Info on Springfield, Mass...

[Youarehere]

Okay I booked the hotel this morning. It is the Hilton Garden Inn on West Columbus Ave. They say it is connected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Is this area okay??

More suggestions please. I will take the boys to the Hall of Fame for a few hours, but then I need more. One is a sports/science type and the other all science. Is there a zoo or aquarium close by?

This area is sketchy. It is seperated by the highway from the rest of downtown so it is a little safer. The hotel itself is fine- pretty new. You will be fine in the hotel and walking to the Hall of Fame and restaurants that are right there. If you want to go downtown, drive- don't walk, and park on Main St, do not park on the side street lots and walk. Also, there is a Sunoco right there next to the hotel- don't get gas there- go under the underpass and there is a different Sunoco right there with lower gas prices. These two stations are about 200 feet apart from each other.

There is the Zoo in Forest Park- it is a petting zoo. There is a childrens museum in West Hartford CT that is very good- about a half hour drive.

http://www.forestparkzoo.org/

http://www.thechildrensmuseumct.org/index.asp

 

[stellablue]

This area is sketchy. It is seperated by the highway from the rest of downtown so it is a little safer. The hotel itself is fine- pretty new. You will be fine in the hotel and walking to the Hall of Fame and restaurants that are right there. If you want to go downtown, drive- don't walk, and park on Main St, do not park on the side street lots and walk. Also, there is a Sunoco right there next to the hotel- don't get gas there- go under the underpass and there is a different Sunoco right there with lower gas prices. These two stations are about 200 feet apart from each other.

There is the Zoo in Forest Park- it is a petting zoo. There is a childrens museum in West Hartford CT that is very good- about a half hour drive.

http://www.forestparkzoo.org/

http://www.thechildrensmuseumct.org/index.asp

Just wanted to pipe in here to agree about the no walking downtown or at night-drive if you need to head there. I have also heard good things about the childrens' museum in West Hartford.

 

[ZPT1022]

The Children's Museum in West Hartford is awesome, we are members there and go quite often. Depending on your kids' ages there is also Kid City in Middletown, CT and ImagineNation in Bristol,CT. Of course this all depends how far you are willing to drive.

http://www.kidcitymuseum.com/


http://www.imaginemuseum.org/

 

[Youarehere]

Just thought of something else- If you want a Theme Park- Lake Compounce is alot of fun for the pre teen/ tweenager. It is very family friendly and free Pepsi all day. They have a decent water park too. It is in Bristol Ct, about a 45 min drive from the Hilton.

 

[Youarehere]

Sorry to thread hog but...

I just drove through last night. I go a quick peak at the order of things as I drove by. Going down the road from South to North from your hotel, it goes Hilton Garden, Basketball HOF (which has a few restaurants in it and it had a Coldstone but I didn't notice it still there), right past that is Onyx Fusion which Dawn mentioned and then... The Visitor Center. You can walk from your hotel right over to the visitor center and see what to do if you still need ideas. A visitor center in Springfield I never would have thunk it.

 

[RN2003AZ]

I live about 45 min east of Springfield off the MassPike. If you are willing to drive to Sturbridge (Exit 9) you could do Old Sturbridge Village and spend a good part of your day there. It's the type of thing that if you live around here, you haven't gone since that field trip in 3rd grade, but it seems like a good day thing for people outside the area. PM me if you want... I sometimes have access to discounted/free tickets.

www.oldsturbridgevillage.com

 

[mjkacmom]

I've been a few times (DH has family in that area), and thought it was pretty depressing the first time I saw it (I'm outside of NYC, so a bit biased). The last time we had to go (aunt Sylvia's 90th birthday party - she didn't attend - long story), we stopped by the basketball hall of fame for about an hour. We stayed at Marriotts, in West Springfield, I believe. It's certainly not a vacation destination!