Amherst is one of the top college towns in North America, and living here can be extremely rewarding and exciting! Here are just a few of the things you can enjoy and use once you're settled in. Check out our own Liz Parolski's curated list here and a wonderful video compiled by our graduating PhD student Anna Fariha here!
For basic groceries, there are plenty of nearby options, including Big-Y, Stop-and-Shop, Walmart, Target, Aldi, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods. For fresh produce, you can check out places like Atkins Farms, or numerous local farm stores (there is also a Farmer's Market every Saturday!). A lot of more specific regional groceries are available as well, from Tran's World Food Market, Neighbor Food Mart, Mom's House, and so on. These are all on bus routes, but if you wish, you can use Instacart to get deliveries as well.
For retail shopping, Hampshire Mall is the closest outlet store, and has a number of stores. Holyoke Mall is larger, but further away; it is accessible by the R41, or by car. Holyoke Mall has a number of retail stores, including a Best Buy.
The Pioneer Valley is an incredibly beautiful place for driving, with plenty of scenic drives. If you are looking to buy a car, there are many dealerships in the area, as well as personal vehicles put up directly for sale that you can find on sites such as Craiglist or AutoList. Leasing vehicles is also an option many students use. If you wish to drive more casually, there are Enterprise rentals in the area, or you can get a Zipcar student membership -- there are plenty of lots. UMass has visitor parking as well as student parking deals available; go to the parking website to find out more. The closest lots to the CS Building are 26, 31, and 68, and the closest to LGRC are 43 and 27. Note that if you are a UMass employee (e.g. a PhD student with a TAship or RAship), then you are eligible for GEO discounted rates for parking. Metered street parking is available throughout the Amherst area. You can either pay using coins, or pay using the Parkmobile app.
If you wish to bike around, you can either buy a bike from one of the many bike stores close by, or get a Valley Bikes membership that lets you rent out bikes at reasonable hourly or daily rates from several docking stations. There are many bike shops in the area as well. You can also check out the Bicycle Commute Program.
UMass Dining is recognized widely as one of the best campus dining services in the entire US. There are four residential dining commons, twelve eateries at the Campus Center, over twenty cafes, two food trucks, and the University Club. You can use your meal swipes for access, and there are several meal plans available (more information here).
The four dining commons are at Berkshire, Worcester, Franklin, and Hampshire, and they offer a wide range of options all day. Another option is to use Blue Wall in the Campus Center.
The Amherst area in general is also fantastic for food, with a host of options in downtown Amherst, which more than doubles in size once you include Northampton as well. Here's our own Dave Barrington's curated list of restaurants from 2006, most of which still exist and are thriving. There are many more now, with new ones coming up nearly every year. Our special recommendations are Antonio's, Mission Cantina, Crazy Noodles, and Fitzwilly's in Northampton. For very late-night options, other than Antonio's and the nearby Domino's, Hangar and High Horse are open till 1 am.
You can find great coffee and tea all over Pioneer Valley. Amherst Coffee, Share, and the Works all have good coffee in the heart of Amherst. Henion is a wonderful bakery that has a very early-morning start. If you like boba, you can check out LimeRed, Vivi, or Moge Tee. There are plenty of other bakeries and sandwich stores, including the Black Sheep Deli.
If you venture out further afield, we recommend the Haymarket Cafe or Dobra Tea in Northampton, or the Thirsty Mind in South Hadley. The nearest Starbucks is in Hadley, close to the mass of supermarkets, but there are plenty of Dunkin' Donuts in Amherst itself.
For movie nights, go to Cinemark Hadley for commercial movies, and Amherst Cinema for arthouse films. There's a Barnes and Noble bookstore in Hadley. For more local stores, check out Amherst Books in Amherst, Raven Used Books in Northampton, or the Book Mill in Montague. Jones Library is a nice little local library, and pro tip: you can rent out musical instruments from there as well. If you are looking for study spaces beyond campus, Amherst Works lets you rent out your own study space by the month. The libraries of all five sister colleges are open to students, so you can work in any of them.
There are plenty of outdoor activities. The area is full of picturesque hikes and scenic drives. Check out Mt Sugarloaf, Mt Tom, and Skinner State Park for great views. There are many trails as well (we recommend the Amethyst Brook trail and the Norwottuck Rail trail). The Natural History Museum at Amherst College is wonderful, as are the Eric Carle Museum and the Emily Dickinson Museum. Mass MoCA is fantastic, and is a great day trip to do when you want to be primarily indoors.
There are great places to go fruit- or flower-picking, especially during summer and fall. There are also hundreds of tiny lakes nearby -- check out Puffer's Pond for a local experience, or Lake Wyola for a slightly more adventurous feel. Quabbin Reservoir is a good day trip as well, and is a good spot for summer picnics. There are dinosaur footprints near Holyoke.
The Amherst area contains many car mechanics. Try Google or Yelp to determine their quality. Laundromats are also common (here's one in Amherst and one in Sunderland). Of course, given the proximity to both New York and Boston, most other resources are easily accessible too.
If you are an international student interested in participating in a hospitality program where you visit the home of a local family and get to know them, check out the ATCIS Hospitality Program.
Northampton has a number of festivals (such as the First Night Celebrations) year round. Check out some Valley Light Opera performances! You can check out the Springfield Museums -- five of them within a few blocks of each other. You can get more up-to-date information about these and various other activities here.