Guest Author - Patricia Perkins
Berkshire County, located as it is due north of New York City, is loaded every summer with art, architecture (the "summer cottages" of the early 20th century wealthy), music, dance, and literary readings. The beautiful green hills, the immaculate farms and lovely villages, as well as a proud industrial history in the textile industry--all combine to make the place a great tourist destination. The fall colors in New England are famous the world over, and Berkshire County's variation on this theme is worth a detour.
Great Barrington is home of Simon's Rock, the first early college in the US. Students start university courses there after their sophomore year in high school, essentially dropping out of high school to go to college. Great Barrington also has five sushi restaurants, a good ice cream parlor, an avant guard movie theater and good coffee houses.
In Stockbridge, stop in at the Red Lion Inn, even if you don't spend a night. The pub in the basement has great folk music nights. The one main street is crammed with interesting shops.
The Norman Rockwell Museum is in Stockbridge, and the village is often in Rockwell's art.
For the literary types, visit The Mount, Edith Wharton's home, and see also Herman Melville's place in Lenox as well as Nathaniel Hawthorne's.
Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony's summer home, is in Lenox, and has a full schedule of events every summer. The locals bring a picnic, the New York Times Sunday edition, lawn chairs, and make an afternoon and evening of it.
Lenox is also the home of Berkshire Coffee, the best lattes I’ve ever had.
In Williamstown, the Clark Art Institute has one of the country's best collections of French impressionist art, as well as some other paintings you've seen in magazines.
Williams College is one of the country's Ivy League colleges and its campus is one of the most beautiful.
For road trippers, Route 2 East from Williamstown turns into the Mohawk Trail, a spectacularly beautiful stretch of road that threads through the mountains towards Boston.
In Hancock, there is a Shaker Village, restored to its simple, austere beauty. The village often holds crafts and cooking workshops.
There’s plenty more, too. Just stop in at any of the helpful tourist offices in Berkshire County for an even more exhaustive list. My own favorite activity is to hop in my car and get myself thoroughly lost on the back roads, winding through beautiful state parks, up to vistas overlooking the gentle hills and immaculate farms.
This article was written by Patricia Perkins our Independent Travel Host.
