I’ve always been a huge fan of road trips, and literary field trips are probably my favorite type of all. I love to visit literary destinations both close to home and farther away, (including bookish sights in Spain!) but there are oodles of great options not too far from my doorstep in Boston. As summer winds to its lovely end, my kids and I piled in the car and headed off west for a lovely day.

Our first stop was the Montague Book Mill, about an hour and a half west of town (not counting traffic) off a curvy country road tucked beside a rushing river. This used bookstore is brimming with books and includes a healthy children’s section. We ended up with a delicious stack with something for everyone!

Next, we got back on the quiet road for a short stretch through hills and farmland to Amherst and the Emily Dickinson Museum. It was a gorgeous day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it with a picnic among the trees and stumps outside her window. I brought along a volume of her collected poems, and we took turns opening to random pages and reading poems aloud. So much fun! We weren’t able to do the full tour, but we at least made it inside and got an abbreviated tour of Emily’s bedroom where she wrote her poetry.

Finally, we finished up the day with a sunset performance of AS YOU LIKE IT at Shakespeare & Company in the Berkshires. Beautiful setting and fantastic performance!

I would love to schedule more literary field trips. What favorite bookish sights are near where *you* live?