Downtown Amherst, Mass.
—where New England college-town charm meets a vibrant metropolitan culture. Stroll our walkable cultural district filled with unique shops, delicious dining from around the world, and a lively arts and culture scene. Relax at the salon or enjoy the natural beauty on our green spaces. Whether you're here for a few hours or a season of life, there's always something new to discover in the heart of Amherst.
A cultural college town
Nestled in the bucolic Connecticut River Valley, Amherst is a lively town and home to Amherst College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Amherst's local gems include our many museums, the live music venue The Drake, and the Amherst Cinema. Join us in the place poet Emily Dickinson called paradise.
Explore
Amherst Books
A Locally owned, independent bookshop with strengths in poetry, literature and philosophy, plus a large selection of small press titles, used and rare books, and literally journals.
Amherst Cinema
An independent, nonprofit arts and education center brimming with world-class programs. Our comfortable, fully accessible theater offers state-of-the-art projection and sound and is a welcoming crossroads for all.
The Amherst Historical Society and Museum
The Amherst Museum opened in 1916 and is governed by the Amherst Historical Society. Housed in the 1750-era Simeon Strong House, the Amherst History Museum takes visitors on a journey from the town’s colonial past, through its industrial age and into the present with collections of decorative arts, paintings, household implements and agricultural tools.
Ancestral Bridges
A living archive celebrating the Black & Afro-Indigenous roots of Amherst, MA, through arts, culture, and education
Beneski Museum of Natural History
One of New England’s largest natural history museums with more than 1,700 specimens on display, showcasing fossils and minerals collected locally and abroad, many by past and present students and professors.
The Center Dance Studio
At The Center, children spin stories from movement using classical and modern dance techniques. Sister duo Ashley and Caddy Carlisle combine their years of dance training with a special approach to teaching that gets kids reading, writing, dancing, connecting, collaborating, and creating.
The Drake
A top tier performing arts & music venue located in the heart of downtown Amherst.
The Emily Dickinson Museum
The Emily Dickinson Museum comprises two historic houses in the center of Amherst, Massachusetts associated with the poet Emily Dickinson and members of her family during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Homestead was the birthplace and home of the poet Emily Dickinson. The Evergreens, next door, was home to her brother Austin, his wife Susan, and their three children.
Jones Library
Jones Library is a community hub to a diverse population of Amherst residents, where books are celebrated and all members of the community can enhance their educational, cultural, and lifelong learning pursuits.
Mystery Train Records
A music store specializing in used vinyl records, but also selling CD’s, cassette and VHS tapes, DVDs and books. Also hosts in-store concert and art shows.
Gallery A3
A contemporary fine art gallery, run by 23 area artists – painters, photographers, sculptors, print-makers, and mixed media artists. We are celebrating 17 years of monthly exhibitions of new art made locally
Stamell Stringed Instruments
A leading provider in violins, violas, cellos, and bows to the string playing community in New England and beyond.
Mead Art Museum
The Mead Art Museum houses the art collection of Amherst College, spanning 5,000 years and encompassing the creative achievements of many world cultures.
Restless Books
Restless Books is an independent, non-profit publisher founded in 2013. Restless publishes "international works of fiction, journalism, memoirs, travel writing, and illustrated books."
Amherst Farmers Market
Wildly known as one of the best places for local food, fun and community! Offering farm to table produce and selections from your local growers and Valley producers.
West Cemetery
Amherst’s oldest burial ground (1730) features graves of farmers, millworkers, servants, soldiers, clergy, professors, and poets, including Emily Dickinson. A mural by artist David Fichter is on the wall of One East Pleasant and can be viewed from the cemetery.
Angel of the Lilies @ The Unitarian Universalist Society
Tiffany stained-glass window commissioned in 1890-91 for All Souls Unitarian Church in Roxbury, moved to Amherst in 1952, restores in 2014.
Robert Frost Library
The library has collections in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as general-interest science materials. Archives & Special Collections hold rare books, collections of special interest, and materials about the history of the college.
