A Museum Focused Trip to the Berkshires
Jason Lyon

If you love art, music, and dance, then one of the best ways to travel is on a museum focused trip.  That’s why U.S. and Canadian art museums regularly visit the Berkshires with their members.  Unlike anywhere else in the country, creating a Berkshire itinerary allows museum travel planners to combine some of the Northeast’s most idyllic scenery with a cultural landscape that normally can only be found within the greatest urban centers.  It’s simply not possible to see all that we have to offer in one weekend!  But here is one way to experience some of our region’s most beloved art, music, and dance attractions:

Friday

Cutting-edge contemporary art and the most magnificent works of the French Impressionists live within a few short miles of each other in the Berkshire’s beautiful North County.  Begin your Berkshire adventure in the shadow of Massachusetts’ highest peak, Mount Greylock, by visiting two internationally-renowned art museums in North Adams and Williamstown.  Then travel to the central Berkshires for a traditional supper at the peaceful and historic Hancock Shaker Village.

Morning:

Visit MASS MoCA

MASS MoCA
87 Marshall Street,
North Adams, MA 01247
(413) 664-4481
www.massmoca.org

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASSMoCA) is on a 13 acre formal industrial site which now houses the largest collection of contemporary art in the country.  Since opening in 1999, MASS MoCA has become one of the world’s premier centers for making and showing the best art of our time. With annual attendance of 120,000, it ranks among the most visited institutions in the United States dedicated to new art. More than 80 major new works of art and more than 50 performances have been created through fabrication and rehearsal residencies in North Adams, making MASS MoCA perhaps the most fertile site in the country for new art. The museum thrives on making and presenting work that is fresh, surprising, and challenging.

Afternoon:

Visit The Clark

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267
(413) 458-2303
www.clarkart.edu

In 1950 Sterling and Francine Clark chartered the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute as a home for their extensive art collection. Opened to public in 1955, the Institute has built upon this extraordinary group of works to become one of the most beloved and respected art museums in the world, known for its intimate galleries and stunning natural environment. The collections focus almost exclusively on European and American painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative art from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. The Institute’s greatest strengths lie in nineteenth-century European and American painting, especially the French Impressionists; English silver; master drawings and prints; and, in recent years, the Institute’s growing collection of early photography.

Evening:

Experience a “Shaker Dinner and Song Tour” at the Hancock Shaker Village

Hancock Shaker Village
Route 20 & 41, Pittsfield, MA 01202
(413) 443-0188
www.hancockshakervillage.org

The Hancock Shaker Village brings the Shaker story to life and preserves it for future generations. The Shaker Dinner and Song Tour affords visitors the ultimate Village experience. A guide in traditional Shaker dress accompanies your group in a two-hour walking tour that highlights and emphasizes themes of community, farming, and innovation and technology. The tour culminates with cider and cheese under the Visitors Center Timber Frame, where your group is treated to an unparalleled view of the Round Stone Barn. A sumptuous four-course Shaker-inspired dinner, served up in the modern comfort of Community Hall, begins with the singing of a Shaker grace and concludes with a program of music that helps to illuminate Shaker beliefs. The bountiful buffet-style dinner offers two entrees.

Saturday

Spend an entire day exploring Stockbridge, one of New England’s most beautiful mountain villages.  Visit museums celebrating two of America’s most beloved artists, then take a short drive to Becket for a magnificent evening of modern dance at Jacob’s Pillow, America’s longest-running dance festival.

Morning:

Visit Chesterwood

Chesterwood
4 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262
(413) 298-3579
www.chesterwood.org

Chesterwood, a National Trust Historic Site, is the country home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), creator of the Minute Man and Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial. Situated on 122 acres in the idyllic hamlet of Glendale near Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the property and its buildings were donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation by French’s only child, Margaret French Cresson (1889-1973).  Inspired by the natural beauty of the Berkshire Hills, French purchased the former Marshall Warner farm in 1896.  Each year, during the month of May, he left his permanent home and studio in New York for six months and moved with his family to Chesterwood, where he worked on over 200 public and private commissions.  Many of French’s plaster sketches, including models of his Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial, are on view today in his Studio as well as in the permanent exhibit, Daniel Chester French: Sculpting an American Vision, in Barn Gallery.  In 2010, visitors to Chesterwood are invited to explore An Artist’s Landscape, a self-guided tour of the beautiful formal gardens and woodland paths created by French himself. 

