The Zuroevestes: Outlining some fun entertainment / things to do in Amherst

Hello everyone! It's Friday! :D I decided that today I would post a blog that kind of shows you the fun things to do around this area, good places to eat, and just some places you'd see us during the week.

ENTERTAINMENT/PLACES TO GO:

Well, first of all, the area is VERY artsy (or at least, much more so than what I noticed in Boise). There's always something going on at the university, or Amherst College, so it's nice being able to always have something to go do, or an exhibit to see.
Atkins Farms: we have LOVED this place. First of all, it really does have some of the best local produce around (and if there's one better, we just haven't discovered it yet.) They have lots of fall activities going on, such as scarecrow making, festivals for PYO (pick your own) apples and pumpkins, and lots of unique things to see inside the store. It has a homemade ice cream section (with AMAZING ice cream), a Savory Suppers section (which is where you can prepare meals for your family by putting together ingredients laid out by the Savory Suppers staff to then be in your freezer until you're ready to pull one out for dinner that night. It's great! 10 homemade, delicious meals for a great price! Super easy for those days we just don't want to cook. :) Just generally a really nice place to be.

Antonio's: enough can't be said about this place. Literally, the best pizza I've ever had. This is kind of the "big" attraction in the area, the first place people recommend to go. They serve tons of unique toppings on their pizza (such as baked potato, blt, and chicken bacon ranch), and have such an addicting crust, I am speechless. Honestly, amazing. Whoever comes to visit us next, we're going here first.

ABC and Northampton Brewery Company: The ABC stands for Amherst Brewing Company, and the Northampton Brewery Company are fun places to go. They brew their own beer, and the atmosphere is very local and entertaining. This is considered "the hangout" for a lot of people at the University.

Museums: Amherst has quite a few museums, but the ones that I'm the most interested in are the Emily Dickinson museum (in her old home), and the Eric Carle museum (remember The Very Hungry Caterpillar? That author lives in Amherst).

Hiking: the hiking trails here are amazing. We haven't been on one yet, but apparently you have to go hiking at least once while you live here because of the absolutely gorgeous view when you get to the top.

Northampton: Northampton is only about 10 minutes from our house. It's a great downtown area to walk in, with lots of cute shops and mini malls to roam. It's rained 2 out of 4 times we've been there (haha!) but just a truly wonderful place to spend a day.

Yankee Candle Shop: The original Yankee Candle store is located in the area. Rodney and I haven't been there yet, but driven past it a few times--it's gigantic!

Crazy Noodles and Bueno Y Sano: These two restaraunts are our other two favorites-- Crazy Noodles is a small place that makes fantastic pasta dishes. I'm always amazed at the quality of their food. Equally amazing is Bueno Y Sano, which is a mexican food place with AMAZING burritos.

Hamilton Orchards: A fall activity only, obviously, but a really fun place. We went only once (with the saxophone studio), and it was really a fun place to hang out. CIDER DONUTS. That's all I can say. I've had more cider donuts within the last 2 months than I think I ever have. They're a big thing in fall festivals. You have to get yourself a cider donut. Ah-mazing.