooky history. There are also examples of rocks that prevalent in the area where the Hoosac Tunnel was built and had to be blasted or removed during the construction of the tunnel.
There is one section pf the visitor center that befuddled me a bit. Apparently, there have been reported UFO and alien sightings in the area. Apparently, Western Massachusetts and the Berkshires are a hot bed for extraterrestrial activity. However, many of the documents and exhibits had to deal with Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico. I know. My sentiments exactly.
The last section of the visitor center has travel guides, books and exhibits with information about the area.
As I walked to my car from the visitor center, I noticed Prada, a 5 year old Siberian and wolf mix, being walked near the Heritage State Park. She was nice enough to pose for a few photos for me.
Location: Behind Joane Cornell Jewelry Store (63 Church St, Lenox, MA)
Hours: Art is available for viewing 24 hours
Cost: Free to view (unless you want to buy something)
Parking: Free street parking is available on Church St (although it may have time limits). There is also a parking lot on Franklin St that you may use for short term parking.
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Dog Friendly: Yes
Highlights: Variety of unique art and decorative items made by New England artist Tom Fiorini
You interested in a doghouse covered with license plates? (dogs sold separately)
How about a some carved fish? (at least you don’t need to feed them or buy a tank for them)
Perhaps you’re looking for boat? I’m just not sure if she is sea-worthy.
Tucked away behind the Joane Cornell Jewelry store at 63 Church St, Lenox, MA (at least for now), Tom Fiorino’s art, sculptures and other unique items offer an unusual brand of decorative items.
Tom Fiorini is not your orthodox artist. He works mainly with metals and often times his choice of tool is a chainsaw. Much of his art is made of normal, everyday materials reshaped and manufactured into a completely different.
Tom’s signs, with their offbeat slogans and designs, may be the highlight of his collection.
Tom also uses his creativity to make his art and create arrtful designs.
I don’t know about you but sometimes I could really use this really big bottle of wine.
Other miscellaneous works of art are scattered around the lawn.
As you can see by his art, Tom has a great sense of humor.
Also, his prices may be negotiable based on the sign below.
For now, Tom’s work can be viewed at the address listed above on Church St. I am not sure where he stores his sculptures during the winter season. You can contact him at his website listed above for more information. Below is more information about him and his art.
Keeping with today’s theme of outdoor art, today’s New England featured link is the deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum in Lincoln, MA. I’ve yet to go there. But, it is definitely on my list.
Location: 22 Robert St, on the corner of Center St. and Robert St, Lee, MA
Cost: Free
Hours: Accessible everyday, 24 hours a day.
Parking: You can park on Roberts St.
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Dog Friendly: Yes
Highlights: House decorated with statues, designs and other decorative items
Most houses are decorated for the holidays, birthday parties or some other celebration. But, the Wonder Woman Rosey House on the corner of East Center St and Robert St in Lee, MA is decorated all year round.
Without knowing the back story or reason for decorating the home, the house and property may seem crazy or a little bizarre. However, it is more of a tribute and memorial than some random decorations. Rosey (or Rosemarie) was the wife of painter and resident of the house, Bob Dupont, a professional painter. He painted and decorated his home and property as a tribute to her.
The garage next to the house is decorated primarily in red, white and blue.
The decorations do not stop there at the garage, though.
The house and property are also decorated with decorations and statues ranging from Santa Claus to rabbits.
I would have loved living in a house like this when I was a growing up. It looks like a real fun place to experience!
There are many randomly placed decorations scattered around the property.
The home owner doesn’t seem to mind having visitors. I wasn’t bothered or questioned while I photographed the area. But, it is private property. So, visitors should be respectful of that.
The featured link of the day is another decorated home called The Crazy Christmas House in Coventry, RI.
Closed Easter and Thanksgiving. Winter months by chance or by appointment.
Cost:
Adults $5.00
Seniors/AAA $4.00
Children (8-15) $2.00
Under 8 Free
Group tours available by appointment.
Parking: There is room for about 15 to 20 cars in the parking lot
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Highlights: clocks, watches and other time measuring devices from various eras and places, outdoor garden with a sundial
Storing more than 5,500 clocks, watches and other timepieces, the American Clock And Watch Museum has one of the largest collections of watches and clocks in the country. They generally switch out their clocks seasonally which makes it a great place to visit continually throughout the year. I had been clocking the place for a while but it was my first time visiting.
While their total collection of clocks and watches numbers over 5,500, thy only display about 1,500 at a time. They switch some of the clocks and watches every few months. I’m sure they do it in a very timely manner.
The collection of clocks range from the beautiful to the bizarre. I wonder how many times people have stared at these clocks and watches.
The biggest current attraction at the museum now is the classic kitty kat clock.
