The City Side
South Hadley
Photo by Bill Curran
South Hadley is a Sunday-drive destination , a charming combination of old and new . This pastoral town will remind you of the simple life of generations past . Amble around winding roads past old New England tobacco barns and small working farms . Pull over at a roadside stand to buy some fresh-cut flowers or back-garden cucumbers . Crane your neck as you eye the formidable Mount Holyoke ( don ’ t worry , you can drive up ). Walk back in time with the dinosaur tracks along Batchelor Brook , the site of the first dinosaur fossils discovered in North America .
But like all of Hampshire County , South Hadley mixes its rural life with a touch of the cosmopolitan . Mount Holyoke College is located here — the first of the prestigious all-female Seven Sisters colleges . The Village Commons has restaurants , shops , art galleries , a luxury movie theater , a wine bar , a day spa , a yoga studio , and an independent bookstore .
Enjoy the bustling , tree-lined downtown of a vibrant college town , without the hectic pace ( and parking difficulties ) of a bigger city . Sip a mug of coffee or a glass of wine while you wait for open mic night at the Thirsty Mind . Shop for antiques or farmhouse décor , visit the Mt . Holyoke Art Museum , or cruise the Connecticut River on the Lady Bea .
18 the other side of massachusetts