I was just passing through.

After spending so much of 2020 and 2021 isolated, I needed more time alone.

I’d booked a cabin — no indoor plumbing — in Massachusetts, and figured that while I had gone through the trouble of renting a car, I would make a few other stops along the way, not knowing when I would be back in this direction.

There actually is a train stop near where I was going. Why wasn’t that an option. First of all, it drops off at night. Walking on the side of an unfamiliar, busy road and then up some side roads, trying to find a cabin I’d never been to before in the middle of the night. . .it just seemed ill-advised. I tried looking in advance, and it did not seem like there were any Uber/Lyft drivers in the area. The taxi situation was unclear. (2) The train was not even an option at the time because service to this area only restarted a few weeks after my trip.

So, this was the one time in all of 2021 that I drove anywhere.

Having not been in this part of the state for a few years, I asked friends if there was anything in particular I should see. Shelburne Falls was mentioned again and again. I’d been here before, more than 20 years ago, but only recall stopping at the Glacial Potholes. I have no memory of there being a “Bridge of Flowers,” and given the proximity to the Pothole viewing spot, it’s astonishing that it was missed.

Where are those potholes? They are normally more visible, but when I visited it had been raining for about four days, only barely clearing up while I was walking around the village, and then starting up again minutes after leaving. Remnants of a tropical storm. The Deerfield River falls were loud and violent, which made up for only a few potholes not being submerged.

 

Having already visited the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge in Simsbury, CT, I thought I knew what I would be going to see: a bridge covered in flower planters.

It’s more accurate to describe Shelburne Falls’ Bridge of Flowers as a botanical garden that happens to be on a bridge. There are legit trees.

 

 

This was a trolley bridge, retired in 1927. It was abandoned in place when demolition costs were deemed too high. Two years later, the local Women’s Club raised money and began transforming the weedy structure into something people would want to look at from their homes.

 

 

As it turns out, people will even leave their homes to come look at it.

 

Is there any best time to visit?
Variety is the spice, so something should be in bloom from April through October.

 

It was this bridge that inspired the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge in Simsbury, but the two are not interchangeable. Inspired, not copied.

 

This isn’t the Brooklyn Bridge, so you don’t need to pack three water bottles and purse snacks for the outing.

 

 

What else to do, then, in Shelburne Falls?

 

 

This place feels like one of those towns where some hippies landed after Woodstock and never bothered leaving. . . which is to say, I enjoy it quite a bit.

 

 

There are mosaics and other art to take in while walking Bridge Street and the smaller roads.

 

 

There are multiple indoor galleries, if you’d prefer that, and the Shelburne Arts Co-op, for a mix of artists and mediums. The Bridge Street Bazaar is where to find Mary Jane sandals and flowy skirts. Book hoarders can head to Boswell’s Books.

 

 

You’ll find a few restaurants, a grocery store, coffee shop, and one of the oldest bowling alleys in the country.

 

 

There’s a trolley museum a bit further out, but be warned — sidewalks come and go.

The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum is usually open only on weekends, but in July and August have Monday hours, so if you were planning to arrive by bus (a ten minute walk from the stop), then Monday is when you’d want to show up for trolleys.

 

 

Actually, before going, check the operating schedule for any attractions you want to see because hours feel limited. One place is closed Tuesdays. One restaurant isn’t open on Sundays or Mondays. You get what I’m saying. Do your research so you aren’t disappointed.

 

To get to Shelburne Falls, you can take the Amtrak Valley Flyer or Vermonter to Greenfield. and From the train station area, take the FRTA 41 bus to Shelburne Falls Center. Through June 30, 2023, FRTA fixed route buses are fare free. Buses operate weekdays only. From Greenfield to Shelburne Falls is about 30 scenic minutes by bus.