I could spend all day there, especially in the room with all of the grandfather clocks (many of which are from the Bristol, CT area)
Each clock and timepiece has a story behind. They all have a card explaining when and where they were made and some interesting background information about the time piece. I found the information and history of the timepieces to be just as interesting as the clocks themselves.
For instance, this clock was called “the grip” because the clock’s movement was so small it could be fitted into a large pocket watch case. As is the case with many of the timepieces there, it was made in Connecticut (Forestville to be exact).
The clock below is a tribute to baseball. If you look closely at the clock you can see the baseball players and coach in the design around the face of the clock. This clock was sold in 1875 by the American Clock Company in New York, NY. The movement was made Noah Pomeroy, of course, from Bristol, CT.
“The Philosopher” is a brass mantel clock with an 8-day movement made by the Ansonia Clock Company in Brooklyn, NY in 1855. This is another interesting bit of information I learned at the museum. Some clocks, especially the older clocks in their collection, had to be rewound. Generally, clocks had either one day or eight day movement. Clocks with a one day movement, obviously, had to be rewound every day. However, saying a clock had a 8 day movement is a bit of a misnomer as it would have to be rewound every week (not every 8 days).
I know. Who knew a clock and watch museum could be so interesting!?
The museum also has old pocket watches, wrist watches and stop watches on display.
As you can see by the photos, Ingersoll played a major part in the watch making business, particularly pocket watches. Keeping with their Connecticut ties, Ingersoll watches were originally supplied by the Waterbury (CT) Clock Company.
There are also several displays of watch and clock related items and historical exhibits.
This particular exhibit shows all of the different parts in watches and clocks.
These educational displays showed how watches were made and the evolution of timekeeping.
The biggest clock in the museum hangs from the first floor to the bottom (or basement) floor. It is a Tower Clock built by Seth Thomas in 1915. It still keeps time and it is wound every 8 days.
One of the best parts of the museum is not even in the museum. Attached to the clock and watch museum, the sun dial garden typically has a sun dial (it was not installed in the garden during my visit), flowers and a bench to take a break from all of the clocks and enjoy the day. if you need to take a timeout. It really is a great place to pass the time.
Rena is a creator, curator and teacher among her many talents. She made a visit to the American Clock And Watch Musseum in April of 2015. As I mentioned before, they do often switch out their clock and watch collection. So, you will see some different clocks and watched that I did not photograph (although I did see quite a few that we both photographed).
Location: 21 Edwards Street, Springfield, MA (2 hours west of Springfield, MA)
Hours:
Monday–Saturday: 10 am–5 pm
Sunday: 11 am–5 pm
Holidays: Closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Cost: One ticket gives you access to all 5 of the museum buildings (including the Dr. Seuss Museum). You cannot buy one ticket for just one building. Since it is such a popular attraction, tickets for the Dr. Seuss Museum are times for one hour and only 200 people during each hour time block are admitted at one time. You can purchase advance tickets on their website (see below)
Adults: $25 Seniors (60+): $16.50 Youth 3–17: $13 Children Under 3: Free Students: $16.50
Springfield Residents (with valid ID): Free – youth included
Parking: There is parking for about 50 cars in the main parking lot in front of the Springfield Museum and about 50 more in the lot across the street
Handicapped Accessible: Yes, there are elevators in the museum.
Highlights: art, statues and other items related to Dr. Seuss
Oh the places you’ll go and the things you will see at the Amazing World Of Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, MA. The museum, which opened June 3 of this year, is like walking into a Dr. Seuss book.
The museum is a tribute to Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss, who was a Springfield, MA native.
From the moment you enter the museum, you are bombarded with vibrant colors, familiar characters and a sweeping sense of nostalgia.
The Amazing World Of Dr. Seuss is a two floors with a basement. Each room on each floor has a theme. Fairfield St, Readingville and Oh The Places You’ll Go are a few of the rooms on the first floor. The first floor of the museum is dedicated to many of Dr. Seuss’ characters and his books. Children, and the occasional adult, get the opportunity to play games based on his works.
The first floor also has a section dedicated to Young Ted in Springfield which celebrates his time in Springfield, MA.
The basement floor has more Dr. Seuss memorabilia and artwork as well as an activity area where visitors can make their own Dr. Seuss works of art.
The second floor mostly has letters, mementos and photos from Dr. Seuss’ lifetime. There must be hundreds of writings, cards, works of art and other memorabilia from his early days and from others writing to him It’s very interesting seeing some of his early work before he became famous and hit his stride as an artist.
There is also a display that shows the process of how they make the statues located at the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Garden which is located just outside of the building on the museum’s property.
There is also a Dr. Seuss statue I missed when I first first photographed the statues at the museum. This statue is tucked away to the side of the museum.
