Springfield, the birthplace of basketball, is home to a new Basketball Hall of Fame, the Zoo at Forest Park, The Springfield Armory National Historic Site, and the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden. The Quadrangle, a full day experience one block from the heart of the city, is home to the very active Central Library, George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield Science Museum, and the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum. CityStage and Symphony Hall boast nationally recognized theatrical and musical performances. The Springfield Civic Center is home to Springfield’s own Professional American Hockey League team, the Falcons.
Downtown is where the “Club Quarter” can be found, where most of the city’s nightspots are within a three-block area. Live jazz, blues, and rock can be enjoyed at the outdoor restaurants and clubs throughout downtowns Entertainment District. Springfield’s restaurants range from top notch dining establishments to quaint lunch counters. The greater Springfield area is also home to eight different colleges.
Six Flags New England is located in nearby Agawam which features the Superman roller coaster, one of the tallest and fastest coasters in the world. Each September West Springfield hosts "The Big E" New England’s largest country fair. Also within a forty-five minute drive are the thriving cultural centers of Northampton and Amherst with wide arrays of restaurants, coffee houses, art galleries, book stores, theater productions, and music venues. Boston and New York can be reached by car in only two and three hours, respectively. Bradley International Airport is 20 miles south of the College in Windsor Locks, CT.
For outdoor winter recreation, several of Vermont’s largest ski resorts are within a two-hour drive. The Greater Springfield Harriers, a local runners club, holds races every Saturday in Forest Park throughout the winter, and the Swift River at the scenic Quabbin Reservoir offers year-round catch and release fly-fishing.
Major corporations operating in the area include MassMutual Financial Group, LEGO Systems, Hasbro, Meade-Westvaco, and United Technologies along with a host of financial institutions. The heads of six local banks in greater Springfield are graduates of Western New England College.