Before this trip, I can honestly say that I had never heard of Northampton, Massachusetts. Now, I can’t get this adorable city out of my head. Have you ever wondered where the Lifetime Channel films those dreamy, romantic holiday films? Well, I think I found it.
Northampton, the picturesque backdrop for a lifetime movie has a vibrant downtown consisting of numerous art galleries, restaurants and cute shops sprinkled among some of the best coffee shops. It is a popular tourist destination for lovers and foodies.
My journey to this cute city began at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT. The airport is a 30-minute drive from Northampton. Our amazing travel partner, Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council arranged just about everything for me. Once I landed, I picked up my rental car and hit the road to the hotel.
The drive to the hotel was beautiful! It snowed a few days before, so there was snow still on the ground and sprinkled in the trees which made the drive peaceful. Once I pulled into town, an overwhelming feeling came over me. A feeling that warmed my heart and I felt extremely safe for some reason.
The Hotel
I was a little sleepy after my flight and the drive, so I was super excited to see the large bright lights of my hotel glowing beautifully in the night. Hotel Northampton, that’s where I would be staying for the next couple of days, was stunning on the outside. I parked my car in the guest parking lot located at the back of the hotel, grabbed my bags and went inside to check-in. Once I walked in, the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful fireplace surrounded by the classic Colonial Revival decor. The hotel was built back in the 1920’s so the classic decor made me feel like a southern belle. Check-in was quick and easy, so I was headed up to my room in no time.
Instagram: @hotelnorthampton
My Room
I had the pleasure of staying in the deluxe king suite, very cute and cozy with a lot of space. The Deluxe King offers a large closet with plenty of space and an open sitting area with a pullout sofa. On the nightstand, was a welcome treat prepared by the hotel and a folder of passes from the tourism council to help with my exploration of the city. Room service was already closed and I don’t think I could have waited until morning for the complimentary breakfast spread, so the beautifully plated fruit/cheese tray hit the spot. Two other luxurious features about my room were the huge bathroom with a whirlpool jetted tub and a private outdoor balcony overlooking Coolidge Park and downtown Northampton.
The FOOD
To start my amazing food journey I went on a delicious walking food tour that stopped at some very popular places in the city. I met my knowledgeable tour guide Deb, owner of Valley Food Tours at Pulaski Park with the rest of the tour attendees. The tour lasted about 2 hours and we visited 6 different food producers and specialty shops.
The Belly Of The Beast: A warm and welcoming local eatery featuring savory and smoky meat in many of their dishes. They do have some great meatless dishes for the non-meat eaters like myself so don’t be discouraged. Belly of the Beast also has a variety of local craft beers on draft, pour wines, coffees, and teas. While there, we got the chance to taste some really good sweet potatoes that was just the right amount of moist and crispy. Thank goodness the rest of the guests on the tour were meat eaters because they let me enjoy most of this sweet dish. They were busy trying the other savory popular meat options that Aimee Francaes, the owner brought out. She was nice and welcoming, very hands-on in the kitchen with her staff as well.
Instagram: @bellyofthebeastma
The Hungary Ghost: A very popular bakery with a rotating selection of freshly baked artisanal bread, pastries, and take-out pizzas. We arrived just after a bake (bakes come out between 10 am and 2 pm) so we got a chance to taste a loaf of fresh warm bread; after it got the chance to cool down of course. Having the bread cool before eating it is part of the baking process where the bread is still forming its full flavor and texture.
We also got the opportunity to meet the owners, an adorable couple that has run the bakery for years. They run it with their family and a few local college students they hire seasonally. The name Hungry Ghost is a reference to Buddhist theology. They call their sourdough starter the hungry ghost because they have to feed the starter twice a day or it will die. I really enjoyed this stop, it was a warm experience no pun intended lol.
Instagram: @hungryghostbread
State Street Wines and Spirits: Located at the corner of State & Center Streets in the heart of downtown, this deli and wine store is where we got the opportunity to taste some excellent cheeses and ciders. Our tour host Deb put together a great cheese tray for us to pair with the wines and spirits. Everything was superb!
