Mass Appeal

The Beauty and Bounty of the Berkshires

by Peter Aaron, June 29, 2011

Occupying the Western edge of Massachusetts, the lush region known as the Berkshires is named for the Berkshire Mountains (also called the Berkshire Hills), which stretch north to Vermont and south to Connecticut. The place has long had a powerfully magnetic effect on a strikingly diverse range of people, starting with the Eastern Algonquin tribes. It later became a volatile center of the American Revolution and the home of not only the austere and innovative Shakers but also the wealthy industrialists who built the lavish estates that earned the area its nickname of “the inland Newport.” Just as they were to visitors over a century ago, the Berkshires today are a prime tourism destination boasting fresh climes and gorgeous scenic surroundings during all four seasons. Besides containing a confluence of cute towns, outdoor activities, unique shops, and world-class dining, the territory is a crossroads of culture and the arts, with numerous museums and venues presenting the best in music, theater, visual art, and dance. Here are just a few appetizing attractions to get you started on your own lasting love affair with the beautiful Berkshires.

Modern Marvels
Almost as soon as it opened in a disused North Adams electronics factory in 1999, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art—commonly called MassMOCA—has led the small mill town in an economic and cultural rebirth. The unmissable MassMOCA is America’s largest center for modern visual and performing arts and presents inspiring and cutting-edge acts, films, and exhibits by the world’s foremost artists. Taking up a formidable 13 acres, the complex’s six pristinely restored buildings house 250,000 square feet of galleries, performance venues, studios, cafés, and shops. Thanks to its sheer size, the family-friendly site regularly hosts monumental works like Robert Rauschenberg’s 1/4 Mile or 2 Furlong Piece and large performance events like rock band Wilco’s recent Solid Sound festival.
www.massmoca.org

Splish Splash, Bash Bish
Taking its name from the stunning 60-foot-high waterfall it surrounds, Bash Bish Falls State Park is part of a cluster of parks and nature preserves located in the southwest corner of the state near the tiny town of Mount Washington. Accessible via a moderately strenuous uphill trail, the falls themselves are encircled by several gorges and a ravine and forest wooded with oak, maple, beech, and Eastern Hemlock trees, and populated by numerous species of wildlife. The park is adjacent to the 1,356-acre Mount Everett State Reservation, the 4,000-acre Mount Washington State Forest, and, just across the border, New York’s 5,000-acre Taconic State Park, which has full-service camping and amenities.
www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/bash.htm

A Cozy Den
Stockbridge’s historic and quaint Red Lion Inn has been sheltering visitors in fine and welcoming style for over 200 years. One of the rare remaining New England inns in operation since the 18th century, the Red Lion features 108 distinctly decorated guest rooms, along with live entertainment nightly, a year-round heated outdoor pool and hot tub, and shopping at the Red Lion Gift Shop and Country Curtains Store. The inn offers both elegant and casual on-site meals and libations, with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients, via its main dining room, garden courtyard, Lion’s Den pub, and Widow Bingham’s Tavern.
www.redlioninn.com


The Bard in the Berkshires
Now nearing its 35th anniversary, the nationally recognized Shakespeare & Company, in Lenox, is a leading center for theatrical performance, training, and education. On its magnificent 30-acre campus the organization presents Shakespeare’s works in a manner befitting his Elizabethan patrons. In its many unique performance spaces, the company also develops and produces new plays of social and political significance. This year brings “As You Like It,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “The Two Gentlemen of Verona,” plus the non-Shakespearian “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” “The Memory of Water,” and “Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins.”
www.shakespeare.org

Spirits of the Hills
Berkshire Mountain Distillers, the region’s first legal distillery since the end of Prohibition, was established in 2007 on a farm just outside the center of Great Barrington. The spot is home to historic spring waters that flow from deep within a protected granite mountain bordering the Appalachian Trail and which are used in the production of the company’s award-winning, handcrafted, artisanal, small-batch spirits; these include such locally named products as Greylock Gin, Ragged Mountain Rum, Ice Glen Vodka, Berkshire Bourbon, and New England Corn Whiskey. The family-run firm’s wares can be sampled at numerous area outlets, tastings, and culinary events (see website for details).
www.berkshiremountaindistillers.com