Whether you’re visiting the region’s many colleges or just playing tourist, western Massachusetts is an interesting destination. There are towns dating back three centuries, main streets that seem simultaneously old-fashioned and trendy, and lots of bucolic rural scenery, from small farms to fall foliage. The area is about a two-hour drive from Boston and three hours from New York City. People walk along the “Bridge of Flowers,” a 400-foot pedestrian bridge over the Deerfield River connecting Shelburne Falls and Buckland, Mass., that was built in 1908 for a trolley. The Frary House is among the 18th-century homes in Deerfield, Mass., a town that was the site of a colonial settlement.