Hey Mass. residents, taking the fam to Six Flags New England this Thursday and looking for a family friendly (kids ages 9-12) brewpub (decent dine-in food, not food trucks, with beer brewed on premise-ideally more classic styles and less hazy, froot, pastry beer) nearby. Did some searching on the inter-webs myself couldn’t find much so I’m hoping to get some better feedback from the you fine folks that live nearby or have been in the area. Also Any other cool stops (homemade ice cream shops, donuts, good eats unique to the area, fun stuff for the kids, etc.) Side note: Heading to Worcester for a Woo-Sox game the next day and will have some time to hang in the area. Think we are hitting up the Ecotarium but also Looking for similar suggestions as mentioned above. Would also like to know what’s good to eat and drink at Polar Park. Thanks!
Great Awakening in Westfield MA is making some really really good stuff right now. It's maybe 20 minutes from Six Flags? They definitely focus on the 'trendy' shit but I recently had a pilsner and a brown ale that were both fantastic. So far they've flown under the radar, maybe since they had to open during COVID. They have pizza and shit too. Almost walking distance to stanley park which is great for kids of a certain age. I have family that lives nearby and I make it a point to stop by every time I'm out there. And while you're there, about 10 minutes away is Mrs' Murphy's donuts, which are actually the greatest donuts in the entire world. Well, at least they used to be, I haven't been in a long time. And if you can sneak away, Fox Farm is 45 minutes away and puts out incredible 'not ipas'. Worcester is kind of a beer desert, but Armsby Abbey is a fucking oasis. Amazing food, best tap list in Massachusetts, if not all of new england.
The Hanger in Amherst is about 45 minutes out… maybe too far for hungry kids. It’s the front for Amherst Brewing, nothing earth-shattering, maybe, but usually a reasonably broad selection of competently brewed styles. if 45 minutes isn’t awful, look at Northampton, too. 30 minutes from Six Flags and at least half a dozen tasty options.
There’s also a Hangar in Agawam - will likely have pretty much the same stuff as the Amherst one. And I’ll add White Lion Brewery in Springfield which has a kitchen and beers on site.
Skyline Beer Company in Westfield, MA is family friendly, with a nice outdoor space, lots of styles on tap, yummy margaritas, and a some good food options . Broad Brook Brewing in Suffield, CT is a nice spot (watch planes take off and land at Bradley airport) with a good variety of styles and a full food menu. Grass Roots ice cream in Granby CT is one of the best in New England with many creative flavors. Donut Dip in West Springfield, MA is a top 10 donut destination in New England. Other breweries close by who have a wide range of beer styles: Luppoleto in Windsor Locks CT and Problem Solved in East Windsor CT. All close to Six Flags.
Don't know where you are staying overnight between Springfield and Worcester, but there are two options not quite meeting your requirements in between. B.T.'s Smokehouse in Sturbridge has some of the better barbecue around. It is BYOB, but there is a Yankee Spirits just down the street which has a large selection of beers. The second would be Tree House Brewing in Charlton, but this has food trucks not food prepared in house. Don't be scared by the fact they serve great hoppy beers, because there is a LOT of selection and they have a "classic styles" bar just for lagers and non-hazy beers. Or you could just take B.T.'s to go over to Tree House and sit on the lawn, to get the best of both worlds. (I typically go Tree House THEN B.T.'s but you are traveling from the west.)
I know the OP already went and is out of the area by now, but I agree that Great Awakening is making some decent stuff these days. Their stouts tend to be a bit thin, but I can't fault them otherwise. In sad news, Murphy's has gone downhill a bit. From what I was told the owners sold to their daughter and she started cutting costs. The donuts are definitely smaller and the chocolate frosting on the donuts isn't quite as rich as it used to be. My wife is from Southwick so she can verify the "these taste different" claims.
Hey all, Thanks for all the suggestions! Wish I had more time to explore them all. Ended up at Hangar in Agawam (was just a few miles down the road from 6 flags). They don’t offer flights so I just had a regular pour of their brown ale which was great. Food was decent too. Went to a cool little Zoo in Springfield the next day and then drove to Tree House in Charlton which was literally on the way to Worcester. My buddy who we were staying with often goes to Fox Farm and had just went and picked some beer up for me. We had some tasty donuts from a place nearby where he lives in East Greenwich RI.
Sounds like a win! Was it the Zoo at Forest Park? We love taking our dog to that park, there’s a stream passing through the park that he loves to play in.
Yes it was. That park is huge! Wasn’t a fan of the fact that we had to pay to get in the park and then pay again to get into the zoo (not too mention it’s not an AZA accredited zoo so it’s not reciprocal with our zoo membership) but the zoo was a nice, easy-walking zoo with exhibits close together, many of which were interactive. Kids loved it.