Afternoon:

Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum

Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Glendale Road, Route 183,
Stockbridge, MA 01262
(413) 298-4100
www.nrm.org

The Norman Rockwell Museum houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of Rockwell’s work, including 574 original paintings and drawings. 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 houses the Norman Rockwell Archives, a collection of more than 100,000 items, including working photographs, letters, personal calendars, fan mail, and business documents.  One of the great charms of the Museum is its location. Rockwell lived in Stockbridge for the last 25 years of his life, and many of Rockwell’s world-renowned images were drawn from the surrounding community and its residents. “The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, must be one of the most popular museums in the world,” wrote author Paul Johnson, “crammed from dawn till dusk with delighted visitors crowding round the originals of much-loved paintings. And one of the further pleasures of this enchanting place is that in the nearby little towns you can recognize among the locals the children and grandchildren of those whom Rockwell painted with dedicated veracity.”

Evening:

Attend a performance at Jacob’s Pillow

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01223
(413) 243-0745
www.jacobspillow.org

Jacob’s Pillow Dance is lauded worldwide as a “hub and mecca of dancing” (TIME Magazine), “one of America’s most precious cultural assets” (Mikhail Baryshnikov), and “the dance center of the nation” (The New York Times). “The Pillow” is a treasured 163-acre National Historic Landmark, a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival. Each year thousands of people from across the U.S. and around the globe visit the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts to experience the Festival with more than 50 dance companies and 200 free performances, talks, and events; train at The School at Jacob’s Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S.; explore the Pillow’s rare and extensive dance Archives; and take part in numerous Community Programs designed to educate and engage dance audiences of all ages.

Sunday

It’s summer in the Berkshires, and for music-lovers around the world that means something magical is happening: Tanglewood is in season! First spend a fascinating morning in Lenox by visiting a gem for contemporary art enthusiasts – the Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio.  Then drive just down the street to experience the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s magnificent summer home for a matinee performance.  It’s the grand finale to your Berkshire adventure.

Morning:

Visit the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio

Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio
92 Hawthorne St.
Lenox, MA 01240
(413) 637-9790
www.frelinghuysen.org

George L. K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen, prolific abstract artists since the late 1930s, were a remarkable couple at the leading edge of the national and international art scene. Collectors and intellectuals, they created a Berkshire home that reflected their aesthetic worlds. Now you can tour their world, preserved just as it was when they created it. In 1929, George L.K. Morris traveled to Paris and studied with Fernand Leger and Amedee Ozenfant in Ozenfants’s Le Corbusier designed studio. On his return to America, Morris wanted to duplicate the white-stucco walled, notched roof, open-spaced studio. In 1930, with the help of Boston architect and Yale classmate George Sanderson, he designed and built his studio on a portion of his parents’ Lenox, Massachusetts estate, “Brookhurst.” It was the first Modern structure to be built in New England. The Wadsworth Athenaeum’s Avery Memorial Building and the Gropius House in Lexington, Massachusetts were built several years later.  In 1941, now married to artist and singer Suzy Frelinghuysen, Morris chose a local architect, John Butler Swann to design a house which would be integrated into the existing studio. A two story stucco and glass block house with a colorful mural by Morris connecting the house and garage was built. Visitors can walk through the House with all of its original furnishings and view not only the works of Morris and Frelinghuysen on the walls, but walk right up to the works of some of their more famous colleagues and contemporaries including Picasso, Braque, Leger and Gris. As Director Kinney Frelinghuysen notes, “The integration of living quarters with the immediacy of a concentration of works of art is a pleasurable and unexpected way to propel visitors into early 20th century art.”

Afternoon:

Attend a matinee Boston Symphony Orchestra concert at Tanglewood

Tanglewood
297 West Street
Lenox, MA 01240
(617) 639-9345
www.tanglewood.org

For 75 years, Tanglewood has created a sublime experience of musical performance amidst the pastoral beauty of the Berkshire Hills.  Summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, Tanglewood is attended by over 350,000 visitors each year who come from around the world to hear the most exciting artists of classical, jazz, and popular music.  Such musical legends of the past such as Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland found an inspirational home at Tanglewood, as have current artists John Williams, Phyllis Curtin, Seiji Ozawa, and James Taylor.  Our audiences come away both enriched and renewed by the majesty of this internationally-renowned summer festival in the Berkshires.   Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts occur every Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons during the summer season.  Dining options and pre-concert function space are available, and the Group Sales Office offers ample free bus parking, group discounts, flexible payment plans, and the personalized service needed to ensure that your group’s visit is a special one.

