The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne, MA is an old trolley bridge that is known for being decorated with all sorts of colorful flowers.
One special place that every New Englander should visit at least once is Shelburne Falls’ Bridge of Flowers. To make the trip extra memorable, make sure you enjoy it with a friend, or a bear.
After we had visited the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum, we headed down to the center of Shelburne Falls with every intention of checking out this famous bridge.
We parked in a public parking lot near the bridge and then set out on our way. We weren’t disappointed with the views.
Benny instantly started running toward the entrance and onto the bridge. It’s a good thing admission is free, because he would have knocked over anyone trying to collect a fare.
“Benny! Hold up!” I shouted. “Why are you so excited?”
He didn’t answer my question. I had no idea why he was so happy to be there. I mean, flowers are nice and all, but to be this excited? I didn’t get it.
There were many people on the bridge, and I soon lost sight of him. I wasn’t too concerned, however. It’s tough to get lost on a small bridge. As I kept an eye out for my overly excited pal, I admired the flowers on the bridge while at the same time respecting the numerous honey bees flying about by giving them plenty of space to work and collect pollen.
I called out Benny’s name a few times, hoping that I could find him. Thinking I heard a bear rustling, I turned around. Nope. Not there.
I wasn’t going to let my worrying about Benny put a damper on my enjoying the bridge. I tried to get a close-up shot of one of the flowers.
“Bob! Bob! Bob!” Benny cried thrice. (Yes, that’s right. I’m bringing the archaic word “thrice” back.)
I turned around, and there he was.
“Benny! What are you doing?”
The bear was leaning into a flower, looking as if he were ready to inhale its fragrance with all of his might.
“There are honey bees here! And where there are honey bees, there’s honey!”
Great, I thought. We go to the Bridge of Flowers and he’s chasing bees. He’s a bear, of course he wants honey. Now I had the unenviable task of trying to steer him away from these busy little insects.
“Benny, perhaps you should leave them alone……hey, why don’t you pose for a picture!”
Benny took the bait easier than I expected. He posed for a picture, and then seemed to forget about his flying friends. With the bee crisis averted, we continued to admire the Bridge of Flowers.
Concerned that Benny would remember his bee obsession, I didn’t stay as long as I wanted in one spot on the bridge. I tried to take as many photos as I could so that I could enjoy them later. I like the shot I got of this yellow flower. I think there’s a bee in there on the bottom. If you zoom in you’ll be able to see it. I didn’t tell Benny about this at all, lest he get excited again. (Thrice and lest in one post. I’m on an archaic roll!)
I also liked taking pictures of the old lampposts. Something about them harkens back to the New England of yesteryear. (Bam! I’m nailing this archaic English stuff today!)
Unfortunately, taking a photograph of the lamppost was a mistake. When I looked up for a moment, Benny, unbeknownst to me, seized the opportunity of my inattention and ran off chasing a bee.
I saw him chasing a couple of bees that were working in these flowers. I was about to say his name, but I was prematurely interrupted by the loudest, glass-shattering wail I’ve ever heard.
That’s right, Benny got stung. The fur under his eyes was damp with tears. I didn’t know if he was allergic, and I was in no mood to play the “find the closest hospital that’s also in your insurance network” game.
Between sobs, he told me that he had been stung once before, and I calmed down at the news. I applied some ointment on the sting. When he was ready, we slowly continued.
Taking advantage of the thinned-out crowd (probably thanks to the shrieks that Benny produced earlier), I turned around and took this photo so that you can see the path across the bridge.
At this point, Benny’s fur was starting to dry off. I didn’t have to ask him if he learned a lesson today. I was pretty sure he did.
The Bridge of Flowers wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the volunteers that care of the plants.
Wicked important note: This trip took place in 2019, well before the pandemic. Before going to the Bridge of Flowers, check out the website above to see if it’s open.
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We’ve also visited these other places in Western Mass:
- Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum
- Climbing South Mount Sugarloaf
- Make Your Own Candle at the Yankee Candle Headquarters
- Check out Dinosaur Footprints
- The Titus Mansion Ruins at Ashintully Gardens
- The Housatonic River Walk, Great Barrington
- The Norman Rockwell Museum
Check out our map of places we’ve been in New England!
Find New England Travel Guides and Books. This is an affiliate link, and we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
[…] climbing a mountain, but Benny still wasn’t feeling well after being stung by a bee at the Bridge of Flowers. Wanting him to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, I suggested that we go for a quick visit to […]