The Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Shelburne Falls is located in Northwest, Massachusetts not too far from the Vermont and New York state borders.

The Bridge of Flowers is an old trolley bridge, built in 1908, that ceased to be used in 1928. Antionette and Walter Burnham wanted to transform the bridge into what it is today, and that happened in 1929.

Not only is the Bridge a wonderful experience, but the Town of Shelburne Falls is very cute. There are a lot of boutique type shops and interesting little cafes, pottery, handcrafted jewelry and art shoppes.

Also, not to be missed are the glacial potholes in the Deerfield River only about 2 blocks away from The Bridge of Flowers. Shelburne Falls boasts of the world's largest pothole of record.

You may also visit the Trolley Museum on the Buckland side and view restored trolleys and ride on one.

If you would like to stay in the area overnight, there are many bed and breakfasts in the surrounding area.

On our first trip, was in April, the season does not officially start until May 1. We were able to find 2 hour parking on the street on the Buckland side of the river. I would suspect when the season starts, it might be a better idea to pull into one of the public parking lots. Shelburne Falls is not so large that walking from public parking would be too challenging. In August, when we visited, we parked in one of the ample parking lots behind the buildings on Bridge Street.

We took Interstate 91 to Exit 26, Route 2 through Shelburne Falls. Coming from this direction, The Bridge of Flowers is at the other end of town.

Route 2 along the Deerfield River is the Mohawk Trail. It is known for its scenic beauty, particularly in fall foliage months.

The sign pictured above is on the entrance to The Bridge of Flowers on the Buckland side.

Plan your trip along the Mohawk Trail to see everything there is to see along the way.

Take a trip in the Fall to see the beautiful foliage or enjoy the greens of Spring and Summer.

Check out what the Mohawk Trail has to offer.

This is a nice way to have memorials -- amid flowers.

Each of these memorial has its own separate place along the bridge. The one on the left is for WWI and WWII; the one on the right is for Korea and Vietnam.

There are benches near each memorial if you would like to sit and ponder.

The glacial pot holes are within a two or three block walk of The Bridge of Flowers. There is a small parking lot right near the pot holes if you prefer to drive.

Signs for the pot holes are prominent in the town.

The main street running down the center of town is Bridge Street. The sign pictured here is on the side of a building on the corner of Bridge Street and Deerfield Avenue. It is on the Deerfield Avenue side of the building.

Mosaic Artist

As we walked through town we noticed beautiful mosaics on the sides of the buildings.

We stopped at the Visitor Information Center where we were given a map showing the location of all the mosaics throughout the village.

The Village of Shelburne Falls is comprised of several towns, including Shelburne, Rowe, Plainfield, and Colrain, among others. Cynthia Fisher visited the elementary schools and asked the children what they thought was most important in each village. The children picked the themes of the mosiacs. There are 12 murals depicting local towns and landmarks.

Take a ride on a trolley!

The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum is opened from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The museum is located on Depot Street which is on the Buckland side of the Iron Bridge.

View restored trolleys.

Here is a glimpse of Bridge Street Shelburne looking toward Buckland. In the background, you can see the Iron Bridge which crosses the Deerfield River. The Iron Bridge is for automobiles. The Bridge of Flowers is parallel to the Iron Bridge and just out of the picture to the right.

The buildings in Shelburne are all substantial stone and brick turn of the century style.

You can see the on the street parking. There are also public parking lots behind the buildings.

There are other area attractions as well as information on The Bridge of Flowers

Just to give you an idea of the location of Shelburne Falls in relation to the New York and Vermont borders.

If you take Route 2 west it will lead you to Troy, New York