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Whitney's
Farm Market & Country Gardens |
1775 South State Road
- Rt. 8 Cheshire, MA (413) 442-4749 |
~ NOW
OPEN FOR THE SEASON ~ |
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Everything for the
gardener and more! Annual and Perennial flowers! |
Fresh Bakery & Produce
www.whitneysfarm.com
Full Boar's Head Deli |
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The Seasons: |
Winter -
Spring |
Summer - Fall |
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Please Visit Our Sponsors |
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Pittsfield, MA |
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Just
The Berkshires
1-800-772-7926 |
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Berkshire County is
proud to be the home of some of America's most well known
destinations. Visitors the world over, come to the Berkshires
each year to enjoy attractions such as the Hancock Shaker
Village, Tanglewood, MASS MoCA, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the
Clark Art Museum, the Williamstown Theatre Festival,
The Colonial Theatre, Barrington Stage Company and
others. For additional information, please visit the web site of
each attraction or event, or call us Toll Free at 1-800-772-7926
for assistance. Planning a trip to The
Berkshires and need assistance, please let us know! |
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Making The Most
Of Your Vacation
In The
Berkshires |
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Located in western
Massachusetts and Connecticut, the Berkshires is a mountainous
region that was formed more than 500 million years ago when the
North American and African tectonic plates collided, creating
the Appalachian range. Erosion during the millions of years
since that seismic event has worn the Berkshires down to their
present contours: gentle hills featuring elevations up to about
3,500 feet.
The Berkshires are famed for their wilderness areas and hiking
trails, both of which can call to mind the natural landscape
encountered by the earliest European settlers to the United
States. In addition to boasting a portion of the Appalachian
Trail, the Berkshires are where tourists can see the
whimsically-named Bash Bish Falls; the tallest waterfall in the
state of Massachusetts. Other interesting features of the area
are the historical summer camps that dot the hillsides, proving
that the Berkshires have been attracting tourists for well over
a century. |
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Art
attractions in the
Berkshires |
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Outstanding
natural wonders,
however, are far
from the only reason
to range far and
wide across this
region. The
Berkshires are also
renowned for their
connection with the
arts. It is in
Stockbridge,
Massachusetts, that
tourists can explore
the Norman Rockwell
Museum, which houses
the largest
collection in the
world of the
artist's classic
paintings depicting
scenes of everyday
Americana. Art
lovers also flock to
the Berkshires to
visit the
Massachusetts Museum
of Contemporary Art
and the Clark Art
Institute, where
works by Degas,
Renoir, and John
Singer Sargent are
displayed as part of
an impressive
collection that
spans five centuries
of ornamental and
practical art. |
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A love of
music and theatre |
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The
Berkshires also
serve as the home
base of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra
during the summer
months, but the
region's love of the
performing arts
extends far beyond
its classical forms.
Tourists who
rent a car
to travel to North
Adams can enjoy
three full weeks of
contemporary music
at the Bang on a Can
Summer Festival,
while those who
travel to
Williamstown, Lenox,
or Pittsfield can
attend one of the
many theatre
festivals that
descend on the
Berkshires every
summer. |
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Famous
Americans |
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Some of the most interesting facts about the Berkshires revolve
around the lives of famous Americans who made their home there.
The 19th-century women's rights activist Susan B Anthony lived
in Adams, while Herman Melville wrote his most famous novel,
Moby Dick, at his home in Arrowhead. Edith Wharton, author of
great American novels such as Ethan Frome, lived in Lenox. All
three of these historic homes can be visited for a fascinating
look back into the American past. |
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Tips for
visiting the Berkshires |
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Experienced
travelers know that dining on fresh, locally produced food is
one of the best ways to get to know a region. This is especially
true in the Berkshires, where the longstanding residents have a
deep commitment to "farm to table" eating. Specialties well
worth seeking out include, fresh cheese produced from the milk
of local goats, and spirits such as vodka, rum, and gin from the
region's distilleries.
