The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art — Attraction in Amherst

We went on a Thursday at 10:30am. They're open Wednesday to Sunday (closed Monday, Tuesday).

Plenty of free parking. Sidewalks on other side of hedges but not obvious when you park. Stroller friendly location!

It is in a small, plain white, unassuming building. There are two small galleries - one was closed today- plus a library, auditorium, gift shop, and art studio for kids to paint. Tours are self-guided.

The gallery we went in had drawings hung at child level for the 4-8yo age range. There was a cute sofa with lots of books to read.

In the corridor there was a big butterfly mural (good for pics), a butterfly shelf with two seats inside for kids to "hide" in, an interactive felt board with colourful felt to move around (good for 1-5yo age range), and a cut-out head hungry caterpillar to pose for photos (3+ age range for height for that).

We didn't make it into the library because it was hopping! Full of kids and parents and I'm not sure if it was for checking out books like a literal library or just reading them there.

The gift shop had a variety of items in varying price ranges.

The art studio had watercolor pencils and paint, drawing pencils that kids are invited to use (good for 2+). It also had a very small section with building blocks (good for 1-3yo).

They offered story times and other kid events throughout the day.

The bathrooms were clean. One Accessible stall, one child size toilet (which had an auto flush on it), and one non-auto flush toilet, plus several other toilets.

We checked out a free admission pass from our local library. You can also get in free if you have EBT, WIC, or ConnectorCare health insurance.

I would say this is best for the 4 or 5 age range and up. My 2yo wasn't overly impressed, but it wasn't crowded and definitely had a kid-friendly vibe!

Down the street from Atkins Farm Market, so do yourself a favour and stop in for amazing donuts, ice cream, other baked foods, fresh local produce, sandwiches,...

Went for Hungry Caterpillar Day which was cute (there's a big hungry caterpillar that walks around and you can meet him) but overall the museum could be so much better. I did have lower expectations as I had read some reviews in the past but there are sooo many missed opportunities here. They really need to rethink how they choose what to display here (maybe money is the issue?? Need to hire new staff??) Thankfully it's cheap enough to get in and my 3yo had fun but it's super small with very little to see and do. They waste an entire room for a library... I don't go to the museum to check out a library book. This could be used for an exhibit to display art and interactive areas on some of Eric Carle's books, change it every 6 months or something (I have like 10 ideas already, what a waste!). They had kids making bookmarks and there was nothing Eric Carle related at all. A huge craft room which we didn't go in because we didn't have time and also, we can do crafts at home?? If this museum is close enough to you then sure, it's worth a visit, and try to go when they have a special event so it's more worthwhile. Seriously, Eric Carle Museum, give me a call if you...

If you're a lover of children's books, this small museum is a must-see. They have a few older antique copies of books on display near their very user friendly library room. The library has booklist resources, updated displays, and lots of places to grab a book and read. There is a movie theater where short films are shown every few hours and events happen as well. The cafe space has healthy vending machines, a calm place to sit and eat and free coffee. If you want more than vending, bring your own lunch. The three galleries have the main Carle exhibit and two others that change. I saw an owls in books and a graphic novel exhibit, both informative and interactive with activities for children to do. There's an art studio for people to make art while there as well and a fantastic, but pricey, gift shop. The best thing about this museum was it's small size and entry points for adults and children. I didn't leave overwhelmed and was able to see everything in about 2 hours. Definitely...