Jason Lyon is the Associate Director of Group Sales at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood.  Jason sits on the Board of Directors for the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, regularly represents the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops/Tanglewood at national and international tourism events (including the National Tour Association and Student/Youth Travel Association Conventions), and he has written articles about Berkshire tourism for group tour industry publications.

“The scale of the Berkshires is an exact fit for bicyclists, whose sensuous pace is ideal for full discovery of the county’s understated elegance and its historical and present day cultural richness.  Civilization is never far away from the county’s miles of secondary roads that snake their way through gentle finger-shaped valleys and misty hills.  Just by riding, bicyclists savor sights, sounds and smells in a way unknown to travelers restricted by the confines of a car,” Lewis Cuyler, bike rider in the Berkshire Hills.

Don’t forget to add biking to your group tour’s itinerary, it is a great way to get outside and truly enjoy the Berkshire landscape, it is the perfect activity for alumni groups, team building meetings, family reunions and/or outdoor enthusiasts. With groups you will always have a variety of experience levels so the best place to begin is an easy ride that the whole group can enjoy. Look for a guide for your groups biking experience then contact Taking Shape and they will be happy to create a bike experience tailored to your groups ability level or else contact the Berkshire Cycle Association and they will gladly lead a ride for your group.

South County offers routes through the five communities of Lenox, Lee, Great Barrington, Stockbridge and Sheffield, all of them offering rolling hills and numerous points of interest.  The Southern and central portions of Berkshire County are part of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area (Housatonic Heritage), a region that boasts a rich, diverse identity.  Biking is the ideal way to sample this river valley region and to experience its historical, cultural and natural resources.

The Berkshire Bike Path Council (BBPC), in partnership with Housatonic Heritage, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and the five South County towns – has produced a touring map for cyclists that identify historic landmarks, tourist attractions and cultural destinations in this area.  The new South County Touring Map insures that you’ll reach your desired destination, and the accompanying information will enhance the riding experience by identifying important heritage resources along the way

Begin your ride in picturesque Stockbridge, a town immortalized by Norman Rockwell whose work is preserved at the Norman Rockwell Museum (a perfect stop off for the group to relax and soak up some culture).   Alternately begin in Lenox then stop at the world renowned Tanglewood Music Center , only a short distance from the town center. From there you can cycle to the Historic Railroad in Lenoxdale.  Riding in Lee you can pass the classic High Lawn and the mills that reflect their industrial history. Cycling through Great Barrington includes the sites of the last battle of Shay‘s Rebellion where rebel farmer’s protested against land taxes and the home of Elizabeth Freeman, the first freed slave in Massachusetts.  Bicycling routes cross the Housatonic River often, but crossing over the covered bridge in Sheffield is a historic highlight (this is a great photo opportunity for the group).

If you are going to lead the ride be sure to note that most rides begin in each of the town centers, where parking and restrooms are available.  Most rides are about 10-15 miles but loops and routes intersect for those interested in longer rides. The map describes the routes indicating cycling challenges.  Rides are predominately on road, some less traveled roads and others on busier roads that are more appropriate for experienced riders.  Helmets are required in Massachusetts for children under 12; however BBPC recommends helmets for ALL cyclists.

The new South County Touring map is available at Visitor Centers, Bike Shops, libraries, town halls and other businesses, and may be downloaded as a PDF from www.HousatonicHeritage.org.  Visit www.BerkshireBikePath.com for more bicycling resources.

Does your group need to RENT a bike while they are here in the Berkshires? Check out these outfitters:

Berkshire Bike & Board – Great Barrington
413-528-5555
www.berkshirebikeandboard.com  

Plaines Bike, Ski, Snowboard – Pittsfield
413-499-0294
www.plaines.com

Berkshire Outfitters – Adams
413-743-5900
www.berkshireoutfitters.com

Marge has been president of BBPC for the last 11 years, working to build a path from Vermont to CT.

Lew, who supported and edited this article, is a former Editor of the Transcript and author of Bike Rides in the Berkshire Hills.

