Annual offerings range from the classical to the
whimsical

So, you're thinking about visiting Northampton, set in the heart of Western Massachusetts. A relative - or perhaps a friend - told you it's a great place with lots to do and see, but you're worried that after a day spent visiting antique stores and driving down quaint country roads, you'll have seen it all. You imagine you might spend the rest of the weekend sipping coffee and watching pedestrians pass you by. Scratch that vision.

If entertainment is what you're after, the area can keep you so busy you won't have time to set. Aside from the museums, antique stores, galleries, shops, and theaters, the Pioneer Valley has a full-year-round calendar of events with offerings that range from craft shows to agricultural fairs. In the spring and summer, what's popular are horse shows, garden tours, sidewalk sales, and restaurant galas - like the Taste of Northampton, at which you can sample food from many of the city's restaurants at one location. In autumn, harvest fairs are held in many of the surrounding rural towns, featuring crafts, produce, livestock, and skills like blacksmithing and lumberjacking. Even in the dead of winter, there are offerings - the performances that make up "Four Sundays in February" or the Spring Craft Spectacular, for example.