Every state has their share of weird attractions, haunted history, and eerie phenomenon. As America's first settlement, Massachusetts has more than most, but one you may not know about is "Gravity Hill" in Greenfield.
Just past the Shelburne Bridge and the Route 2 overpass, a strange phenomenon exists. If you put your car in neutral at just the right spot (there may be a mark in the road indicating the location) it looks - and feels - as if you are rolling uphill instead of downhill!
For up to 50 feet you can experience the sensation of defying gravity.
How is this possible, you ask? As with any strange phenomenon there is a natural explanation: The sensation is caused by an optical illusion. Due to the surrounding landscape, the stretch of road appears to be on an uphill slope. However, the hill does indeed roll downward.
Roadside America describes a gravity hill as "a place where a slight downhill slope appears to be an uphill slope due to the layout of the surrounding land. This means that if you pour a cup of water onto a surface like this, it will seem to flow uphill rather than trickle downhill."
Locals and eager tourists flock to Gravity Hill to experience this strange occurrence year-round. Should you decide to try it, be sure to keep your eye out for traffic as well as use your hazard lights and four-way flashers.
Want to check it out?
Directions: I-91 exit 26. Drive west on Hwy 2, then make an immediate right onto Colrain Rd, then make an immediate left onto Shelburne Rd. As you drive under the Hwy 2 bridge, do a U-turn and park across from the white road marker on the left side of the road, about 150 feet east of the bridge. Put car in neutral and roll "uphill."
While you are in Greenfield, why not also visit their other weird attraction: the Tree Stump ATM? A redwood-size fake tree stump with animal carvings houses a bank's drive-thru automatic teller machine at the Greenfield Savings Bank. The bank's website says it's "knot" your average ATM!