One of the places that Amherst College students frequently visit is Hampshire Mall, a shopping center ten minutes away from the college and a short bus ride away. Most students visit this mall to go to Target or Walmart to stock up on necessities at the beginning of the year and throughout the year, but there are tons of amazing stores and features of this shopping center.
Personally, I’ve been to Hampshire Mall the most for two reasons: to watch a movie or to go roller skating. Even though I’ve been to the Amherst Cinema, which is located within walking distance from Amherst, it’s a small theatre that mostly shows indie movies rather than mainstream ones, so whenever I go to watch big blockbusters. So far, I’ve watched every Marvel movie that’s come out while I’m at Amherst at the Cinemark theatre at Hampshire Mall. One of those times was actually sponsored by the college as Residential Life, as they rented out an entire theatre to let us watch the new Black Panther movie for free. Also, the times I’ve been to the roller skating rink were sponsored by the college, so I’ve gotten to skate there for free along with my friends. The roller rink also has great pizza and drinks to snack on while resting in between rounds of skating. Even though I’m not the best skater, I had a really great time roller skating, and I hope to go back to the rink before the end of this semester. Below is a photo my friends and I took on the bus ride to the rink!
In addition to these features, there’s also a Michaels, which I’ve visited to buy party supplies with my friends, and a Barnes and Noble, which I really enjoy visiting just to browse books. A lot of people also often go to Marshalls to go shopping for affordable outfits for parties and special occasions. Additionally, the area around Hampshire Mall has fast food restaurants, like Popeyes, McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Five Guys, as well as some local-owned restaurants, such as Joy Bowl, so it’s easy to satiate your hunger after a day of shopping. Overall, Hampshire is a super convenient place that’s great for shopping and for unwinding with friends.