Facebook: State Street Fruit Store, Deli, Wines & Spirits
Iconica Social Club: This super dope coffee and fresh pressed juice cafe, very different from anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s very hip, stylish, and the decor is vintage and modern. Once I walked in, I got a Harry Potter and Hip Hop vibe. Freshly brewed coffees served in Erlenmeyer flasks, industrial-style tables, and a classic old-school boom box mounted into the wall. Not only did the boombox play the best songs it also served as a great piece of art.
I am not a coffee drinker so I only tried the pressed juices. From the reaction of all the other people drinking coffee and cappuccino, I could tell it was some good stuff. The homemade baked goodies will definitely keep you coming back also.
Instagram: @iconicasocialclub
Cornucopia Market: located inside of Thornes Marketplace: A independent natural food grocery store. The home to natural body care products, gourmet coffees, and other cool things like tasty Kombucha on tap and the best onigiri snacks I’ve ever tasted. All of the produce sold there is 100% fresh and organic. yusō is the name of the amazing onigiri snack we tried and it was my highlight of the food tour. Read more HERE.
Now back to the Kombucha on tap, OMG! It was good! There were 4 different flavors, my favorites were the Tumeric-Ginger and the Pineapple. If we didn’t have one last place to visit, I could have stood there all day and pulled those levers.
Instagram: @cornucopia_noho
Go Berry: A local frozen yogurt shop with the freshest ingredients. The dairy used to make the yogurt comes from small independent farms within 20 miles of the shop, so it’s free of antibiotics and growth hormones. They make all of their flavors fresh daily on-site, and they take pride in serving only the highest quality ingredients. Each of us on the tour got the opportunity to try whatever we wanted. I chose the original flavor with fresh strawberries and peanut butter kisses on top. Such a great way to end an amazing food tour. Thank you again to Deb, our tour guide for the great experience!
Instagram: @goberry_northampton
Dinner
A hosted dinner at Galaxy Restaurant located in downtown Easthampton. This restaurant was out of this world amazing. From the very fun retro decor to the Modern American cuisine. I want to start off by saying thank you, to Chef Casey for making sure each dish came out perfect.
My server Elizabeth, a local college student was very sweet and knowledgeable. She helped me navigate through the menu with no issues. She started me off with a Pear 75, made with gin, pear liqueur, lemon, and topped with prosecco. I am not a drinker but when I was, I loved prosecco so I wanted to try this drink, and it was not bad at all.
I’m an appetizer girl so just give me a menu and I might order just about everything in that section. Galaxy has some great appetizers so I tried a few starting with the deviled eggs, which changes every day. That night the flavor was roasted red pepper. Below are the other starters I had.
Roasted Beet Salad – burger nights goat cheese, arugula, pistachios and
blood orange vinaigrette
Truffle French Fries – sprinkled with parmesan cheese and served with a side of truffle aioli
Fried Brussel – Sprouts roasted perfectly and covered with citrus aioli
Grilled Flatbread – roasted garlic, braised mushrooms, spinach, and fontina cheese.
If you like to follow a normal dining experience, appetizer first then you move to the main dish, there are two main dishes that I 100% recommend. For my chicken lovers the Buttermilk Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy and coleslaw. It definitely gave KFC a run for its money. For my fish lovers, the Pistachio Crusted Salmon served with mango hollandaise, napa cabbage slaw, and purple sticky rice was amazing. I’ve had salmon at so many different restaurants, all really good but this dish was very interesting. By interesting, I meant a good interesting. The fusion of flavors paired extremely well with the perfectly grilled Salmon.
To wrap up my amazing experience I had to go with the chocolate moose with all of the fixings. More chocolate, nuts, and caramel.
Instagram: @galaxy413
Sunday Brunch
I’m from the DMV area where they go big or go home when it comes to Sunday brunch. I never thought I would ever find a brunch that would top the ones in DC but the Sunday brunch at Hotel Northampton might have some DC brunches beat.
