ABOUT THE BERKSHIRES
Our popular region offers activities that stimulate the senses and energize the body. During the summer and spring, visit the area’s many museums, theaters, concert halls, and historic homes. The county’s lakes and rivers are perfect for boating, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. Take advantage of the miles of country lanes for hiking and biking, enjoy a round of golf with your business partners, go fishing or kayaking in a neighboring lake or go zip-lining with the kids on a nearby mountain. In cooler weather, enjoy the fall foliage season with numerous outdoor bazaars, parades, and entertainment.
Please feel free to ask our front desk for advice or assistance, we welcome the opportunity to help you enjoy and take advantage of all the Berkshires have to offer.
Churches & Synagogues
Church on the Hill is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. Led by the Holy Spirit, we are committed to being Christ’s disciples in the community.
First Congregational church of Stockbridge is a historic, vibrant, growing and welcoming congregation that encourages one to participate fully in their life of worship, fellowship, service, learning, and care. Feed your spirit, nurture your soul and find new friends. No matter where you are on life’s journey, know that you are welcome here.
Hevreh of Southern Berkshire Synagogue is joyful and music-filled worship, thoughtful study of Torah and Jewish texts, a deep commitment to social justice and an ongoing exploration of God and spirituality form the core of our activities.
Theatres
Beacon Theatre, located in Pittsfield, is a multiplex theatre which features all first-run movies.
The Triplex Cinema, located in Great Barrington, features a quality selection of first-run movies and independent films. They are also the home of the annual Berkshire International Film Festival.
Gardens
Berkshire Botanical Gardens offers visitors a peaceful refuge of natural beauty and a stunning display of gardens. Their fall Harvest Festival is the largest and longest-running event of its kind in the county.
Hiking & Wellness
Appalachian Trail/Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts’ highest peak, offers tremendous views of the county.
Kennedy Park offers some of the best views in Berkshire County. With a total of 180 acres, it features 7 trails with excellent signage and varying degrees of difficulty.*
Kripalu Institute is the largest center for yoga and holistic health in the United States.
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary encompasses 1,500 acres of forest, brooks, beaver ponds, meadows, and slopes in the beautiful Lenox Mountain. The sanctuary’s vast landscape also features seven miles of scenic trails, a hemlock gorge, a limestone cobble, a hummingbird garden, and a May-to-October trailside museum.*
Tyringham Cobble is a two-mile trail that runs to the summit of Cobble Hill, 400 feet above the valley floor. Several rock outcrops offer sweeping views of Tyringham Valley with Hop Brook and the village below.*
Historical Homes
Arrowhead is the 18th-century farmhouse where Herman Melville wrote his epic, Moby Dick.
Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio is the home of American abstract artists. View an exquisite collection of American and European cubist art.
Naumkeag, a gilded age mansion located in Stockbridge, set on ten acres of gardens. This home features original art and furnishing.
The Mount, Edith Wharton’s 1902 estate and gardens are located right next door to the Seven Hills Inn.
Museums
At AnimagicMuseum of Animation Special Effects and Art, guests can view technologies from movies like X-Men, Predator & Chicken Run. Make an appointment to create your own animation movie!*
Berkshire Museum features collections ranging from fine art to history, to antiques and an aquarium, there are events and activities for all ages!*
Chesterwood, located in Stockbridge, is the country home, studio, and gardens of America’s foremost most sculptor of public monuments, Daniel Chester French.
Hancock Shaker Village is a historic site in western Massachusetts, interpreting the lives of the Shakers who lived there from 1783 to 1960. Experience the extraordinary farm and barn architecture, especially in the round stone barn.*
Mass MoCA, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, is one of the largest centers of contemporary visual and performing arts in the country.*
Norman Rockwell Museum, located in Stockbridge, presents the world’s largest collection of original Norman Rockwell art.*
Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum displays textiles, furnishing, and memorabilia that highlight the familial, cultural and regional influences which shaped Susan B. Anthony.
The Clark Art Institute is an internationally renowned museum and research center with outstanding collections of European & American art.*
Ventfort Hall Mansion is located in the heart of Lenox. This gilded age museum is open daily and features tours, exhibits, performances, lectures, teas and kids’ programs.*
Williams College Museum of Art houses over 13,000 works that span the history of art with an emphasis on modern and contemporary art.
Music
Tanglewood is the summer home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. A vibrant mix of musical styles and forms are played all summer long.*
Shopping
The hidden local treasure, Route 7, from Great Barrington to Sheffield, is home to many antique shops.
Lee Premium Outlets offers over 60 brand name and designer outlet stores.
Skiing
The Berkshires of western Massachusetts make up some of the roughest and most spectacular terrain in southern New England, offering some fine skiing and riding.
Bousquet Mountain rests on the edge of the city of Pittsfield, in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. Five U.S. Olympic downhill skiers have evolved from the Bousquet Race Team including Heidi Voelker and Kim and Krista Schmidinger — all honing their skills on Bousquet’s diverse terrain.
Butternut has good base facilities, pleasant skiing, 100% snowmaking capabilities, and the longest quad lift in the Berkshires. Two top-to-bottom terrain parks are for snowboarders. Ski and snowboard lessons are available. Butternut Basin has 8 km (6 mi) of groomed cross-country trails.
Catamount Ski Area with a 1,000-foot vertical drop and 100% snowmaking capacity, this scenic slope on the New York state border is ideal for family skiing, with its slow and even grades.
Jiminy Peak is the Berkshires only full-service ski and snowboard resort, and the largest in southern New England, Jiminy Peak is also a splendid spot to stay during the fall foliage season. Additional adventures including a four-in-one Euro-bungee trampoline, a two-story-high rock-climbing wall, summit rides on the Berkshire Express chairlift, and mountain biking make it a delightful alternative for families looking in summer.
Otis Ridge has long been a haven for beginners and families, but experts will find slopes here, too. The remote location is quite stunning, the buildings historic. For downhill skiers, there are six trails serviced by a pair of lifts. Otis Ridge is home to the oldest operating ski camp in the country, having taught boys and girls ages 8-15 for more than 50 years.
Lenox Yoga is a Yoga, Pilates and Fitness Studio open to the public, in the heart of Downtown Lenox with award-winning instructors.
Theatre & Dance
Barrington Stage Company produces some of the most innovative, high-quality regional theatre anywhere.
Berkshire Theatre Group is the third oldest theatre in the nation.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is an intimate and powerful dance experience like no other, bringing top-notch dance troops from every corner of the earth to the Berkshires.
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is a year-round arts center and restored historic theatre that presents dynamic music, theatre, dance and family events.
Shakespeare & Company is one of the largest and finest Shakespeare festivals in North America!*
Williamstown Theatre Festival is a summer-long celebration of theatre that brings together a vast and impressive array of top-name actors and offers audiences varied cultural experiences.