Today’s Nomad link is Paper Clippings. Paper Clippings is Denise Ortakale’s WordPress blog. She recently had some of her work displayed at the Springfield (MA) Museum as part at the Cats In Hats exhibit. I wanted to photograph this exhibit. But, since it was the work of other artists and not their own exhibit, the museum did not permit people to photograph the exhibit. I am glad that Denise has posted her work so I can share it with everyone else.
The Museum is available any day of the week for special tours and facility rentals; even when closed to the public. If you’re interested in visiting the Museum Monday – Friday please call (860) 585-5411
Cost:
Adults $6.00
Seniors $5.50
Children $3.50 (age 4-14)
Children $2.00 (age 1-3)
All admissions include one ride ticket for the indoor carousel.
Parking: There is parking for about 15 vehicles in front of the building. There is also street parking available on Riverside Ave.
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Highlights: carousel horses, working carousel, tours, family friendly
As a child, I always loved riding the Merry-Go-Round and looking at all of the beautiful horses on the carousel. Living in the city, it was bout as close as I was going to get to a horse. It was always the highlight of my trip to the amusement park, especially since I never was a fan of the roller coasters.
There is a place you can go so the very same kinds of carousel horses we rode on as children. And, you might also get a chance to actually ride on a Merry-Go_Round while you’re there. I’m not horsing around either.
The New England Carousel Museum is deceivingly big. From the outside, you wouldn’t even notice the museum was there. In fact, I drove by it the first time I went looking for it. The museum features hundreds of carousel horses and other types of carousel animals in their 10,000 square feet of space and several rooms with carousel horses and other items from carnivals and amusement parks. Most recently, they added a carousel on their second floor.
Some of the carousel horses have been donated. Others are being held while the owners are moving or while their homes are being worked on. Yes, some people actually have carousel horses in their homes!
The carousel horses range from the traditional horse to swan, egret, giraffe and even a cat among other animals.
There are even some carousel horses in the form of mythical characters.
The craftsmanship and attention to detail are incredible. Most of the horses have placards that give a little background to their history and the artist who created the animal. For instance, this “Irish Horse” was carved in 1917 by David Lightfoot for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The Irish theme was indicative of the Irish Nationalism that was a major influence in the eastern part of the United States during that time.
This “Sweet Horse” was carved by Daniel Muller in 1895. The horse, which is over 120 years old, is still in its original paint. It also has all four legs in the air which is another unusual feature of the horse.
This particular carousel horse was originally part of the carousel at Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT. Lake Compounce, which opened in 1846, is the largest water park and Connecticut as well as the oldest continuously running amusement park in the United States. This horse was taken down from the carousel at the amusement park in 1911 when the carousel was replaced with a newer, more up to date (at that time) carousel. It now resides in the Carousel Museum.
There are many more interesting stories and facts about each carousel horse.
The carousel museum just doesn’t have horses. They also have a swan, egret, dolphin, zebra, elephant, cat and rabbit among other carousel animals
Photos of carousels and amusement parks line the walls of the New England Carousel Museum and they have other items from amusement parks as well.
I even manged to photograph a dog there! This realistic sculpture of a Siberian Husky is located near the carousel. You may notice how one eye is brown and the other eye is blue.
The knowledgeable and friendly staff at the Carousel Museum give guided tours and explain how the horses were made. Some of the factoids I learned during the informational session: those tails on the carousel horses…yup they’re real. They are actual tails from horses. It is true that some carouse horses do have wooden, carved tails. But, the horses with actual tails most likely got their tails from a horse that had passed on. Also, most carousel horses were only painted on the outside because that was the only side most people would see and that would save them money.
The highlight of the museum for many people, especially the little ones, is probably the carousel ride. And, yes, I did go on it. The carousel is located on the second floor (there is an elevator for those who can’t or don’t want to take the stairs). It’s a great way to end a fun visit!
Below are two videos I took at the museum. The first video is of a motorized replica of a carousel made entirely out of paper clips. The work of art is called “Paper Clip Fantasy” and it was created by Eugene Burnstein of Lakewood, New Jersey.
The next video is a video of the fortune telling machine at the museum. Yes, it still works and it even gives out fortunes.
Since some of you may be wondering what the fortune said, I have included some photos of it below. The front side of the card said to hold the fortune in front of a mirror to read it. I was able to decipher it without looking into a mirror. It says “love me and the world is mine.”
The Nomad’s link of the day is faye_fares. Faye is one of the tour guides at The New England Carousel Museum and she is also a very talented artist. She’s an artist, photographer and model. Some of her work takes 4 to 9 hours to complete. You can follow her Instagram account here.
New England Nomad 