The Emily Dickinson Museum, at 280 Main St., Amherst, Mass.

With a folksy rainbow-hued sign out front and a pair of towering black-and-white chicken paintings alongside the entrance out back, the Cushman Market and Café, in North Amherst, Mass., is a quirky slice of Americana — right down to its setting alongside the railroad tracks.

“We really like the idea of having a community store,” said Rebecca Schwartz, who opened the combination convenience store and cafe a year ago with her husband, Peter Sylvan.

The couple is the latest in a line of some 10 building owners. Past incarnations of the decades-old structure include a train station and a post office. Today, the market’s stylish metal shelves hold an eclectic stock, everything from staples such as sugar and flour to imported Dutch waffle cookies and a decent selection of wines and gourmet cheeses — a reflection of the owners’ goal of offering “lots of interesting and offbeat things.”

The back cafe, a cozy wood-floored room, has a scattering of tables, each decorated with local artwork. A blackboard menu lists an array of breakfast and lunch sandwiches, which patrons can enjoy while sipping coffee or reading the paper.

The Cushman Market is one of many things that make Amherst a good choice for a long weekend or family day trip. Surrounded by six colleges, including Amherst, Smith and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, you’re never far from top-ranked theater, music and art.

Crossing over the aptly named College Street in downtown Amherst puts you on the Amherst College campus. Art lovers won’t want to miss the school’s Mead Art Museum, a collection of nearly 14,000 works. The facility’s permanent collection is displayed in six galleries; changing exhibitions are showcased in its Fairchild Gallery.

Sports fans can’t go wrong with a stop at the University of Massachusetts’ Mullins Center, a 10,000-plus capacity arena with a packed calendar of events, including Division I basketball games, concerts and festivals.

Amherst’s downtown is a treat. Self-billed as a “walker’s delight,” the area lives up to the claim, with dozens of unique shops, restaurants and galleries. A favorite on a recent trip was the Jeffrey Amherst Bookshop, on North Pleasant Street, the town’s main drag. Though filled with an ample selection of adult literature, the store also offers a basement children’s book section, roomy and rather cloistered, should the kids get rowdy.

For a complete change of pace, check out the Food for Thought Books Collective, 106 North Pleasant St., a cooperatively owned not-for-profit bookstore specializing in radical and progressive writing. If the weather is nice, take a stroll through Amherst’s historic common, a former 19th-century parade ground, now simply a gathering spot and open space in the center of town.

Movie devotees will love the Amherst Cinema Arts Center, 28 Amity St. Its three screens offer the cinematic best of both worlds: stadium seating combined with a funky art-house ambience. Differences are most apparent at the snack bar. Enhance your real-butter popcorn with a shake of nutritional yeast, or pair a vegan baked good with a cold cup of soy milk. Traditional movie fare like Goobers and Sno-Caps are available, but why not try some Finnish XyliChew mints instead?

If all that walking wears you out, fear not, a top-notch coffee shop or restaurant is never far. To sip like a local, visit Raos Coffee Roasting Cafe, 17 Kellogg Ave., an unpretentiously hip shop with a blackboard menu, dozens of tables in a high-ceilinged room, and really good coffee. A front dining area offers outdoor seating in the warmer months. Pastries and sandwiches are available.

For better-than-average Chinese food, visit Amherst Chinese, 62 Main St., serving locally grown organic vegetables. Another health-friendly benefit is the choice of brown or white rice.

And what college town worth its salt doesn’t have a pizza joint? For a walk on the wild side, toppings wise, visit Antonio’s Pizza, 31 North Pleasant St. Specialty pies such as the potato-bacon, beef taco and black bean-avocado share menu space with old favorites like pepperoni and extra cheese. Benches out front are usually filled with hungry college students enjoying a quick lunch.

Don’t leave town without sampling an Amherst favorite: a popover from Judie’s, 51 North Pleasant St. Even without the popover (basically a big bread poof stuffed with various fillings), Judie’s is worth a stop. The restaurant has wild, pink walls adorned with an elephant head and colorful artwork, and a windowed street-side dining area.

No trip to Amherst is complete without a visit to the Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main St. The museum is housed in Dickinson’s birthplace and home, The Homestead, and The Evergreens, a neighboring house once owned by her brother Austin. Created in 2003 under the direction of Amherst College, the museum both showcases the celebrated 19th-century poet’s life and preserves the historic homes. Open March through mid-December, the museum has two guided tours, “Emily Dickinson’s World” and “This was a Poet,” which concludes with a poetry reading.

Die-hard Dickinson fans can visit her grave site at West Cemetery on Triangle Street. Outdoor enthusiasts have several options if going to museums loses its luster. Two of Massachusetts’ longest trail systems pass through the Amherst area: the 117-mile Metacomet-Monadnock trail, and the 47-mile Robert Frost Trail. The Norwottuck Rail Trail, a converted railroad bed, is an option for an easy walk or bike ride.