[3][4] The town is the home of the nation's first successful navigable canal[5] as well as the oldest continuing institution of higher education for women (Mount Holyoke College).

The Civil War Monument (believed to be by Jerome Connor)[6] in the center of the Commons was given to South Hadley by William H. Gaylord in the 1900s.

The Connecticut River defines the town's western border and separates it from the cities of Holyoke and Easthampton.

Westover Metropolitan Airport is located in neighboring Chicopee and offers air services throughout the region.

Bradley International Airport, serving the greater Hartford–Springfield area, is located 17 miles (27 km) to the south.

South Hadley is also the home of Mount Holyoke College, the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education for women, founded in 1837.

The sandstone slab bearing large, mysterious footprints was later purchased by Elihu Dwight, who gave the prints the name of "Noah's Raven".

Professor Edward Hitchcock then obtained the slab, which is now on prominent display in the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College.

Although South Hadley's economy has changed greatly in the last two centuries, reflecting the trends of the Commonwealth and country, today it still retains businesses in agriculture, education, and manufacturing.

The South Hadley High School Marching Band has competed in the state and/or New England USSBA Championship each year.

In 2008 they repeated as best percussion (for the fourth straight year) and seventh place in the Northern States championship.

Berkshire Hills Music Academy (BHMA), founded in 1999 and opened in 2001, is a private post-secondary residential school for young adults with learning or developmental disabilities.