<p>We brought the dogs for parent’s week-end so we camped at a local KOA. Worked out well, and all the kids loved seeing the dogs. </p>
<p>When we dropped my daughter, we went to the departmental show on the lawn, sat through some talks, then left.</p>
<p>We love the Old Mill on the Falls in nearby Hatfield. Very inexpensive, great host and homemade breakfast in the morning. It sits on the Swift river with its own dam and waterfall!</p>
<p>SubwayMom-Which restaurants have you tried so far? I’ll recommend a couple others once I know which ones should NOT be on the list. Also let me know if you’re looking for a casual, student-oriented kind of place or one that’s a bit more formal where you don’t have to bus your own trays … or wipe down your own tables… ;)</p>
<p>Night Kitchen in Montague for us!</p>
<p>Our graduation dinner at the Night Kitchen was truly memorable. We loved it – every one of us.</p>
<p>My family also did graduation dinner at the Night Kitchen. It was a wonderful experience, though unfortunately I had to miss Illuminations because of the timing of our reservation.</p>
<p>Ah yuh, re the jacked up prices at Family weekend and graduation. There’s a very high demand. At least it’s not NYC.</p>
<p>There is always a trade off between time & $$$. Given the time and expense of flying across country and renting a car in the first place, I didn’t want to spend one more minute “commuting” from hotel to campus than necessary. Upon reflection, I can see that for someone coming from within driving distance the calculus will vary as the hotel bill is a much higher proportion of the total.</p>
<p>The Night Kitchen is located adjacent to the Montague Bookmill, which is a good half hour from Smith. The Bookmill bumper stickers proclaim, “Books you don’t need in a place you can’t find.” 
It’s an apt slogan because it is indeed a bit tricky to get there (and you’ll definitely need a car), but it’s a wonderful setting for those who are willing to take the scenic drive.</p>
<p>I must be the only one on this board who doesn’t like the Night Kitchen. I found the quality of their food to be abysmal and their waitstaff rude, though I must agree that the setting is excellent.</p>
<p>S&P–Thanks for the lead on Sugar Maple Inn. It’s a lot cheaper than most of the motel/hotels in the area and I booked it for Parent’s weekend already. I was starting to get nervous about getting a decently priced accommodation. I looked at some other B&B’s and one was already almost completely booked.</p>
<p>On my previous visit to Smith College my dad and I stayed at the Hampton Inn in Hadley,
Massachusetts. The hotel is clean, well maintained, had an excellent staff, was reasonably priced, had nice amenities and is located about 15-20 minutes from Smith College. The hotel’s address is 24 Bay Road, Hadley, Ma. 01035 Tel. 413-586-4851</p>
<p>THis message is just for parents…</p>
<p>And if THAT Hampton Inn is filled, you may want to check out the Hampton Inn in Chicopee, 22 minutes from Smith conveniently just off the Mass Pike. </p>
<p>IMHO, its way better than staying closer to Springfield if parents weekend shuts down the area as it can. This “Hamp” is actually close to Mount Holyoke and we’ve stayed there may times. Certainly not high end, but serviceable. </p>
<p>And for you parents facing tuition AND a daughter who wants to outfit her dorm room, there is a Walmart, Staples, and Home Depot literally across the highway. You might even get a room with a view of the WalMart sign if you tip that check in clerk!</p>
<p>After you convince your D threadcount be damned and Walmart bedding is just as good as Urban Outfitters (appropriately located IN an old Northampton bank) then you can afford to eat! Yet aside breakfast, I would eat in Northampton, the Chicopee area is primarily Quick Serve focused. However, if you DO wake up early thinking about all that tuition, there is a Starbucks within 300 feet of the Hampton Inn door -so you can actually walk there in your PJ’s. </p>
<p>Hotel service is good, pool is clean, but breakfast is meh. Panera (also across the highway) might be the best bet. </p>
<p>Biggest issue was when a sports team checks in… imagine 60 cheerleaders sharing your breakfast table. Luckily since they were all about 12 years old the biggest crises were all hair related. But there are several tournaments for all sports in the area so you may want to ask ahead to see if some wrestling team is staying there… they aren’t all scholarly quidditch teams.</p>
<p>So if you want to do the move it thing with a bit less crowds, a little more mass retail focused (with a bit less impact on the wallet) all at the expense of a somewhat further drive, check this one out. </p>
<p>Hey, convince your D wearing Walmart clothing is supporting folks in the Third World* and after you drop her at Smith, you may even be able to afford a choice bottle (liquor store 200 feet from Walmart). You can then toast to the goal of making sure your family does not become Third World as that first tuition bill hits.</p>
<hr>
<p>*My apologies to those working to make Walmart more of a responsible world citizen. It was attempted humor and I truly support your efforts.</p>
<p>I’d like to rent a car in or close to Northampton (not interested in driving from Hartford airport). Can anyone recommend a car rental agency?</p>
<p>Google says there’s an Enterprise on King Street and there’s also a Downtown Auto Sales & Rental on Pleasant Street. I suspect the time/$$$ equation may tilt toward the $$$.</p>
<p>Prairie–The Enterprise on King St. (Route 5) recently moved to No. King St. The previous location was walking distance to the Smith campus; the new one is about a mile farther away. But it shouldn’t really matter because Enterprise will pick you up.</p>
<p>I have rented from the Northampton Enterprise before and they’ve been very good, although I’m irked at Enterprise in general because of a problem I had in New Orleans recently. I swore that I won’t rent from Enterprise again … but that doesn’t mean that you can’t. ;)</p>
<p>I’m not sure why you don’t want to get your car at Bradley (Hartford/Springfield airport). You probably have a good reason, but I also wanted you to know that it’s a very easy trip … about 35 minutes from the car rental places to downtown Northampton and rarely any significant traffic to contend with.</p>
<p>I’ll probably manage to offend some sensibilities but Bradley is a very low-key easy to navigate & get out of airport. Any smaller and I’d expect to see passengers being loaded into bi-planes.</p>
<p>Small? Bradley? The first time I was there, I was stunned by its huge size. You should see my home airport. 
</p>
<p>But TD’s right–it is very easy to get in and out of BDL for car rentals, if worst came to worst.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. If you can drive from Bradley, so can I.</p>
<p>RE: Driving from Bradley - piece of cake. Also, since we are flying from the West Coast and arrive in the dead of night last time I stayed at a local airport hotel (La Quinta, very nice staff just be sure to ask to be far away from any smoking rooms as the hallways reeks, the room was fine) and pick up the rental car the next morning. Shuttle to/from airport and car rental lots. So easy!</p>
<p>RE: Hotels near Smith. I have been less than impressed (and over charged in my opinion) for the local non-frills hotel options. I think we stayed at the Clarion once, it was fine but basic. Last time was the Howard Johnson and I wouldn’t stay there again, it was a bit too bare bones. I’ve heard that Hampton Inns are generally better but I didn’t think the price was worth it. Long winded way to say I’m staying in a B&B this time, hoping to find one where I can be a regular! (Twin Maples) I’ll keep you posted…</p>
<p>My daughter and I stayed at the Autumn Inn when she was visiting. I was there alone most of the time, and thought it was dark in the room and depressing. The staff was very friendly though and the location was great, since I didn’t have a car. Last year for move in, we stayed at the Quality Inn. It was a no-frills place, but I liked it more than Autumn Inn.</p>