Beautiful at any time of year but with four distinct seasons,
the Berkshires are an area that tourists can visit time and
again without ever exhausting the region's almost limitless
possibilities. |
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Hancock Shaker Village -
Route 20,
Pittsfield, MA - (413)
443-0188 or
1-800-817-1137 |
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The Shakers called
this community "The
City of Peace."
Although you will
find Hancock Shaker
Village a welcome
retreat from today's
hectic pace, this
name belies the
level of activity at
this living museum.
Set your watch back
a century or two and
see the Village come
to life through
vibrant programs,
tours, exhibitions
and hands-on
activities. This
beautifully restored
village, set on
1,200 acres of farm,
woodland and
pasture, is home to
the premier
collection of Shaker
buildings and
artifacts. Graceful
Shaker furniture,
craft and household
items - oval boxes,
brooms, baskets and
textiles - are
exhibited in 20
historic buildings,
each an
architectural gem.
The Round Stone
Barn, most famous of
all Shaker
buildings, is a
testament to Shaker
efficiency...
More
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MASS MoCA -
87 Marshall Street, North
Adams, MA - (413)
662-2111 |
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If conventional
museums are boxes,
MASS MoCA is an open
platform – a
welcoming place that
encourages dynamic
interchange between
making and
presenting art,
between the visual
and performing arts,
and between our
extraordinary
historic factory
campus and the
patrons, workers and
tenants who again
inhabit it. We at
MASS MoCA work hard
to make the whole
cloth of art-making,
presentation and
participation a
seamless continuum.
Performing arts
residencies offer
well-equipped and
professionally
staffed technical
facilities and
stages, and a
sophisticated,
diverse and
sympathetic audience
for new work –
especially
technically complex
work that requires...
More
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Norman Rockwell Museum -
9 Glendale
Road, Route 183,
Stockbridge, MA - (413)
298-4100 |
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Founded in 1969 with
the help of Norman
and Molly Rockwell,
Norman Rockwell
Museum is dedicated
to the enjoyment and
study of Rockwell's
work and his
contributions to
society, popular
culture, and social
commentary. The
Museum, which is
accredited by the
American Association
of Museums, is the
most popular
year-round cultural
attraction in the
Berkshires. The
Museum houses the
world's largest and
most significant
collection of
Rockwell's work,
including 574
original paintings
and drawings.
Rockwell lived in
Stockbridge for the
last 25 years of his
life. Rockwell's
Stockbridge studio,
moved to the Museum
site, is open to the
public from May
through October, and
features original
art materials, his
library,
furnishings, and
personal items. The
Museum also...
More
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Williams College Museum of Art -
15 Lawrence
Hall Drive, Williamstown,
MA - (413)
597-2429 |
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One of the finest
college art museums
in the country, the
Williams College
Museum of Art (WCMA)
houses 12,000 works
that span the
history of art.
Within the broad
range of time
periods and cultures
represented, the
collection
emphasizes modern
and contemporary
art, American art
from the late 18th
century to present,
and the art of world
cultures. Admission
to the museum is
always FREE as are a
host of educational
programs that are
available to
the public. Open
Tuesday through
Saturday 10-5,
Sunday 1-5 Free
admission.
Wheelchair
accessible...
More
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Tanglewood -
297 West Street, Lenox,
MA - (413)
637-1600 |
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The 2012 Tanglewood
75th Anniversary
Season Tickets on
sale now!
Tanglewood, one of
the world's most
beloved music
festivals and the
famed summer home of
the Boston Symphony
Orchestra located in
the beautiful
Berkshire Hills of
western
Massachusetts,
celebrates its 75th
anniversary season,
June 22-September 2,
with a spectacular
lineup of musical
guests and programs
that spotlight
Tanglewood's rich
tradition of
presenting
summertime concerts
at their best since
1937.
In addition
to replicating some
of the greatest
musical moments of
the last...
More
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Sterling & Francine Clark Art
Institute -
225 South Street, Williamstown,
MA - (413)
458-2303 |
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The Clark’s mission
and its geographical
location define
three essential,
interrelated aspects
of its character and
identity: the
quality of its art,
the beauty of its
pastoral setting,
and the depth of its
commitment to the
generation of ideas.
