The Bridge of Flowers

… is a former trolley bridge that spans the Deerfield River.

Built in 1908 for freight and people, it became obsolete in 1927 when automobile usage became more common and the street railway company went bankrupt. The bridge became covered in weeds and was soon considered an eyesore.

In 1929 Antoinette Burnham came up with the idea to transform the bridge into a beautiful garden for all to enjoy. Since the bridge could not be demolished because it carried a water main between the towns of Shelburne and Buckland, her idea was met with approval by the community.

The Bridge of Flowers was even a filming location of Robert Downey, Jr.’s film, “The Judge” which was in the process of being filmed while we were there!

We wrote an awesome post on the towns transformation for the filming of “The Judge”. If you’re a fan of the movie, don’t miss it!

The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA

It is maintained by the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club, it’s free and open every day from April to the end of October.

Take the time to stroll the span of the bridge and admire the many colorful and fragrant flowering plants and shrubs along the way. When the flowers are in full bloom the walk is absolutely stunning. And if you love stunning flowers, check out our post on Ponce, Puerto Rico where we saw the most amazing bougainvillea flowers we have ever seen!

The Bridge of Flowers has proven to be a stunning location for a wedding proposal!

We saw this Bumble Bee happily exploring the flowers around the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA.

Planning a visit to Shelburne Falls?

See what’s currently available and prices in the area. Book in advance!

Things to Do in Shelburne Falls, MA

You can spend the day strolling through the shops, dining, and exploring in Shelburne Falls. There are bookstores, antique shops, a pharmacy complete with old-time soda fountain, a grocery store, several restaurants and artists’ galleries that can be found throughout the village.

We found the Lamson & Goodnow Manufacturing Co. factory to be an interesting place to visit. Established in Shelburne Falls, MA in 1837, it is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the United States. They continue to handcraft some of the finest cutlery in America today; we love the LamsonSharp knife we purchased there.

The Salmon Falls and Glacial Potholes in Shelburne Falls, MA

The Salmon Falls with it’s Glacial Potholes is one of the most interesting sights to see in Shelburne Falls, don’t miss it.

Shelburne Falls has one of the largest collections of glacial potholes in the world and is the site of the single largest recorded pothole at 39 feet in diameter. The potholes were ground out of granite by whirlpool action of water and rotating stones during the glacial age. The day we visited, the Deerfield River was flowing over the Salmon Falls with such tremendous volume that we couldn’t actually see the potholes BUT… we were able to see where the crew of Robert Downey, Jr’s latest movie “The Judge,” was set up to film! Not something you get to see everyday and a very cool experience for us. We’ll have to return another day to Shelburne Falls to view the glacial potholes and we’re looking forward to it. Shelburne Falls is now on our list of favorite places to visit. Interested in visiting Shelburne Falls and the Berkshire area?

For further information on visiting Shelburne Falls you can visit the sites below:

Village of Shelburne Falls, MA

Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne Fall, MA

Lamson & Goodnow Manufacturing Co.

List of Blooming on the Bridge.  A list of plantings on the Bridge of Flowers that you can expect to see from April 1st through Oct 30th.

We’d like to hear from you!

Have you been to Shelburne Falls? Did you visit the Bridge of Flowers or the Glacial Potholes?

We’d like to hear about your experiences there, please leave your comments below – thanks!

We saw banners along the road proclaiming we were in Carlinville, the name temporarily given to this sleepy little town supposedly somewhere in the state of Indiana for the filming of “The Judge.”

We were told by the residents of Shelburne Falls that the front of the Salmon Falls Artisans Showroom had been transformed into “The Flying Deer Diner,” to portray the diners exterior scenes so we headed over there to take a look. Interior shots of this diner were being filmed inside the former Mole Hollow Candle Co. building overlooking the Salmon Falls. The bright lights in the building across the way is the filming crew at work.

Take a trip to Carlinville!

Carlinville, established in 1843, (aka Shelburne Falls) has unique shops, art gallery, diners, the bridge of flowers, and very beautiful scenery. Take a trip and say you’ve been where they filmed The Judge, staring Robert Downey Jr!

And all of this magical transformation of the village of Shelburne Falls was for the sole purpose of filming “The Judge,” Robert Downey, Jr’s latest movie.

The Salmon Falls was flowing with an unbelievable force and we couldn’t help but stop at an overlook and watch as the crew set up for filming.

There were signs of the filming crew all over Shelburne Falls but unfortunately we were unable to catch a glimpse of any of the cast members that day.

Filming “The Judge” with Robert Downey, Jr. in Sunderland, MA

So…on to the town of Sunderland, Massachusetts where we were told filming would continue the following day.

We arrived in the town of Sunderland the next day and quickly saw the tell tale signs of the filming crew. The parking lot of one of the churches was set up as a staging area for some of the trucks and crew. In this situation in any small town it’s not hard to find out what’s going on and where the celebrities can be found. We headed to the nearest convenience store and sure enough we were able to get the low-down on the days happenings and precisely where we could find Robert Downey, Jr. and the cast of “The Judge.”

From what we were told, filming that morning was taking place about a mile down the road near a local farm stand called Smiarowski; so off we went, snacks in hand for a much needed supply of energy! Driving down the little country road in pursuit of Robert Downey, Jr. and the cast of “The Judge,” we became a little impatient of the farming truck in front of us loaded with pigs. He seemed to be going way too slow but we soon realized that this farming truck was part of the filming for the movie! How cool is that? The tell tale signs? The strangely out of place Indiana license plate on the truck and the pigs…the pigs were way too clean!

Arriving at Smiarowski’s farm stand was a sight to be seen. The parking area was loaded with crew members, trucks, trailers and special filming equipment.

There was an awesome black Porsche Cayenne camera car fully equipped with camera equipment to film the actors while they drove along side them in another car. There were also two identical cars mounted on a trailer towed by another vehicle for filming scenes while the actors drove down the road.

We spent quite some time at this farm stand location because we were told Robert Downey, Jr. had been seen here earlier in the day mingling with the crowd and we were hoping to get a glimpse of him and some of the cast.

As we were about to move on to another location the road in front of us was blocked by the crew as they began to film a scene. This is where the truck with the pigs was used traveling along a beautiful country road with open farm land on the sides. There was also a farmer driving a large tractor down the road. After the scene was shot, the road was open again and we saw the farmer and the tractor pulled to the side of the road. Very cool to follow right behind the shooting of this movie!

All in all this was a fan-tastic way to spend two days in rural Massachusetts. The weather was great, the scenery was amazing and we have memories we won’t soon forget. We chased Robert Downey, Jr. and the cast and crew of “The Judge” from Shelburne Falls to Sunderland, Massachusetts and… we can’t wait to see the movie!

Shelburne Falls is a quaint little village that we really enjoyed visiting. It made the perfect setting for the filming of “The Judge.” Needless to say we waited with great anticipation for the movie to debut and when it did we were not disappointed; we loved it!

Lodging in the Shelburne Falls area – Booking.com
Sunderland is a 30 minute drive SouthEast of Shelburne Falls.

We’d like to hear from you!

Have you seen the movie “The Judge” or are you planning on seeing it? Let us know your thoughts on the movie in the comments below – thanks!