Executive Chef, Robert Bessone and his team have been hosting this grand brunch for years. While I was there, I spoke to him and a few of the local brunch regulars and they let me know how much bigger and better the brunch gets every year. Even from Sunday to Sunday it gets better. The brunch is held in Wiggins Tavern which is located inside of Hotel Northampton. Once you walk in it’s like you’ve stepped back in time more than 200 years. The Tavern is the perfect place for any special occasion.
The Sunday Brunch Buffet was actually voted best in the Valley by Valley Advocate readers. I can see why it won because it definitely did not disappoint. Everything about the buffet was fabulous! You start at one end with the savory choices, work past the omelet station and down to the sweets. Oh, the sweets! I tried to stay away from that section but it was very hard. It featured one of the best bread puddings I’ve had in a while. Thank you again to Chef Bessone and his team for hosting me. I can’t stop dreaming about this brunch.
Northampton is definitely a major foodie city, with so many different places to pick from. No matter what you’re craving you’ll definitely find something to satisfy it.
Things To Do
Visit a museum, or two, or three! Enjoy the area museums in Northampton and Amherst. Choose from the Eric Carle Musem, Smith College Museum of Art or the Emily Dickerson Museum.
- The Carle Musem is the only full-scale museum of its kind in the united states. The Carle collects, preserves, presents and celebrates picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world.
- Smith College Museum of Art includes four floors of exhibits, galleries that house the permanent collection; the Cunningham Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs; and changing exhibitions that regularly include a family-friendly resource area.
- Emily Dickinson Museum‘s mission is to spark the imagination by amplifying Emily Dickinson’s revolutionary poetic voice from the place she called home. The Museum comprises two historic houses in the center of Amherst, Massachusetts including the birthplace of the poet Emily Dickinson and the home of her family during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
If you’re not a museum person, you can catch a hosted performance at the historic Academy of Music located at 274 Main Street. No photography is allowed but while I was there I attended the Little Matchstick Factory’s The Other Mozart. It’s the true forgotten story of Nannerl Mozart, the sister of
Amadeus. If you’re into that type of entertainment, the show was great.
Instagram: @aomtheatre
Another really cool thing I got to do was make my own glass ornament in the glassblowing studio at the Snow Farm campus. I took a gorgeous scenic drive through the hills to the Snow Farm, home of the New England Craft Program. I met my host Lisa in the main hall, she gave me a tour of the campus and told me all about what they do there. Like, the Seconds Sale happening all that weekend. Each year approximately 200 craftspeople from across the region send their work to the annual Snow Farms Seconds Sale. Things like high-quality glassware, pottery, wooden bowls, cutting boards, scarves bags, jewelry and much more.
Half of the proceeds go back to the Snow Farm to help continue the great work they are doing there. When you get a chance, take a look at the courses they offer, you might find something you like. They also offer on-campus housing, so if you see a course you like but don’t live locally, don’t worry.
Instagram: @snowfarmcraft
Final Thoughts
Northampton was a dreamy and a refreshing break from the other busy cities I’m usually in. It was very laid back and everyone was kind and friendly. You can walk to just about anywhere and they have the best shopping. If you’re looking for a peaceful romantic getaway for the holidays, with skiing, shopping and some good eating then Northampton, Massachusetts is the place to be.
Thank you again to every place that hosted me! Also, a major thank you to Meghan at Pop Marketing Communications and Lucy at Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council for setting everything up for me. Please visit the Hampshire County website to help plan your next trip to Northampton.
Instagram: @othersideofma
Naomi is a stylish, adventurous traveler. She’s a bit of a daredevil that loves excursions. Those that know her, call her a shoe connoisseur. She is also obsessed with music and has a playlist for just about any mood. She’s a foodie that loves a good vegetarian/vegan spot. Want to know where she is headed next… stay tuned to find out!
