The Springfield Museums in Springfield, MA is a great way to spend the better part of a day; on your own, with an adult or with one or more children in tow.  There’s something for everyone!  It has art, history and science all in one location.

You only have a couple of days left to get to their current exhibition called Leaving Our Mark:  In Celebration of the Pencil – better get going!   My excuse was that I was out of town for nearly a month and had to wait until my return, so I just got there recently.  It’s fabulous!  Drawings in pencil that help you really look at the structure of the piece, as well as the whole.  The sculptures come with a magnifying glass to assist you in really appreciating the small details.  While we were there, old and young were enjoying it.

If you miss it, go anyways. Their permanent collection is wonderful.   You can sit outdoors on a delightful spring day (they are coming) and enjoy the amazing Dr. Suess sculpture garden.    If that wasn’t enough, there are four buildings of fine art, science and natural history for the family, a wonderful collection of oddities from around the world in a building with Tiffany windows, and the history and gorgeous Indian motorcyles to gawk at!  Each building has thoughtful and fascinating ways to engage even the youngest child.

Springfield has a bad reputation for not being the safest town to visit; but the museum is easy to access from the highway and provides easy parking and a cafe for anyone who worries about stuff like that.  But, don’t worry about it on a day when you can enjoy so much in one museum!  And, it’s a lot easier to access than large city museums such as those in New York City, and has just as much to offer.