Explore Williamstown and Great Barrington
2 Berkshire Gems 

Williamstown:

Nestled in the extreme northwest corner of Massachusetts and set hard against the borders of Vermont and New York, is Williamstown, Massachusetts – broadly acclaimed as the crown jewel of Berkshire County. This thriving rural community of just over 6,000 is ranked in The 100 Best Small Towns in America and is an ideal place for groups to while away a day.

Your group will find a delightful array of specialty stores, restaurants, spas, museums and historic inns that they can explore. A couple great group friendly lodging options are The Williams Inn and The Orchard’s Hotel.

The center of town is intertwined with the campus of prestigious Williams College, founded in 1793 and ranked as the #1 liberal arts college in America by US News & World Report. Looking for something to do spur of the moment and have some sports lovers in your tour? Then walk in off the street and enjoy outstanding Division III college basketball, hockey, soccer, football – men’s and women’s – for free at one of Williams’ world class facilities.

Be sure not to miss great selection of shops and restaurants sprinkled throughout town. For ethnic flavors try out Spice Root Modern Indian Cuisine or if you are looking for more traditional fair try out Water Street Grill. Looking for a farm to table meal? Then travel to Mezze Bistro just outside of town and have the chef create a meal just for your group. Now that you are feed be sure to stop in at Where’d You Get That? for a fun gift shopping experience and be sure not to miss the Harrison Gallery.

For art lovers, The Clark Art Institute and Williams College Museum of Art are near downtown and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) is just minutes away in North Adams. Rounding out the cultural highlights is the Williamstown Theater Festival. Add a full calendar of festivities, shows and special events, and it’s no surprise that so many groups find Williamstown irresistible.

The scenic beauty of Mount Greylock, Massachusetts’ highest peak (3,491 feet above sea level) provides a gorgeous backdrop…Simply put, Williamstown has more than something for everyone.

Now that you have enjoyed some of the treasures that can be found in the northern part of Berkshire County it is time to give your group a chance to explore a south county town. Hop on the bus and head to Great Barrington.

Great Barrington:

A visit to Great Barrington doesn’t mean you have to be “away from it all” unless you truly want to be!  The Southern Berkshires offer so much for your group’s getaway that it’s difficult to know where to start! Dozens of Berkshire lodging properties offer a variety of options. Comfort Inn & Suites is situated in the heart of Massachusetts’ Berkshire Mountains and is an upscale hotel offering upscale group accommodation or check out what the Holiday Inn Express or Days Inn in Great Barrington have to offer. And close by to downtown Great Barrington your group can enjoys staying at the Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield the perfect place to relax in a scenic Berkshire country setting.

Voted as the Best Foodie Shopping Area in New England by Boston Magazine and one of the Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in the U.S.A. by Budget Travel, Great Barrington is definitely the place to be and Railroad Street is one main reason why.   Only one block long, this little street is jam-packed with fun places to explore during your visit.

If your group is coming during the winter months don’t forget to add skiing to the itinerary!  In Great Barrington there is Ski Butternut which offers ski enthusiasts 22 downhill trails covering 112 acres and serviced by 12 lifts, a new 5-lane tubing center and a well-known ski school. Close by in S. Egremont, Catamount Ski Area boasts 6 lifts servicing 32 trails and park areas covering 119 acres of prime downhill skiing and snowboarding. Plan to come back in the spring and summer to experience Catamount Adventure Park’s ropes course great for team building!

While you are here, be sure to check out the stretch of Route 7 that runs through Sheffield often referred to as Antique Alley. Back in town be sure your group gets a chance to satisfy their sweet tooth at Robin’s Candy Store. This is the place to go for penny candy, fudge, gelato and just about any kind of treat you can imagine.

Also The Mahaiwe Theater offers great cultural programming and is group friendly. This theater was built in 1905 but has recently been restored and is well worth a visit.

Group visitors are often amazed at the delicious dining options South County has to offer!   To name just a few, the Route 7 Grill offers the best barbeque around  (so says Yankee Magazine) with a cozy New England farmhouse atmosphere and Baba Louie’s serves up wood-fired, organic sourdough pizza in a gourmet, family-friendly setting.

Enjoy some live jazz at the Castle Street Cafe, settle down in a cozy rustic setting at the Old Mill, surround yourself with succulent aromas and history at the Stagecoach Tavern, or treat yourself to a meal fit for royalty at The Old Inn on the Green.

