Highlights of Springfield Massachusetts Tour

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1. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has 361 inductees that were either players, coaches, refs, contributors, or teams. Also called Hoop Hall, The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has honored and celebrated basketball's most influential people that was involved with the sport since 1959. Interactive exhibits, skills challenges, live clinics, and shooting contests make this Hall of Fame more enjoyable than the average museum. This landmark structure is one of the world’s most distinctive monuments highlighting the Springfield skyline.

2. Symphony Hall and The CityStage, Springfield, MA

Located in the heart of the city, Symphony Hall and The CityStage, have joined forces to bring professional theatre to the Pioneer Valley. They are Springfield's professional, not-for-profit Theater Company, and the only destinations for live, professional theatre performances in Springfield, MA. The house of the Symphony Hall is well known for its excellent acoustics and its triumphant, Greek Revival architecture.

3. Paramount Theatre

Once one of the grandest movie theatres in the eastern United States, Springfield’s Paramount Theatre was built in 1929 at a cost of more than $1 million. It operated as a movie theatre until the 1960s, when it began to occasionally be used for live performances. Since that time, the theatre has changed hands and is currently—as of 2018—undergoing an extensive restoration. The theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

4. Stacy Building

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Springfield was an industrial center. Much of its industry was based in munitions manufacturing, but by the early 1900s, the emerging automotive industry was also developing in Springfield. In 1893, the Duryea brothers built the first American-built, gasoline-powered car. The car was built by hand in the Stacy Building on Taylor Street, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

5. Springfield Museums

The Springfield Museums is one organization comprised of five museums that cover art, history, and science. The museums are: - the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, which was built in 1896 and features various artworks from around the world. These include Japanese lacquer items, arms and armor, Greek and Roman artifacts, American 19th century paintings and the largest collection of cloisonné outside of Asia. - the Springfield Science Museum, which was founded in 1859 and moved into the current building in 1899. Its exhibits and collections cover natural history, anthropology and physical science; there is also a planetarium that contains one of the oldest star projectors in the world. - the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, which was built in 1933 and houses American, Asian, European paintings, prints, drawings and other works of art. It also holds the largest collection of lithographs in the world. - the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, which opened in 2009 and serves as the repository for local history and research (this includes records of the Connecticut River Valley). It also houses the largest Indian motorcycle collection in the world and also the largest collection of Smith & Weston firearms in the world. - and, The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, which opened in late 2016 and honors the legacy of Theodor Seuss Geisel. It features interactive exhibits and a recreation of his studio. Also on the museum grounds is the Dr. Suess National Memorial Sculpture Garden which was completed in 2002.

6. Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden

The Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden was officially opened in 2002. Sculptures include Horton the Elephant, Sam I Am, characters from The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, Dr. Seuss, The Lorax, and Yertle the Turtle. Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss)'s stepdaughter, Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, created over 30 statues for the memorial.

7. Masonic Temple (Springfield, Massachusetts)

Springfield's Masonic Temple is one of the most striking buildings in the downtown area. Built in 1923, the four-story building was completed for $1 million. Prior to its construction, Springfield's Masons used various locations for their meetings, and the current building was the first permanent structure in the city devoted solely to the Masons. The temple is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

8. Springfield Armory

Until 1968 this site was a part of the nation's first armories and weapons production facilities. For nearly two centuries, the US Armed Forces and American industry looked to Springfield Armory for innovative engineering and superior firearms. Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates the critical role of the nation’s first armory by preserving and interpreting the world's largest historic US military small arms collection, along with historic archives, buildings, and landscapes.

9. St. John's Congregational Church (Sanford Street Church, Free Church)

The church now known as St. John's Congregational Church has a long and proud history in Springfield. The church is not only one of the oldest African American churches in New England, but was founded by abolitionists and was actively involved in assisting runaway slaves. For a time in the mid-1800s, the church was known as the Free Church and often hosted well-known abolitionists as speakers. John Brown attended the church during the three years that he lived in Springfield and a Bible donated to the church by Brown is on display. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

10. Indian Motorcycle Factory and Winchester Square Historic District

For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Springfield was known as "the city of firsts." Industry was an important part of the city's economy, and Springfield produced numerous "firsts"--the first gasoline-powered automobile and the first motorized fire engine, to name just two. It was also in Springfield that the Indian Motorcycle was created, its developers becoming the first successful motorcycle manufacturers in the United States. The massive Indian Motorcycle was located in what is now the Winchester Square Historic District, home to much of Springfield's industry. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

Highlights of Springfield Massachusetts Tour

Created by Sandra Kennedy on January 12th 2019, 3:15:47 pm.

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This tour includes several museums, cultural sites like Symphony Hall, and historic buildings such as the Springfield Armory and Paramount Theatre. The tour begins at Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and includes the Springfield Museums complex. The tour concludes with the Indian Motorcycle Factory and Winchester Square Historic District. Be sure to also visit the childhood home of Dr. Seuss which is located just south of this tour and also included in Clio.

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Highlights of Springfield Massachusetts Tour

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