Berkshires in September
August 31, 2022 11:00 AM Subscribe
I'll be in the Berkshires the third week of September. Any and all recommendations will be appreciated - hikes, museums, historical sites, restaurants, music, art, etc. I'm staying in Lenox and visiting friends who live in Dalton.
(I've read this previous from four years ago)
(I've read this previous from four years ago)
Best answer: I like Wharton's The Mount. I wouldn't say her home is a must do (It's not stand out as a historic home) but the grounds are free and it is an the perfect place for a picnic and a walk. Lovely.
If you'd like a historic home I think I'd choose Naukeag close by. Stockbridge is small but between a stroll in the town, Naukeag, and the mandatory stop at the bakery little lamb, that's a nice afternoon.
Bash Bish falls is a lovely short hike.
posted by beccaj at 11:23 AM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you'd like a historic home I think I'd choose Naukeag close by. Stockbridge is small but between a stroll in the town, Naukeag, and the mandatory stop at the bakery little lamb, that's a nice afternoon.
Bash Bish falls is a lovely short hike.
posted by beccaj at 11:23 AM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Just be aware that there's a music festival at Mass MoCA Sept 23-25, which would not be a fun surprise if you went there hoping for a chill museum trip! But otherwise North Adams (Mass MoCA) and Williamstown (the Clark) are both great if you're willing to make the hour-ish drive up. The hiking is great up there too. The Cheshire Harbor Trail in Adams is the shortest hike to the Mt. Greylock summit, and I also like the Hopper Trail in Williamstown (shorter, doesn't summit Greylock). My husband and I visit the area a lot, and our usual move is to pick up sandwiches and snacks at the Wild Oats Market and go for a late morning hike + lunch.
The brewery adjacent to Mass MoCA is nice, and has outdoor seating. Public is also good, as noted above. There's also this new sort of... luxury motel (?) called Tourists between North Adams and Williamstown, and they have a restaurant that I believe you can go to even if you're not a guest. It's in an old house and has a wacky eating-dinner-in-a-haunted-mansion vibe that I really enjoyed the one time I went.
If you decide to stay a night up there, you want the Porches.
posted by catoclock at 12:30 PM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
The brewery adjacent to Mass MoCA is nice, and has outdoor seating. Public is also good, as noted above. There's also this new sort of... luxury motel (?) called Tourists between North Adams and Williamstown, and they have a restaurant that I believe you can go to even if you're not a guest. It's in an old house and has a wacky eating-dinner-in-a-haunted-mansion vibe that I really enjoyed the one time I went.
If you decide to stay a night up there, you want the Porches.
posted by catoclock at 12:30 PM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Besides those mentioned, check out Hancock Shaker Village, the Berkshire Museum, Chesterwood, the Williams College Museum of Art, the Frelinghuysen-Morris House, Mellville's Arrowhead, Norman Rockwell Museum.
posted by beagle at 1:08 PM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by beagle at 1:08 PM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: nthing the Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.
Lunch at the Red Lion Inn (in Stockbridge since the 1700s) is nice- but avoid the weekend if at all possible; once when we were there on a Saturday the wait for lunch was 2 hours.
If you're of the era where you know about Ray and Alice living in a church, and their friend Arlo helped take out the garbage, then maybe check out the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington
posted by TimHare at 9:14 PM on August 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
Lunch at the Red Lion Inn (in Stockbridge since the 1700s) is nice- but avoid the weekend if at all possible; once when we were there on a Saturday the wait for lunch was 2 hours.
If you're of the era where you know about Ray and Alice living in a church, and their friend Arlo helped take out the garbage, then maybe check out the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington
posted by TimHare at 9:14 PM on August 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
For hiking maps/guides/advice, you might try contacting the Williams College Outing Club, especially if you’re planning a stop by the Clark. The office is in a publicly accessible student center and I can attest that the director is a famously nice person.
posted by MadamM at 1:03 PM on September 1, 2022
posted by MadamM at 1:03 PM on September 1, 2022
A little East of the Berkshires, but Northampton is charming, and the Smith College Museum of Art is well worth a visit.
posted by transitional procedures at 1:15 PM on September 1, 2022
posted by transitional procedures at 1:15 PM on September 1, 2022
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-- the Clark Institute blew me away
-- Mass MOCA, obviously (but if you don't have a ton of time choose the Clark which is smaller and more manageable)
-- had a lovely dinner at Public, in North Adams
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:12 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]