At the core
of the Institute is
its collections,
centered on an
extraordinary legacy
of Impressionist and
Old Master paintings
whose refinement and
appeal reflects the
fact that it has
grown from a core
group of works
carefully and
personally chosen by
the founders. The
domestic and human
scale of the
galleries, the views
out to the pond,
surrounding fields,
and distant
mountains all foster
the contemplation
and enjoyment of
works of art in an
intimate and warm
setting: an
unhurried experience
with real works of
art...
More
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Jacob's
Pillow Dance Festival -
358 George
Carter Road, Becket, MA -
(413)
243-9919 |
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| Photo: Mike
van Sleen |
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Jacob's Pillow Dance
Festival,
celebrating its 80th
Anniversary Season
this year, is the
ideal destination
for a summer
getaway. A National
Historic Landmark
and National Medal
of Arts recipient,
Jacob's Pillow is
nestled in the
beautiful Berkshire
Hills of Western
Massachusetts and in
2012 will host the
annual international
dance Festival June
16 through August
26.
Called "the
dance center of the
nation" by The New
York Times, the
Pillow brings
together dance,
music, art, and
culture, with more
than 300 free and
ticketed events
including
performances,
photography and art
exhibits, lectures
and discussions,
tours, dance class
observation, onsite
dining, and much
more. Dance
companies from
Australia, Brazil,
Canada, China,
Finland, France,
Germany, Israel, and
across the United
States perform in
two theatres and an
outdoor stage
throughout the
summer...
More
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The Colonial Theatre
- 111 South
Street, Pittsfield, MA -
(413)
997-4444 |
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Located in downtown
Pittsfield,
Massachusetts the
Colonial Theatre is
a Gilded Age
architectural gem
brought back to life
as a performing arts
center in the “heart
of the Berkshires”.
Kept safe behind the
temporary wall and
ceiling partitions
of a retail store
for more than 50
years, the ornately
appointed and now
fully restored
Colonial emerged in
August, 2006 as a
cultural and
economic development
force in the
Berkshires.
We invite you
to be a part of the
on-going movement to
maintain this
magnificent part of
our history and our
future. Come tour
this architectural
icon of another age.
Come and enjoy the
contemporary
entertainment that
gives it new life.
The theater and
lobby facilities are
available for
community activities...
More
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Barrington
Stage Company -
30 Union
Street, Pittsfield, MA - (413)
236-8888 |
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| Photo:
Kevin
Sprague |
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BSC has become the
fastest growing arts
venue in Berkshire
County , attracting
some 45,000 patrons
each year, and
gaining national
recognition for its
superior quality
productions and
comprehensive
educational
programming.
Since 1995
Barrington Stage has
produced several
award-winning plays
and musicals,
beginning with
winning the Elliot
Norton/Boston
Theatre Critics
Award in its very
first year for The
Diary of Anne Frank.
In its third year,
BSC won two Elliot
Norton/Boston
Theatre Critics
Awards and four
Outer Critics Awards
for its smash hit
production of
Cabaret, which moved
to Boston and played
an extended run at
the Hasty Pudding
Theatre.
Several other BSC
productions,
including Lady Day
at Emerson’s Bar and
Grill, Three
Viewings, A View
From The Roof...
More
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Williamstown
Theatre Festival -
1000 Main
Street, Williamstown,
MA - (413)
597-3400 |
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| Photo:
Carol
Rosegg |
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Nestled in the
Berkshire Hills of
western
Massachusetts, the
Williamstown Theatre
Festival is a
celebration of
theater that brings
together a vast
array of artists and
offers audiences
varied cultural
experiences. Every
summer, WTF presents
classic and new
plays on its Main,
Nikos and Center
Stages, Free
Theatre, Late-Night
Cabaret, and
readings, workshops,
and other special
events including a
program for
youngsters in North
Adams called the
Greylock Theatre
Project. Of equal
importance, WTF's
many training
programs offer
nearly two hundred
aspiring theater
artists and managers
an opportunity to
study acting or
serve as interns
with professional
designers, directors
and administrators...
