The 4th annual Hilltown History Trail Museums & Culture Tour in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts will take place Saturday, August 2, 2025 from 10 am – 4 pm. Hilltown historical societies in Hawley, Heath, and Rowe join Buckland, Cummington, and Shelburne for the first time! 10 museums will open to the public on the same day for a free day of exploring. Hop in your vehicle and ride the trail!
Drive the entire trail to visit all participating Hilltown History Trail museums in one day – if you can! These volunteer-run, rural museums have very limited open hours throughout the year, but for one day in August, ten open at the same time for you to visit – for free!
You may not be able to hit all the attractions in 6 hours, even if whirlwind museum-hopping is your pace, so pick a few properties to immerse yourself in.
Participating museums include:
1. Wilder Homestead, 129 Ashfield Rd. (112 S), Buckland, MA
2. Buckland Historical Society Museum, 20 Upper St., Buckland, MA
3. Kingman Tavern, 41 Main St., Cummington, MA
4. East Hawley Meetinghouse (332 East Hawley Road, Hawley, MA
5. Old Town Common, 42.579615, -72.889864, East Hawley Rd., Hawley, MA
6. Center Schoolhouse, 11 East Main St., Heath, MA
7. Old Town House, 6 East Main St, Heath, MA
8. Shelburne Historical Society Museum, 33 Severance St., Shelburne Falls, MA
9. Browning Bench Tool Factory, 42.698448, -72.896166, Pond Rd., Rowe, MA
10. McCarthy Museum, 282 Zoar Rd., Rowe, MA
The Hilltown History Trail is produced by the Buckland Historical Society, www.BucklandMassHistory.org and happens every year on the first Saturday in August.
A printable map of the museums on the trail is available online at www.HilltownHistoryTrail.org, as is an interactive Google map.
