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Celebrating the beloved characters in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Dr. Seuss’s classic tale of the true spirit of Christmas, has been a part of the holiday festivities at the Springfield Museums since the Dr. Seuss Museum opened at the Quadrangle in 2017.
But in 2022, the museums took the celebration of all things Grinch to a new level with the opening of the Grinch’s Grotto in the Wood History Museum.
Welcome to the season of Grinchmas!
Featuring a re-creation of the Grinch’s stone-lined home on Mt. Crumpet and plenty of Who-ville-themed activities for the whole family, plus appearances and photo ops with the Grinch himself, the museum’s Grinchmas has quickly become a must-visit holiday tradition in Western Massachusetts.
This year, the Grinch’s Grotto experience will be open from Nov. 22 to Jan 11, 2026, during regular museum hours, with the Grinch in residence for visits and photos during the museum’s Holiday Happenings and the Lighting of the Quadrangle celebrations, on Saturdays and Sundays, and during school vacation week in December. There is no additional charge to visit the Grinch’s Grotto; it and the Dr. Seuss Museum are both included in the price of admission to the museums.
“It’s become a new family favorite at the museum,” Larissa Murray, director of education for the Springfield Museums, told Go Local magazine. “This is the fourth year; it’s become so popular we bring it back year after year.”
The original Grotto was a gift to the museums from Seuss Enterprises, but Murray said the museum has been expanding the exhibit area every season.
This year’s Grinch’s Grotto includes a large-scale Who-ville, an opportunity to write a letter to the Grinch and mail it at the Who-ville Post, and numerous interactive Grinch and Who-ville themed games.
“Some of the set pieces are new, there are new photo ops and interactives this year,” Murray shared. “We try to change the activities every year to make the experience fresh for visitors.”
And every year, visitors do seem to revel in the experience, Murray said.
“We do see a lot of people come in festive attire. Sometimes they come dressed as the Grinch or Cindy Lou, especially on the day after Thanksgiving, which is our Holiday Happenings celebration and the lighting of the Quadrangle,” Murray said. “That day, a lot of people come in to take pictures for the holidays, and they have on holiday sweaters and outfits that are Grinch-inspired.”
Photos in front of the giant red sleigh, and with heads poked through the oversized Whoville wreath, are favorites during Holiday Happenings, and the entire time the Grinchmas experience is open, Murray remarked.
When the Grinch is in residence, Murray said museum staff are on hand to assist with taking family photos with visitors’ personal phones or cameras.
Other popular Grinch’s Grotto activities include the photo op station, open even with the Grinch isn’t in residence.
This year’s Holiday Happenings celebration will take place on Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will offer a slew of activities including visits to the Grinch from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Wood Museum, an opportunity to make Grinch-inspired ornaments from 1-4 p.m. in the Science lab and race your sleigh in the Mt. Crumpet Derby in the Spark Lab from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., both in the Science Museum, plus a chance to make luminaries in the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum from12-4 p.m. and giant bubbles, a roaming railroad and more on the Quadrangle Green, weather permitting.
“In the Spark Lab, you have the opportunity to build your own sleigh and slide it down Mt. Crumpet. Sleighs are made of recycled materials,” Murray said, adding there are a lot of other activities spread throughout the museum.
All the Nov. 28 Holiday Happenings activities are included with museum admission.
The lighting of the Quadrangle, a free event featuring music and festive refreshments, begins at 5 p.m. on Nov. 28. From 5-7 p.m. that evening, visits to the Grinch’s Grotto and the museum’s annual gingerbread exhibit, themed Jurassic Gingerbread for 2025, are free and open to the public.
Those who miss the Holiday Happenings or Lighting of the Quadrangle can still get in the Grinchmas spirit with Grinchmas Saturdays on Dec. 6 and 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring a free book giveaway while supplies last, meet and greets with Santa from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Mammal Hall of the Science Museum, meet and greets with the Grinch from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Grinch’s Grotto in the Wood History Museum, a chance to race in the Mt. Crumpet Derby from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Spark Lab and a gifting workshop on 11 a.m., to 3 p.m., both on the second floor of the Scinece Museum, and Winter Holiday celebrations from 12 to 4 p.m. in the Discovery Center of the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum.
Photos featured in this story are from Grinchmas 2024. There will be an all new Who-ville Village in 2025.
The Springfield Museums, located at 21 Edwards St. in downtown Springfield, are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museums will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission is $25 for adults, $17.50 for those over 60 years of age, $16.50 for college students, $13 for those 3-13 years of age and free under age 3. EBT, WIC, or ConnectorCare cardholders receive $3 general admission per visitor for up to two adults and four children; however, tickets must be paid for in cash as the museum cannot process EBT cards.
Springfield residents receive free general admission to the museums during regular museum hours with a valid ID.
For information on Grinchmas and other seasonal activities at the Springfield Museums, visit www.springfieldmuseums.org/holiday.
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