More
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Chesterwood Estate & Museum - 4
Williamsville Road, Stockbridge,
MA
- (413)
298-3579 |
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Chesterwood, the
1920's summer home,
studio and garden of
sculptor Daniel
Chester French
(1850-1931) is just
a few short minutes
from the Red Lion
Inn. Guests take a
step back in time
when visiting this
122 acre estate that
inspired an artist
who inspired a
nation. At
Chesterwood visitors
view working models
of the seated
Lincoln for the
Memorial in
Washington D.C. and
other noted public
monuments, including
The Minute Man.
Chesterwood, A
National and
Massachusetts
Historic Landmark,
is a historic house
museum of the
National Trust for
Historic
Preservation the
nation’s leader in
saving America’s
historic
environments...
More
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Shakespeare & Company - 70
Kemble Street, Lenox, MA - (413)
637-1199 |
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Launching its 34th
season in the
culturally-rich
Berkshire Hills of
western
Massachusetts in
Lenox, Shakespeare &
Company aspires to
create a theatre of
unprecedented
excellence rooted in
the classical ideals
of inquiry, balance,
and harmony; a
company that
performs as the
Elizabethans did —
in love with poetry,
physical prowess,
and the mysteries of
the universe. With a
core of over 150
artists, the company
performs
Shakespeare,
generating
opportunities for
collaboration
between actors,
directors, and
designers of all
races,
nationalities, and
backgrounds.
Shakespeare &
Company provides
original, in-depth,
classical training
and performance
methods. The company
also develops and
produces new plays
of social and
political
significance.
Shakespeare &
Company's
educational programs
inspire a new
generation of...
More
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Berkshire Museum - 39 South
Street, Pittsfield, MA - (413)
443-7171 |
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The Berkshire Museum
was founded in 1903
by Zenas Crane, the
grandson of the
founder of Crane &
Company. When he
built the museum,
his vision was to
create an inviting
environment for
everyone, not just
the elite. He sought
to use the museum's
varied collection to
enrich, educate and
delight the county's
citizens of all
ages. This vision
guides the museum to
this day. At the
heart of the
museum's mission is
a commitment to
playing an active
cultural and
educational role in
the community.
"Wally," our
life-size front
lawn-dwelling
stegosaurus, was
constructed for the
Sinclair Dinoland
Pavilion at the
1964-65 World's Fair
by the renowned
wildlife sculptor
Louis Paul Jonas. He
welcomes visitors to
the only art,
natural science and
history museum in
Western
Massachusetts.
Fourteen galleries,
an aquarium, a 291
seat fully equipped,
air conditioned
theater, classrooms
and a museum store
make up the
Berkshire...
More
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The Bidwell House Museum - 100
Art School Road, Monterey, MA -
(413) 528-6888 |
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Built in 1750 for
the first minister
of Township No. 1,
the Reverend
Adonijah Bidwell,
The Bidwell House is
a gracious saltbox
home. Rev. Bidwell
arrived in 1750 to
be the first
minister of this
frontier region,
which eventually
became the towns of
Monterey and
Tyringham. Bidwell
built an imposing
home with six large,
paneled rooms, four
fireplaces, two
beehive ovens, and
three closets.
Surrounding the
house are terraced
stone walls brimming
with perennial beds.
Installed in the
20th century when
the house was
restored, these
provide a fabulous
setting for this gem
of a Georgian
saltbox. The
remaining acreage is
woodlands laced with
hiking trails and
foot paths leading
to historical
landmarks throughout...
More
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Mission House - 19 Main Street,
Stockbridge, MA - (413) 298-3239 |
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Following
ministerial studies
at Yale, Reverend
John Sergeant moved
to the south
Berkshires to
establish a mission
for fifty Mohicans.
He lived in a simple
cabin until he
married Abigail
Williams in 1739 and
built the Mission
House.
