Guides

Oh these long winter days seem to have no end in sight! If you are a parent or guardian with restless toddlers and are unsure of new ways to break up the week, or how to make weekends interesting, check out these hot spots in the Berkshires and slightly beyond that have toddler fun totally in mind!

• Ready, Set, Play! - This indoor playground with slides and ball pits is geared for kids ages 2-12. This is a great place to hold birthday parties, or just to bring your kids to enjoy interactive play areas for hours. Parents can relax here too, for this fun venue has a cafe onsite where the adults can take a break and mingle.
• Richmond Reads - Join South Berkshire Kids at the Richmond Library for a storytime & craft. This weekly parent-child program is free and open to the community. Best for ages 2-5.
• Kidspace - Kidspace is a creative laboratory at MASS MoCA centering on experiential learning and inspiring curiosity in the arts for all. Come visit and let your kid unearth their own artistic imagination!
• Amelia Park Children's Museum - My own girls loved coming here when they were littles. This unusual museum is about a 35 minute drive from Lee, so it is a bit beyond the Berkshires, but well worth the drive. This incredible museum encourages and inspires children's imaginations while helping them learn about the world around them - and beyond! (check out their space exploration exhibit!) Children of all ages can build, pretend they are a doctor or nurse, become a teller in the bank exhibit, find dinosaur bones, and have fun while moving and exercising or simply join any one of their special activities.
• Billy Beez - Billy Beez is the ultimate indoor play park for kids and kids-at-heart! This 20,000 sq. ft. play parks offer a variety of features and activities, from slides to sports courts, tunnels to towers, ball blasters to bouncy trampolines, so adventure is always right around the corner at Billy Beez. The park is ideal for all ages, including infants, toddlers, adults and every age in between. With designated areas for the little ones and Super Speed slides for the older ones, Billy Beez has something for everyone.
• Swim with me tots -Head to Berkshire South Community Center for a local favorite, especially geared for the littlest swimmers! Caregivers and swimmers will be in the water together, guided by their instructor in an introduction to water safety and comfort through song, movement, and water exploration. After the class, be sure to hang out in the heated splash pad where your toddler can play with water toys and have opportunities to interact with other little ones. If your toddler has had enough water play after the swim class, there is a special designated playroom for toddlers right there on site.

These next two places are just a hop, skip and a jump down the road from each other which makes for a fun day trip. These two places are not in the Berkshires, but accessible by an easy ride on the MassPike/ I-91 North. You’ll be there before you know it, and your kids will be tuckered out by the time you get home. ( Warning: don’t be surprised if they tell you they want to go back!)

• Magic Wings - This is a beautiful conservatory with thousands of butterflies, plus an on-site food court, gift shop & outdoor gardens. Toddlers get in free!!! Be camera ready to get pictures of the butterflies landing on your kids!
• Yankee Candle Village

You and your toddler will both love this year round wonderland of candles because not only is it an affordable warehouse of Yankee Candle’s famous products, but your child will have endless hours of joy as this venue offers family friendly events. Some of the special events include seasonal visits from the Easter Bunny and Santa, ongoing art projects, candle making activities, and special parades.

As if your toddler isn’t sweet enough as it is! Check out these two local sweet shops!

• Robin's Candy Store - Where sweet dreams really do come true…
• Chocolate Springs Cafe - The Chocolate Springs Café is an oasis in Lenox in the beautiful Berkshires, serving freshly-made chocolates, cakes, gelato and other delicious treats as well as award-winning hot chocolate. Toddlers will have their choice of sweet treats as well as board games to play there while they enjoy their snack! This is a great rainy day place to check out!
• Children's Museum at Holyoke - Ok, so this is another toddler friendly venue that isn’t exactly in the Berkshires, but it is close enough that you will think it is! Through hands-on exhibits, children challenge themselves, discover how the world works, explore new roles for themselves, and learn by doing.