Berkshires, Massachusetts
Colonial-era villages of the southern Berkshires attest to the rich soils of the Housatonic Valley, while former brick mill towns of the north hint at 19th-century industrialization. Today, though, the region’s identity revolves around the summer arts scene: music, dance, theater. The natural world, too, is always alluring. Mountain laurel explodes into bloom in June, and deer browse in abandoned apple orchards. Mountaintop trails lead to sweeping views, or you can hike into deep woods where a waterfall plunges into a still pool.
Berkshires Visitors Bureau • 3 Hoosac St., Adams • 413 743 4500 • open Mon–Fri
1. Lenox
A quaint village surrounded by grand houses and vast estates largely built as summer “cottages” between 1880 and 1910, Lenox is the epicenter of luxury shopping and the summer performing arts scene.
2. Stockbridge
American illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) modeled his nostalgic treatments of rural American life on the people and buildings of this slow-paced village, dominated by the Red Lion Inn.
3. Great Barrington
A vibrant mix of artists, artisans, savvy business folk, and New Age visionaries makes Great Barrington easily the hippest town in the Berkshires, as well as a gateway to antiques shopping on Route 7 south of town.
4. Pittsfield
The biggest community of the Berkshires has shed its manufacturing past to become a city of the arts. Catch contemporary art in its galleries, popular music in the glorious concert hall, and visionary plays at its theater.
5. Williamstown
Prestigious Williams College gives a youthful spirit to this historic village at the edge of Mount Greylock. Don’t miss the treasures in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (now known as The Clark).
6. North Adams
This erstwhile factory town at the west end of the Mohawk Trail has embraced the art world and vice versa. Provocative contemporary art fills a former mill at Mass MoCA.
7. Mount Greylock
American authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau climbed Greylock and sang its praises. You can reach the summit, too, either via several scenic hiking trails or by car.Mt. Greylock State Reservation Visitor Center • 30 Rockwell Rd., Lanesborough • 413 499 4262 • open daily year-round • free
8. Hancock Shaker Village
Now a museum, Hancock was among the most influential of 19th-century Shaker communities. Its Round Barn is considered to be a masterpiece of vernacular architecture.
9. Tanglewood Music Center
The summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1940, Tanglewood also hosts jazz, chamber music, and popular music concerts, and runs an important music education program.
10. Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
This woodsy mountaintop retreat in Becket is the venue for performances by top-flight dance companies from around the world, as well as workshop productions of new choreography.
Tip: If you’re looking for an easy climb, try modest Monument Mountain on Rte. 7 a few miles south of Stockbridge. The roundtrip hike to the summit takes about 90 minutes. Tip: Head to the deli behind Rubiner’s Cheesemongers, 264 Main St., Great Barrington, 413 528 0488 for gourmet sandwiches, many with exotic cheeses.
