Hampshire College


The region's most innovative center of learning is Hampshire College, 3 miles south of Amherst center on MA 116. Students here don't pick a major in the regular sense of the word; rather, the school emphasizes multidisciplinary, student-initiated courses of study. Aside from the Eric Carle Museum, there is not a ton to see here, though campus tours are available for would-be students.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

0.36 MILES

Co-founded by the author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this superb museum celebrates book illustrations from around the world with…

2. Amherst College

3.08 MILES

Founded in 1821, Amherst College has retained its character and quality partly by maintaining its small size (1850 students). The scenic campus lies just…

3. Mead Art Museum

3.19 MILES

A small but scintillating collection of art works that span the globe, ranging from American and European paintings to Mexican pottery to West African…

4. Beneski Museum of Natural History

3.31 MILES

Kids will dig the enormous woolly mammoth and dinosaur skeletons at this museum on the campus of Amherst College. Exhibits focus on the geological history…

5. Skinner State Park

3.37 MILES

This mountaintop park, at the summit of Mt Holyoke, peaks out at a rather modest-sounding height of 942ft. But that's high enough to earn the visitor…

6. Summit House

3.37 MILES

At the summit of Mt Holyoke, a former hotel dating from 1861 is now a museum and visitor center. Old photographs show Summit House as it was in its heyday…

7. Emily Dickinson Museum

3.58 MILES

During her lifetime, Emily Dickinson (1830–86) published only seven poems, but more than 1000 were discovered and published posthumously, and her verses…

8. West Cemetery

3.8 MILES

For a peek at Amherst's colorful past, make your way to the West Cemetery, between Triangle St and N Pleasant St. Here you'll find the graves of Amherst's…