Jump to content

Planning to drive up to the Button Box, what else is in the area?


Recommended Posts

I'm planning a trip to the Button Box in Sunderland, MA to test drive a couple of starter concertinas (and probably put money down on an instrument). It's a four-hour drive from New Jersey, and I'd like to find more stuff to do in the area. (We'll be coming from the south, probably through Hartford, CT.)

 

Is there anything else music-related up there? I play guitar and piano, and my copilot has just started to learn violin, so anything related to those instruments would be great. But I'm not picky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tons! Three or four dances a week (Friday and Saturday in Greenfield, some Saturdays in Amherst) and jams (Fri night in North Amherst, several in Greenfield on weekends) too. Of course, I'm a few years out of date...But it's a very active area, I do miss that. Doug C. (owner-manager of BBox) is a great source of info, if you can catch him when he isn't busy.

 

Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go to the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) website, http://www.cdss.org, and click on Events and Affiliates. I think you'll find all sorts of stuff.

 

They also have a great store. I just bought English Pub Session Tunes: 101 Tunes for Pub Sessions and Country Dances by Dave Mallinson. I'll see how it compares to the excellent free tune books available only for the cost of printing them from Paul Hardy, but it looks pretty neat!

 

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lots of sessions up this way--Check out The Harp, a pub not far from the Box, I think it's still friday evenings.

 

http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display/47'>http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display/47

 

Also in amherst:

 

First and third sundays, 5:30 - 8-- http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display/47

 

of course, I'm assuming you're into ITM. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You'll be right near UMASS, Amherst College, and Mount Holyoak... not too far from Smith... and there's probably another one somewhere.

 

I don't know why you'd want to go to any of those, but... maybe.

 

My daughter went to UMASS, and though that was a while ago, I drive out to The Button Box every once in a while. Just did so the other day, to pick up my foot bass, nicely repaired.

 

In Amherst, Bart's has good ice cream.

 

When I drive back home (east) I like to take route 9... in the town of Ware (a bit of a drive, not really near the BB) there is the Berkshire Blanket Factory Outlet Store. The best blankets!!! And cheap... since it's the factory outlet. Further east on 9 (but... too far, really) in West Brookfield, I like The Book Bear. If you like used books, though, I know there's also at least one or two bookshops in Amherst.

 

I'm sure there's so much more, but I've just never had the time to find it all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You'll be right near UMASS, Amherst College, and Mount Holyoak... not too far from Smith... and there's probably another one somewhere.

 

I don't know why you'd want to go to any of those, but... maybe.

 

My daughter went to UMASS, and though that was a while ago, I drive out to The Button Box every once in a while. Just did so the other day, to pick up my foot bass, nicely repaired.

 

In Amherst, Bart's has good ice cream.

 

When I drive back home (east) I like to take route 9... in the town of Ware (a bit of a drive, not really near the BB) there is the Berkshire Blanket Factory Outlet Store. The best blankets!!! And cheap... since it's the factory outlet. Further east on 9 (but... too far, really) in West Brookfield, I like The Book Bear. If you like used books, though, I know there's also at least one or two bookshops in Amherst.

 

I'm sure there's so much more, but I've just never had the time to find it all.

 

There's Mt. Holyoke (south hadley), UMASS (amherst), Smith (Northampton--a lovely campus to walk around), Amherst and Hampshire Colleges (amherst). All have art museums that are worth a visit. The Mead at Amherst College is free, as is The Mt. Holyoke College Museum I believe. Smith MOA charges. Umass I don't know. Hampshire has shows up in the gallery in the student center. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is adjacent to Hampshire College, and Atkins Farm Store is a great place to get lunch. Their cider donuts are famous too! yum!

 

Northampton is worth just walking around in. Check out Thorne's Marketplace--it's sorta like a mall, but in an old building, very quirky and swank at the same time. Lot's of great restaurants. Buskers. Lot's of galleries in Northampton too, as well as a music shop called Birdhouse music--lots of old mandos, fiddles, banjos, and random other stuff. Downtown Sounds is another, more typical musical instrument store--guitars and amps, drums and mics, P.A. gear etc. Nothampton is the place to be.

 

Very true about the bookshops! Raven in Northampton but not sure about Amherst.

 

Emily Dickinson museum is in Amherst. Hope is a thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, y'know. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm planning a trip to the Button Box in Sunderland, MA to test drive a couple of starter concertinas (and probably put money down on an instrument). It's a four-hour drive from New Jersey, and I'd like to find more stuff to do in the area.

Forgive me for making assumptions, here. It looks like your name might be Neil Fein, and that suggests that you might be Jewish or have Jewish heritage. If so, you must have a look at the Yiddish Book Center on campus at Hampshire College in Amherst. Even if you don't know any Yiddish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everyone, thanks for all the great ideas. Our trip was scheduled for tomorrow, but we're postponing until Monday due to the snowstorm. (If the weather is bad then, too, I'll just mail-order one of these; but that seems like much less fun.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...