Throughout its history, Great Barrington and the area has been the home of some very important people and events.  Your group can walk down the first street ever to be lit up with electricity (Main Street, Great Barrington), follow in the footsteps of W.E.B. Dubois, visit the homes of Colonel Ashley and Mum Bett or Reverend Adonijah Bidwell, see the site of the battle of Shay’s Rebellion, and experience the area where some of America’s most famous artists and writers got their inspiration.

Be sure to take time to explore Monument Mountain, hike to Bash Bish Falls, explore Bartholomew’s Cobble, or wander along the River Walk for breathtaking scenery you’ll not soon forget.

Be sure that whatever itinerary you are creating that you make time to include a variety of Berkshire towns so that your group can get a real feel for the area and come to discover how each town has its own personality and a rich variety of unique offers. See you soon in the Berkshires!

A Season of Inspiration for Groups at Berkshire Gardens
Robin Parow

The Berkshire Hills are a natural destination for groups and specifically for groups that include garden enthusiasts looking for ideas and inspiration or just looking for a fun way to enjoy the great outdoors.  On the map for many is the 77-year old Berkshire Botanical Garden, called a “glistening community gem” by Virginia Small, author of Great Gardens of the Berkshires.  Berkshire Botanical Garden is in good company; within a short driving distance are seven noted gardens that will both inspire and inform: Ashintully Gardens, The Mission House, Naumkeag, Chesterwood, Hancock Shaker Village, The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Estate and Gardens and The Vincent J. Hebert Arboretum.

Berkshire Botanical Garden features over 20 display gardens on 15 acres and is the region’s center for horticultural education. Extensive perennial and annual display gardens, a children’s garden, rock garden, pond garden, day lily beds and edible gardens are among the favorites featuring over 3,000 of species that thrive in zone 5. The Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, and is open May through Columbus Day with group tours and lectures available, as well as ample bus parking. More information can be obtained at www.berkshirebotanical.org or by calling 413-298-3926.

The Trustees of Reservations oversee three gardens in the Berkshires. Ashintully Garden is largely a green garden, combining natural elements such as native trees, a stream, grass terraces and meadows defined and connected by architectural features, statuary, foot bridges and stone stairs.  Located on Sodom Road in Tyringham, it is open June through October on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 1-5 pm.  The Mission House, located one block west of the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge features a Colonial Revival garden demonstrating that these historic gardens were both useful and beautiful.  It is open Thursday through Monday, Memorial Day through Columbus Day. Located at 5 Prospect Hill Road, Stockbridge, Naumkeag is distinguished by its beautifully landscaped grounds and distinctive garden “rooms” including a rose garden, Chinese garden and the famous Blue Steps, a series of fountain pools.  Open daily Memorial Day-Columbus Day, 10 am-5 pm.  Why not make a it a full day of garden touring and plan to take your group to all three memorable locations? Visit www.thetrustees.org or call 413-298-3239 for additional informatin on these three gardens.

Chesterwood is the country home, studio and gardens of sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850-1931).  Be sure to plan to get a guided group tour of both the studio and the residence to get the most out of your visit! Visitors will be inspired by the breathtaking vistas of the Berkshire Hills and the natural beauty of the landscape, sculptures, and perennials gardens.  Open Memorial Day through Columbus Day, 10-5, it is located at 4 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge. More information is available by calling 413-298-3579 or at www.chesterwood.org.

Hancock Shaker Village, located at Routes 20 & 41 in Pittsfield replicates herb and vegetable gardens of the Shaker communities.  More than 100 varieties of herbs, medicinal plants, and heirloom vegetable and seed beds are featured.  At Hancock Shaker Village, aside from the traditional guided tours for group, they offer a number of specialty tours designed for groups with specific interests, or who are looking for a unique experience in Shaker dining. Open April 16-May 27, 10 am-4pm and May 28-October 30, 10 am-5 pm.  Learn more at www.hancockshakervillage.org or call 413-443-0188.

The Mount Estate and Gardens incorporates Edith Wharton’s favorite European influences into the Berkshire landscape.  The 49-acre woodland estate includes informal gardens featuring an Italian walled garden, a 17^th century-style French flower garden, grass steps and terraces.  Their experienced and knowledgeable guides will tailor their tours of The Mount to suit your groups interests. Discounted rates and special touring options apply to groups of 10 or more people. Open daily May-October, 10-5; it is located at 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox. More information at:  www.edithwharton.org or by calling 413-551-5111.