Originally
located atop
Prospect Hill, this
National Historic
Landmark was
carefully
disassembled, moved,
and restored by Miss
Mabel Choate at its
present location on
Main Street between
1926 and 1927. The
house contains an
outstanding
collection of
eighteenth-century
American furniture
and decorative arts.
Between 1928 and
1933, noted
landscape architect
Fletcher Steele
designed the
Colonial Revival
garden, which
features a
colonial-style
dooryard garden of
circular brick paths
enclosed by a
tidewater cypress
fence. A kitchen
garden divided by...
More
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Berkshire Scenic Railway -
Housatonic Street, Lenox,
MA - (413) 637-2210 |
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The Berkshire Scenic
Railway Museum's
primary mission is
to foster interest
in the history of
railroading in the
Berkshire Hills of
western
Massachusetts
through the
provision of safe,
educational, and
entertaining tourist
train rides between
Lenox and
Stockbridge. The
museum resumed
tourist excursion
service over 10
miles of track owned
by the Housatonic
Railroad in the
spring of 2003.
During 2005 the
Museum repainted
locomotive 8619 in
an adaptation of the
New York, New Haven
and Hartford
switching locomotive
paint scheme. Three
passenger cars that
match our existing
fleet were leased
from the
Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and
were moved to Lenox
from where they had
been stored in
Holyoke. A 12:15pm
departure was added
from Lenox to Lee to
offer a shorter 45...
More
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Herman Melville's Arrowhead -
780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA
- (413) 442-1793 |
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Melville’s
associations with
Berkshire County
began in his
childhood. The
grandson of two
Revolutionary War
heroes, Melville was
born in New York
City in 1819. His
mother, Maria
Gansevoort Melville,
was the daughter of
General Peter
Gansevoort of
Albany, who was
called the “Hero of
Fort Stanwix” due to
his role in the
defense of that fort
in Rome, New York,
during the
Revolution.
(Melville would name
his second son
Stanwix in honor of
that event.) The
Gansevoorts had come
to the new world in
the 1600s and
established
themselves as one of
the first families
of Dutch Albany.
Melville’s
father, Allan
Melvill, was also
from a prominent
family, this time
from Boston. Allan
was the son of
Thomas Melvill, the
son of a Scottish
immigrant who
achieved wealth as a
merchant...
More
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Natural Bridge State Park - 107
Natural Bridge Road, North Adams, MA -
(413) 663-6392 |
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Discover a geologic
wonder at this 48
acre park. Examine
the only naturally
formed white marble
arch and man-made
white marble dam in
North America, and
tour an abandoned
marble quarry. The
"natural bridge" for
which the park is
named, according to
geologists, is 550
million year old
bedrock marble,
carved into an arch
by the force of
glacial melt water
over 13,000 years
ago; one of the best
places in New
England to
demonstrate the
effects of
glaciation. The
bridge spans rushing
Hudson Brook as it
twists and tumbles
through a steep
60-foot deep gorge.
In the summer
months,
knowledgeable park
interpreters are on
hand to explain the
natural forces that
created the bridge
and its more recent
human-related
history. There is a
0.25 mile walkway
above and...
More
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Ashuwillticock
Rail Trail -
Lanesborough, Cheshire,
Adams, MA - (413)
442-8928 |
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The Ashuwillticook
Rail Trail is a
former railroad
corridor converted
into a 10-foot wide
paved, universally
accessible, passive
recreation path. The
Ashuwillticook runs
parallel to Route 8
through the towns of
Cheshire,
Lanesborough and
Adams. The southern
end of the rail
trail begins at the
entrance to the
Berkshire Mall off
MA Rte. 8 in
Lanesborough and
travels 11.2 miles
north to the center
of Adams. Parking
lots and restrooms
are available at
selected locations
along the way.
The rail trail
passes through the
Hoosic River Valley,
between the Mount
Greylock and the
Hoosac Mountain
Ranges. Cheshire
Reservoir, the
Hoosic River, and
associated wetlands
flank much of the
trail offering
outstanding views of
the scenery and
abundant wildlife...
More
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Planning A
Visit To The Beautiful Berkshires
...And Need
Assistance?
