Visiting | Amherst College (2024)

The War Memorial, with its view of the Holyoke Range, is a central location on our campus in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Many of our celebrations take place inside Johnson Chapel, including this a capella performance during Family Weekend. (Photo by Maria Stenzel)

The Main Quad is the center of our campus, where students relax in adirondack chairs, play a game of Frisbee, and run into friends and professors alike.

Our annual Fall Festival in October provides a fun break from studying, with games, a 16-foot inflatable slide, hay rides, face painting, pumpkin carving, caramel apples, s’mores, chowder, and much more. (Photo by Maria Stenzel)

At the south end of the Main Quadrangle, the War Memorial looks out on the Holyoke Range.

Fayerweather Hall houses art studios and the Pruyne Lecture Hall. (Photo by Jiayi Liu)

The Keefe Campus Center is home to the resource centers and Schwemm’s Coffee House, where you can grab a snack, sit by the fireplace, or listen to the occasional jazz performance. (Photo by Maria Stenzel)

Who’s up for some volleyball? This sandy court is one of the recreational spaces adjacent to the Greenway dorms.

Valentine Dining Hall viewed from across the Valentine Quad. (Photo by Maria Stenzel)

Valentine Dining Hall, or “Val” as everyone calls it, offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner made from fresh and sustainable ingredients. Val offers everything from pizza and salads to a “Traditions” station where you can find “comfort foods from around the world.” (Photo by Jiayi Liu)

Many of the rooms in the Greenway Residential Halls offer views of the mountain range. (Photo by Maria Stenzel)

A homecoming football game.

The College’s football field and Conway Field House.

Snow!

Winter has a beauty all its own. (Photo by Maria Stenzel)

Downtown Amherst, MA is adjacent to campus, offering restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, a cinema, the best pizza anywhere, a shop that delivers warm cookies until late into the night, and more. On the other side of the town center is the University of Massachusetts, which, along with Amherst College, is part of the Five College Consortium.

Students enjoy food and games at the City Streets Festival, one of our seasonal events on campus.

The Power House is a hub for campus nightlife, serving as a venue for performances, dances, club meetings, movie screenings, art exhibits, panel discussions, pub nights, outdoor picnics, and more.

The Columbian mammoth skeleton in the Beneski Museum of Natural History.

The Science Center, which opened in 2018, provides state-of-the-art facilities and flexible spaces to support the sciences at Amherst.

In the Science Center atrium.

Fayerweather Hall in spring. (Photo by Takudzwa Tapfuma ’17)

A painting class in Fayerweather Hall. (Photo by Maria Stenzel)

A class outdoors on the Main Quadrangle, with a view of the Holyoke Range. (Photo by Jiayi Liu)

To the north of campus and only a short walk away is the town of Amherst, home to 35,000 residents and over 30,000 college students during the academic year.

While you might miss it on the street side, head down the alleyway to enter Laughing Dog Bicycles, an Amherst staple servicing, selling and renting bikes since 1984. (Okay, the name has changed over the years, and the location too, but the story of Max -- the laughing dog -- lives on for eternity.)

Check out the street art while you're here, just beyond the bicycles. You're also about to discover the best-kept secret shortcut in Amherst. Head down the narrow alley to the left of the street art-covered building, and you'll find a Amherst Cinema, Osteria Vespa (Italian and Mediterranean cuisine), GoBerry ’n Cream (Fro-Yo), Amherst Coffee, and more.

Although its history dates back to 1926, the Amherst Cinema as we know it today has been operating as an independent, nonprofit arts and education center since 2006.

Amherst Coffee has been serving specialty coffee drinks since 2005. This popular meeting and study spot transitions from a cafe into a craft co*cktail bar between 4 and 5 pm.

Amherst Books is a locally owned, independent bookstore that sells new and used books and hosts book signings and readings by local authors.

If you're not a pizza lover, you will be once you discover the extra-large, gourmet slices at Antonio's Pizza (a slice of avocado quesadilla, anyone?). Having trouble choosing? Then wander next door to the always-delicious Taste of Thai Cuisine for some Pad Thai, or Arigato for an Amherst Sushi Roll.

The Drake, a performing arts venue in the heart of downtown Amherst, reopened in the spring of 2022, 35 years after the original hotel and bar closed. Eager to contribute to the success of the Drake, Amherst College donated funds and a Steinway piano, and both students and faculty from the Department of Music have performed there since the reopening.

Since opening in 1995, the mission of Bueno Y Sano has been “to make people happy.” Head on over today for a Salvadorian burrito (or taco or quesadilla), and start getting happy! Not convinced? Check out what Michelin star chef Marc Forgione has to say on the Food Network's series “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”.

Also within walking distance of campus is the Emily Dickinson Museum featuring two historic buildings, The Homestead, which is the birthplace and home of the poet Emily Dickinson, The Evergreens, the house next door where her brother Austin, his wife Susan, and their three children lived, and the beautifully restored landscape.

The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is literally right down the road by either a short walk or a free bus ride. Students at member schools in the Five College Consortium (all within a 10-mile radius) can take classes at any of the institutions, participate in clubs and extracurriculars, and more.

From Amherst College, head about 4 miles south, and you'll arrive at Hampshire College, an innovative, boundary-breaking liberal arts college, empowering students to tackle complex world problems since 1970. Hampshire College is a member of the Five College Consortium.

Located in Northampton, Smith College has been a leader in higher education since its founding in 1871, guiding generations of creative and determined students. Smith College is a member of the Five College Consortium.

Founded in 1837, Mt. Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college located in South Hadley, MA, only 10 miles south of Amherst College. One of the many connections between the two schools is the fact that Emily Dickinson (whose grandfather, Samuel Fowler Dickinson, helped found Amherst College), attended Mt. Holyoke from 1847 to 1848. Mt. Holyoke College is a member of the Five College Consortium.

The town of Amherst is surrounded by small New England communities, each with distinct personalities and opportunities. One of those towns is Northampton. In addition to being home to Smith College, Northampton offers shops, restaurants, musical venues, and festivals.

Had enough of town life? You don't have to travel far to get close to nature. With approximately 500 acres of land comprising the Amherst College Wildlife Sanctuary, the trail is available for both recreation and research.

This striking view shows a bend in the Connecticut River and the Holyoke Range taken from the summit of Mount Sugarloaf. Local hiking options are abundant, and it's arguable which offers the best view. Here's a list of 10 local trails to get you started.