For the next portion of our Unwrap the Holidays tour, we continued with the fun while exploring Springfield’s rich culture. We viewed the holiday lights at Bright Nights, visited the Grinch’s Grotto at the Springfield Museums, and dined in a fully immersive German restaurant at Student Prince And The Fort.
If you are just reading this blog post, it’s part 2 of my series of family-friendly activities you can do in Springfield and the Berkshires of Massachusetts.
The Springfield Museums
The Springfield museums are a short five-minute ride away from MGM Springfield. The museums sit on a Quadrangle and use art, history, science, and Dr. Seuss to inspire creativity, and promote engagement, and learning among the guests who visit them. For our tour, we visited the Dr. Seuss Museum.
The Dr. Seuss Museum
The Amazing World Of Dr. Seuss Museum is a bright, colorful, whimsical museum oozing with all of Dr. Seuss’s creativity. There are interactive exhibits to encourage kids to read, play, and invent stories. You’ll find a giant marble maze, The Seuss Bakery, Whoville with Ball Wall and Light Wall, Lorax Recycle Game, and more!
The first floor is dedicated to interactive play, and the second floor is a curation of Theodor Geisel’s items collected by his two stepdaughters and his great-nephew. They recreated his studio and living room space with his actual furniture and art materials. You can even find Theophrastus, the toy stuffed dog Ted Geisel’s mother gave to him when he was a boy in Springfield. It’s pretty spectacular when you stand next to the desk where all of those whimsical characters were brought to life from his imagination to the books he wrote and illustrated. This is a must-do for everyone of all ages!
The Grinch’s Grotto
Next, we visited the Grich’s Grotto in the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History. This is an exclusive event at the Springfield Museums. Visit the Grinch in his cave within a Who-ville space, and get your photo taken with the Grinch! There are interactive stations and a brand-new Who House! Be sure to check the calendar before your visit to find out when the Grinch will be making an appearance!
We did have time to visit more of the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History and I enjoyed the exhibits. I also thought this would be something that my parents would enjoy doing as one of their retirement field trips! Did you know Springfield is a city of many firsts? Neither did I! And many of them are on display in this museum.
Bright Nights at Forest Park
Next on our agenda was to visit Bright Nights at Forest Park. This is a drive-through holiday light experience, taking place in the 735 acres of Forest Park complements of Spirit of Springfield. We met one of the people responsible for starting this whole event, Judy, who is such a spitfire! Judy Matt is the president of the Spirit of Springfield, a non-profit corporation committed to promoting community events and encouraging civic pride. Patrick J. Sullivan knew that his friend Judy would be an instrumental part in putting a vision of two people into motion to bring joy to everyone who would visit the park.
Judy has been the key figure in putting this event together from the beginning when they started in 1995. The story isn’t just about holiday lights, but about how Bright Lights became a source of jobs for the crew members. Over six months, the crew is responsible for setting up, maintaining, and dismantling all of the ornamental displays. The crew is always busy maintaining the displays to make sure no bulbs are burnt out and everything is in working order.
Bright Nights is not just a drive-through experience. You can stop at Santa’s Magical Forest for snacks, souvenirs, and special activities. Visit Santa in his cozy cottage or take a ride on the carousel or a horse-drawn carriage! There is so much to do during the holiday season at Forest Park You can reserve space to have Supper With Santa at the Barney Carriage House. Or participate in the Bright Nights 5K Road Race. There’s something for everyone!
Fun Facts:
Annual attendance: 200,000
Economic Impact: $11.7 million annually
Seasonal Employees: 56
Nights Open Since 1995: 954
Nights Closed Due to Weather Since 1995: 18
Number of Lights: 675,000 and growing
Number of Display Pieces: 410
Number of Extension Cords: 350
Number of Breaker Boxes: 130
Feet of Roadway Lighting: 31,680
Days to Set Up: 60
Days to Take Down: 50
First Display to Arrive: Waving Snowman
Bright Nights at Forest Park is open from November 22 through January 1, 2024. This is a very popular event, so plan enough time in your schedule and line up early so you’ll get the chance to enjoy the lights. Tickets are required.
Student Prince And The Fort
After working up an appetite at Bright Nights, we visited Student Prince And The Fort. This is such an immersive experience from the minute you walk in the doors to the minute you leave. It feels like you’re walking into a portal from the real world into this imagination of being in a pub in Germany. The mood is delightful and the atmosphere is very jovial. Everyone is having a wonderful time, enjoying meals with friends and family, or saddled up to the bar. enjoying a refreshing beverage.
Holidays at Student Prince and The Fort
But the best part is when you visit this wonderful establishment during the holidays you will be smacked in the face with Christmas decor dripping from the ceilings, and the sounds of caroling throughout the establishment. People are mingling, laughing, singing, playing instruments, and enjoying the night with very little care in the world.
And this is just a typical Tuesday evening at the Student Prince. This happens every single day from now until Christmas. The carolers are a very big deal for the Student Prince and the food is out of this world. They serve authentic schnitzel, goulash, bratwurst, knockwurst, spätzle, sauerkraut, pretzels, eggnog, and many special German beers. Do you want to host a party at the Student Prince? Not a problem they have plenty of space with private party rooms.
History of Student Prince and The Fort
For many, a visit to Student Prince And The Fort is a part of their holiday tradition! It has been a Springfield landmark since 1935 and is also known for its Stein collection which grew to be one of the largest in the United States. So what’s with the Fort in the name? In 1660 on the site of the restaurant, John Pynchon constructed a fort to defend the tiny settlement of Springfield. In October of 1675, the town was burned to the ground by the forces of King Philip’s Pocumtuck tribe. Only Pynchon’s fort withstood the attack.
After a hearty meal, and a glass of their famous egg nog, we made our way back to MGM Springfield to call it a night and get ready for our next day of exploring Springfield’s rich culture and great places to tour! We were going up to Deerfield to visit Yankee Candle, Historic Deerfield and The Deerfield Inn, and Champney’s; and then up to the Berkshires. Stick around as I share more great family-fun adventures in Springfield and the Berkshires!
