Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau
1441 Main Street
Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 7871548
Population
156983
Time Zone
Eastern
Latitude/Longitude
42.11° /-72.58°
Today's Forecast
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HIGH: 69
LOW: 29
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Springfield is often called "the city in the country." Located on the banks of the Connecticut River, Springfield sits in a broad valley in the western part of Massachusetts. Today a regional health, manufacturing and finance center, the state's third-largest city is best known for the creation of the Springfield rifle and the invention of basketball.
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Much of the city's early development was due to George Washington who chose Springfield to be the site of the nation's first armory. In operation from 1777 to 1968, the Springfield Armory saw the introduction of the Springfield M-1903 and Garand M-1 rifles. Now a national historic site, the armory displays the largest collection of small arms in the country. Arms-making giant Smith and Wesson, still located in Springfield, opened its own museum at its headquarters in 2006.
Basketball was invented in Springfield by Dr. James Naismith, so it follows that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is here too. This shrine to the greats of the game doubled in size in 2002. It offers three stories of state-of-the-art, interactive exhibits, memorabilia, and a hall of heroes.
Downtown, the Quadrangle is the city's cultural center, the site of four separate museums and a garden dedicated to author Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Life-sized sculptures of the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, and other beloved Seuss characters make the garden a magical place for young and old. The Museum of Fine Arts has paintings and sculpture by European and American masters, including works by the French Impressionists. The Springfield Science Museum offers a planetarium, aquarium, Native American exhibits and artifacts, and dinosaurs. At the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, you'll find Asian porcelains, bronzes, ceramics, and textiles, while the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum celebrates the development of the Springfield area and the Pioneer Valley.
The past is also on view in West Springfield at Storrowton Village, an assemblage of preserved New England homes and buildings that includes a blacksmith shop, tavern, and church. Storrowtown is located on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition, site of numerous events year-round and most famously, the Big E, the huge, 17-day fair that takes place here each September.
The Springfield Symphony presents a full season of classical and pops concerts at elegant Symphony Hall. Touring musicals, Broadway shows, and special events also show up at Symphony Hall as well as at the nearby CityStage theater. Just across the street, the MassMutual Center hosts AHL hockey as played by the Springfield Falcons. Kids will want to see the zoo in Forest Park, where the animals on display include kinkajous, kangaroos, cougars, and capuchin monkeys. Springfield also has the Titanic Historical Society Museum where visitors can view artifacts from the doomed ship. To see a collection of the first gasoline-powered motorcycles built in this country, visit the Indian Motocycle Museum.
Just south of Springfield in Agawam, you'll find Six Flags New England, a huge theme park with more than 130 rides and attractions and a waterpark. For a more tranquil stop in the country, try Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in nearby Hampden.
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