9 Best Sights in Sturbridge and The Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts

If you have kids in tow—or if you just love children's book illustrations—"the Carle" is a must-see. This light-filled museum celebrates and preserves not only the works of renowned children's book author Eric Carle, who penned The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but also original picture-book art by Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, and many others. Puppet shows and storytelling events are among the museum's ongoing programs. Children are invited to create their own works of art in the studio or read classics or discover new authors in the library.

This 80,000-square-foot facility—named for Canadian phys-ed instructor Dr. James Naismith, who invented the game of basketball in 1891 during his five years at Springfield's YMCA Training Center—showcases plenty of jerseys, memorabilia, and video highlights. High-profile players such as Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the NBA and Nancy Lieberman of the WNBA are among the nearly 300 enshrinees, but the hall celebrates the accomplishments of players, coaches, and others at all levels of the sport. In addition to displays chronicling basketball history, the hall has a soaring domed arena where you can practice jumpers, walls of inspirational quotes you can view, dozens of interactive exhibits, and video footage and interviews with former players. The hall is easy to find: look for the 15-story spire with an illuminated basketball on top.

In an unassuming former bank lies a large multifloor gallery filled with the works of many artists, but the collection's crown jewel is the room filled with the work from dozens of children's book illustrators. Originals by everyone from Maurice Sendak to Mo Willems are featured, as well as a Dr. Seuss area that includes a few sculptures along with his illustrations.

This glass conservatory glitters with more than 4,000 butterflies. Kids love the butterfly nursery, where newborns first take flight. Outside is a three-season garden filled with plants that attract local species. There's also a snack bar and gift shop.

With more than 160 rides and shows, this massive attraction is the region's largest theme and water park. You can visit Looney Tunes town and climb aboard DC Superhero rides such as Batman: The Dark Knight and Superman: The Ride, which is more than 20 stories tall and has a top speed of 77 mph. New rides are added frequently, like the Wicked Cyclone, a hybrid wooden structure with a steel track, and the Fireball, a seven-story loop coaster. Visit in autumn to catch Fright Fest haunted events and attractions.

This complex of museums in the Quadrangle includes five impressive facilities (single admission), plus a free sculpture garden. The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum houses a fascinating private art collection that includes a salon gallery with 19th-century American paintings by Frederic Church and Albert Bierstadt, as well as a Japanese antiquities room filled with armor, textiles, porcelain, and carved jade. The Museum of Fine Arts has paintings by Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Winslow Homer, and Georgia O'Keeffe. The Springfield Science Museum has an Exploration Center of touchable displays, the oldest operating planetarium in the United States, dinosaur exhibits, an extensive collection of stuffed and mounted animals, and an African Hall through which you can take an interactive tour of that continent's flora and fauna. The Museum of Springfield History tells the story of the town's manufacturing heritage, including bikes and memorabilia from the former Indian Motorcycle Company, which was headquartered in Springfield. The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, opened in 2017, offers a look into the Springfield childhood of Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) and a wide range of interactive exhibits and wall drawings, all among rooms so colorful that the museum is like walking into a Dr. Seuss book.

Also amid the Quadrangle is the free Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, an installation of bronze statues depicting scenes from Geisel's famously whimsical children's books. Born in Springfield in 1904, Geisel was inspired by the animals at the Zoo in Forest Park, where his father served as director.

Opened in 2017, this museum offers a look into the Springfield childhood of Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) with a wide range of interactive exhibits and wall drawings, all among rooms so colorful that the museum is like walking into a Dr. Seuss book. Part art gallery, part hands-on children's museum, the second floor re-creates Geisel’s studio and living room (with the furniture and art materials he actually used); you'll see never before publicly displayed artwork.

Scientists young and old will enjoy taking in a show at the oldest operating planetarium in the United States. There are also dinosaur exhibits, an extensive collection of stuffed and mounted animals, and an African Hall through which you can take an interactive tour of that continent's flora and fauna. There's also a small aquarium, where you'll see fishes from tropical reefs around the world as well as frogs, turtles, snakes, and spiders from the rain forests.

At this leafy, 735-acre retreat, hiking paths wind through the trees, paddleboats navigate Porter Lake, and hungry ducks float on a small pond. The zoo, where Theodor Geisel—better known as Dr. Seuss—found inspiration for his children's books, is home to nearly 200 animals, from camels and bobcats to lemurs and wallabies. It's manageable in size, and spotting animals in the exhibits is fairly easy, which makes this an especially good stop for families with small children. Another plus: you can purchase small cones of food from the gift shop to feed many of the animals. Leave time to explore the park after you finish the zoo.