So get on the bus and bring along a boxed lunch so that you can relax and enjoy these wonderful gardens of the Berkshires – they are here as a result of garden lovers and environmentalists who had the vision to maintain and protect gardens and green spaces for generations to come.  Be a force of nature: Visit a Garden!

Reunions represent celebrations of people sharing good times. They force us to put our preprogrammed planners aside, turn-off TVs and tune-out the “noise.” They invite us to reminisce and laugh while enjoying the company of others. The Berkshires is a great location for reunions. Thoreau once likened the Berkshires as “Heaven on Earth” and it’s no wonder with a plethora of fun activities to relax and unwind or rev-up and accelerate. For reunion planners, this generates a win-win gathering for families, friends, travel clubs, tour groups, or hiking and fishing buddies. Plan your reunion now and let that GPS in your car or your group’s tour bus direct navigate to the Berkshires. Winter 2012 is upon us but it’s not too late to choose reunion dates for next year. Focus on mid-week days which offer the best deals.

The biggest questions most group organizers have is where should we stay and will there be enough to do? First, what is your group’s comfort level? That’s really important. Some folks like to be pampered from sun-up to sun-down and that means staying in a place that offers an inviting breakfast ambiance serving foods from local farms. Whatever you are looking for the Berkshires of Western MA has the lodging for you. Try the Williams Inn, Williamstown;Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge; Seven Hills Inn, Lenox; The Orchards or The Guest House at Field Farm in Williamstown as well as Porches Inn, North Adams. Other great group friendly lodging options are the Crowne Plaza, Pittsfield; Jiminy Peak, Hancock; Comfort Inn & Suites, Great Barrington; Yankee Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites and Days Inn, Lenox; Holiday Inn Berkshires.

Second, activities play a big part in setting the scene and often this includes a specially prepared meal, usually the highlight of the gathering. Depending on your group’s size, here are a few unique dining suggestions: Bascom Lodge atop scenic Mount Greylock; dine in candlelight at the Old Inn on the Green, New Marlborough; experience a farm to table meal at Route 7 Grill, Great Barrington; gaze upon fall colors from John Harvard’s at Jiminy Peak or the historic Stagecoach Tavern in Sheffield; dine inside a rustic barn at Bucksteep Manor, Washington or in the center of Pittsfield’s artist community sampling Italian fare, Japanese Sushi, French wines, Indian bread, Malaysian dishes or Mexican enchiladas and American hamburgers.

Finer dining attracts smaller groups to gilded age Blantyre and Wheatleigh, or larger groups to Gedney Farm and Cranwell Resort. Canyon Ranch Lenox features an all-inclusive stay for groups.

So, whether your reunion includes biking on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, hiking on Monument Mountain, whitewater rafting along the Deerfield River or a deep tissue massage and a yoga class, it’s gratifying to know that all of these options exist in the Berkshires. Now you know why the Berkshires is a “must do” for your group’s reunion.

Check out the Berkshire Visitors Bureau’s web site for a complete listing of lodging and dining.

Busy schedules and budget constraints often translate into shorter, more condensed group itineraries. In the culturally rich Berkshires, this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice content! The Berkshires are big, it’s true, and offer plenty of reasons to visit again and again, taking advantage of seasonal opportunities and special limited-time festivals. But if you’ve got 3-4 days between Memorial Day and Columbus Day this year, be sure to consider this classic Berkshires itinerary.

American Icons is a group of four Berkshire County museums (Chesterwood, Hancock Shaker Village, The Mount and Norman Rockwell Museum) that joined together in 2008 to offer combination ticket packages. Visitors can choose two, three, or all four sites and receive substantial discounts on admission. The best value is yours when you visit all four, and indeed, the Pick Four American Icons Pass offers a better bottom line than contracting for group rates at the individual sites on your own.

The sites are situated closely together in the central Berkshires (the two furthest from each other are less than 14 miles apart) and offer excellent visitor amenities including gift shops, guided tour upgrades, and luncheon cafés at three of the participating sites. Performing arts centers, concert halls and gardens are just as plentiful in the region, and this itinerary offers a sampling of those as well.

Lodging and group dining are available nearby in Lenox, Stockbridge, or Pittsfield. Depending on the size of your group, you may opt for one of the many Bed & Breakfasts listed on the Berkshire Visitors Bureau website. Highlights for group meals include The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Gateways Inn in Lenox, and the Dakota Restaurant in Pittsfield.

