January is a perfect month to discover new museums. Steve and Helen Urbanovitch enjoyed this day trip to Amherst College’s Beneski Museum of Natural History. It displays dinosaur fossils and footprints, skeletons of Ice Age mammals, and a meteorite, rock, and mineral collection. The museum, which is fully accessible, is located in the Beneski Earth Sciences Building on campus. Closed Mondays. Open Tue-Fri, 10 am-4 pm and Sat and Sun 10 am-5 pm. Admission is free.

From the college’s website: On weekdays, park at any Town of Amherst metered space as campus parking is restricted to permit holders – except for the Dickinson/O’Connell Parking lot on Dickinson Street. On weekends, visitors can park in any spot on campus, including along the Science Center on East Drive or the main quadrangle. For a GPS address, use 11 Barrett Hill Dr., Amherst.