Connecticut River Byway
Places to Visit
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The Connecticut River is the longest river in New England, flowing 410 miles from the U.S./Canada border to Long Island Sound.
Location: Runs the entire eastern length of the Connecticut River Byway and beyond.
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Great Falls Discovery Center (MA)
Located within the industrial village of Turners Falls and adjacent to the Connecticut River and canals, the Great Falls Discovery Center teaches visitors about the Connecticut River Watershed’s rich natural, cultural, and industrial history.
Distance from byway: 4.7 mi / 7.6 km Directions: Turn right on Route 2 / Route 2A and head west toward Turners Falls and Greenfield. Turn left at Avenue A and head southwest into Turners Falls over the bridge. Immediately after the bridge, turn right into the Great Falls Discovery Center.
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Hadley Center, settled in 1659, is a National Register Historic District that contains over 800 properties.
Location: Hadley Center is bisected by the Connecticut River Byway and is marked by its intersection with Route 9. Features associated with Hadley Center extend from this intersection westward to the town common at the intersection of Route 9 and West Street.
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The Hadley Farm Museum is located in a restored 1782 barn in Hadley Center.
Location: On the southeast side of the intersection of Route 47 and Route 9, next to the town hall
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Historic Deerfield is a nationally recognized, open-air museum dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts, in its original 18th-century village setting.
Distance from byway: 7 mi / 11.3 km Directions: Turn right at the intersection of Route 47 and Route 116 in Sunderland Center onto Route 116 and head west over the Connecticut River. At the intersection with Route 5/10, turn right onto Route 5/10 and take that north. Turn left at Memorial Street to enter Historic Deerfield.
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Hockanum Rural Historic District (MA)
The Hockanum Rural Historic District is one of the few agriculturally based historic districts in the nation.
Location: The Hockanum National Historic District follows Route 47 from the border with South Hadley to the northeast corner of Skinner State Park, approximately 1 mile north of Rover Road/Mitch’s Way.
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Montague Center Historic District (MA)
Montague Center is a picturesque village with 234 properties that date from the 18th and 19th century in the National Register Historic District.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: Turn right at Center Street and head west into Montague Center. A sign on Route 63 indicates the turn-off.
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Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation (MA)
Mt. Sugarloaf State Reservation offers a commanding view of the Connecticut River, the Pioneer Valley, the historic and picturesque Sunderland Center, and the Pelham and Berkshire Hills.
Distance from byway: 1 mi / 1.6 km Directions: Turn right onto Route 116 at the intersection of the byway and Route 116 and head west to the Sugarloaf Road. Turn right onto Sugarloaf Road and immediately turn right into the entrance to the park.
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Northfield Center Historic District (MA)
The center for commercial activity and residential development in Northfield began and remained along Main Street-- now the present-day Northfield Center.
Location: The Northfield Center Historic District extends from Moody Street southward to the intersection of Route 10 and Route 63.
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Northfield Drive-in Movie Theatre (MA)
The Northfield Drive-in Movie Theatre opened in 1948 and remains one of only four remaining drive-in movie theaters in Massachusetts and the 19 theaters in New England. It is a waning cultural icon, which implicitly showcases the history of automobile use.
Location: 981 Northfield Road, Hinsdale, New Hampshire. The theater straddles the Northfield, Massachusetts and Winchester, New Hampshire town and state lines.