Call
JustTheBerkshires.com
Toll Free At
1-800-772-7926. |
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Berkshire Botanical Garden -
Routes 102 & 183 Stockbridge, MA - (413)
298-3926 |
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The Berkshire
Botanical Garden is
a not-for-profit,
membership-supported
educational
organization
encompassing 15
acres of cultivated
land at the
intersection of
Routes 102 and 183
in Stockbridge,
Massachusetts.
Called “a
glistening community
gem” by Virginia
Small, author of the
book Great Gardens
of the Berkshires,
the Garden’s mission
is to fulfill the
community’s need for
information,
education and
inspiration
concerning the art
and science of
gardening and the
preservation and
improvement of our
local environment.
Our public
display gardens are
open May through
mid-October. Both
functional and
ornamental, they are
among the oldest in
the US and have been
expanded over the
years in breadth and
variety through a
series of bequests
and major gifts. Our
collections
emphasize plants
that are indigenous
to or thrive in the
Berkshires; more
than 3,000 species
and varieties are...
More
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North Adams
SteepleCats - (413)
663-7333 |
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Berkshire
Theatre Group |
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The SteepleCats
organization is a
collegiate summer
baseball team that
brings the best
college baseball
players from across
the country to play
summer baseball at
Joe Wolfe Field. The
team is part of the
New England
Collegiate Baseball
League, a premier
summer league that
is known for its
superb competition.
The North Adams
SteepleCats’ mission
is simple: to field
the best collegiate
summer baseball team
in America and to
provide its fans the
best summer family
entertainment
available anywhere.
North Adams
Steeplecats -
Collegiate baseball
at its finest -
family festive fun &
snacks for under
$20! Games are in
June and July, playoffs
in August. Check website
for...
More >>> |
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Berkshire Theatre Group
oversees the
development, production
and presentation of
theatre and
entertainment on five
stages in the
Berkshires. BTG’s goal
is to present the best
of the performing arts
for everyone. Their
campus in Stockbridge,
which is home to the
Berkshire Theatre
Festival, presents work
at two venues: The
Fitzpatrick Main Stage
and the Unicorn Theatre.
The Fitzpatrick (408
seats), founded in 1928,
is the ultimate “summer
theatre.” This iconic
building, designed by
Stanford White, helped
establish the Berkshires
as a cultural
destination. Each
summer, the finest in
classical theatre and
world premieres are
produced on our historic
stage...
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Joe Wolfe
Field
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State Street,
North Adams, MA |
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Lenox, MA - Stockbridge, MA -
Pittsfield, MA |
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Berkshire Theatre Festival - (413)
298-5536 |
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The Mahaiwe
Performing Arts Center & Theatre |
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Founded in 1928, the
Berkshire Theatre
Festival has the
unique distinction
of being the
longest-running
professional
performing arts
organization in
Berkshire County and
one of the
first established
regional theatres in
the United States.
Guided by Artistic
Director and CEO
Kate Maguire, the
theatre’s access to
its past translates
into a vivid sense
of what it means to
be a participant in
today’s diverse and
complex world. The
vast artistic
spectrum of artists
who have written,
performed, directed
and designed here
through the decades
has given the BTF a
unique perspective from
which to view the
future. Consistently
high quality productions
on both the...
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Built in 1904 by a
syndicate of local
businessmen, The Mahaiwe
is one of the oldest
surviving theatres in
the country.
The Mahaiwe has
recently been designated
as an official project
of "Save America's
Treasures,"
and
application has
been made for inclusion
in the National Register
of Historic Places. In
January 2003, it was
transformed into the
Mahaiwe Performing Arts
Center with an exciting
future as a year-round
center of cultural life
in the Berkshires.
The Mahaiwe Performing
Arts Center marries the
beauty, warmth and
intimacy, of a
turn-of-the-century
proscenium theater, with
the latest in stage
technology...
More
>>> |
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6 East
Street, Stockbridge, MA |
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14 Castle
Street, Great Barrington, MA - (413)
528-6415 |
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