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A mother-daughter weekend in the hip New England town of Northampton, in the shadow of Smith College, makes for a rewarding and fun time away.

My 12-year-old daughter Maddy and I recently spent a mother-daughter summer weekend exploring the serene Pioneer Valley in the western part of Massachusetts.  We especially enjoyed Northampton, home to all-women's Smith College, one of the institutions that make up the Five College Consortium in the valley.  The presence of these academic institutes ensures a rich variety of cultural offerings.

The Northampton "Downtown"

We both immediately liked the "granola" vibe that the town's pedestrian friendly main street gives off.  Familiar franchises, such as Starbucks and CVS, sit side by side with independently owned coffee houses, used book stores and boutiques. Maddy particularly liked the time that we spent browsing in a bead shop. We were thrilled to find out that Steve Herrell, founder of Steve's Ice Cream and the famous "mixins "or "smoosh-ins', lives in the area and that Herrell's Ice Cream, which he no longer owns, still makes his famous concoctions.   Steve Herrell came up with the novel idea of blending in flavors back in the 80's, and is the inspiration behind flavors like heath bar crunch. Maddy was not familiar with Steve's, but I had fond, long ago memories of choosing my ice cream flavor, and watching my desired mix-in being pummeled into it, creating a new taste treat. We stood on a long line, sampled new flavors like Twinkie, before we settled for our standby, cookies and cream, another of Steve Herrell's original creations.  It was well worth the wait!

We walked over to the Smith College Museum of Art in time for Second Fridays, the museum's monthly series of family-friendly gallery talks and make-your-own art projects.  Admission is free on the second Friday of the month, from 4 till 8pm.  We headed straight to the museum educator to get our materials for the project, a printing process of etching designs into a scratch board. We were guided through each step by the supportive and friendly staff.

We had time to view the small, eclectic permanent collection, focusing on the collection of Greco Roman vases, as Maddy had studied the history of that period in school. We also enjoyed the Impressionist paintings.

Our favorite part of the museum was the lower level women's bathroom, truly a work of art in itself. This not-to-be missed space features uniquely decorated bowls and wash basins, in a colorful variety of tiled patterns. Even the inside of the toilet bowls are not left out!  Male patrons waited until the coast was clear to catch a glimpse of these porcelain wonders. We females did the same, peeking in the men's room to see its equally artistic facilities. We were surprised to find such creativity in such an unexpected place. And it was fun to see the forbidden fruit of the men's room!