Day 1, Morning: Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum, and enjoy a semi-private or private catered lunch on their covered patio.
Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Glendale Road, Route 183,
Stockbridge, MA 01262
(413) 298-4100
www.nrm.org

The Norman Rockwell Museum houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of Rockwell’s work, including 574 original paintings and drawings. 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 houses the Norman Rockwell Archives, a collection of more than 100,000 items, including working photographs, letters, personal calendars, fan mail, and business documents. Changing exhibitions celebrate illustrators of all types, including graphic artists, cartoonists and children’s book illustrators.

Day 1, Afternoon: Visit Chesterwood
Chesterwood
4 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262
(413) 298-3579
www.chesterwood.org

Chesterwood, a National Trust Historic Site, is the country home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), creator of the Minute Man and Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial. Situated on 122 acres in the idyllic hamlet of Glendale near Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the property and its buildings were donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation by French’s only child, Margaret French Cresson (1889-1973). Inspired by the natural beauty of the Berkshire Hills, French purchased the former Marshall Warner farm in 1896. Each year, during the month of May, he left his permanent home and studio in New York for six months and moved with his family to Chesterwood, where he worked on over 200 public and private commissions. Many of French’s plaster sketches, including models of his Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial, are on view today in his Studio as well as in the permanent exhibit, Daniel Chester French: Sculpting an American Vision, in Barn Gallery.

Day 1, Evening: Catch a show at Barrington Stage
Barrington Stage
30 Union St., Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 236-8888
www.barringtonstageco.org

Barrington Stage Company 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. Co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, 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. The 2012 summer season includes productions of Fiddler on the Roof and Lord of the Flies.

Day 2, Morning: Visit Hancock Shaker Village and enjoy a Shaker-inspired lunch in their private dining room.
Hancock Shaker Village
Route 20 & 41, Pittsfield, MA 01202
(413) 443-0188
www.hancockshakervillage.org

Hancock Shaker Village brings the Shaker story to life and preserves it for future generations. The 20 buildings of the historic Village draw visitors from around the world. From April through October, visitors may roam the Village at their own pace, talking with interpreters and choosing from a variety of craft demonstrations and programs. In the Visitors Center, exhibitions look deeper into specific aspects of Shaker life and place the Shakers into a broader American context. Guided tours are also available through advance arrangements. Throughout the Village, artisans demonstrate Shaker crafts, gardeners tend herb and heirloom vegetable gardens, farmers talk about livestock on the Shaker farm, and guides teach about Shaker worship and work. The Visitors Center houses a changing exhibitions gallery, which in 2012 will feature1930’s WPA photographs of Shaker sites.

Day 2, Afternoon: Herman Melville’s Arrowhead
Berkshire Historical Society at Arrowhead
780 Holmes Rd.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 442-1793
www.mobydick.org

For 2012, the City of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development has chosen the themes of Melville and Moby Dick for its’ outdoor art extravaganza. “Call Me Melville” will offer a large number and variety of art expressions in the downtown area of Pittsfield. At Arrowhead, under the umbrella of “The Power of Genius: Landscape and Inspiration”, we will be offering a multitude of artistic offering and possibilities. From plays of the Melville family, written by Sally Filkins and performed by the VOICES Theatre Company, a straw sculpture of Ahab and Moby-Dick by Michael Melle in our North Field, a poetry house, Art in the Barn, and painters in the field, we‘ll explore all the ways that location can inspire.

Day 2, Evening: The Berkshire Theatre Group
Berkshire Theatre Group
111 South St., Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 997-4444
www.thecolonialtheatre.org

The Colonial Theatre & Berkshire Theatre Festival have merged and continue to present live music, comedy, dance, family programming and more! Choose from packed schedules of musicians, magicians, new works and classic theatre performances. 2012 musical performers on the Colonial stage include Bob Weir and Colin Hay, with A Chorus Line being presented by the Berkshire Theatre Festival in the summer of 2012.

Day 3, Morning: Edith Wharton’s Estate, The Mount
The Mount Estate and Gardens
2 Plunkett St., Lenox, MA 01240
(413) 551-5111
www.edithwharton.org

The Mount is both an historic site and a center for culture inspired by the passions and achievements of Edith Wharton. Designed and built by Edith Wharton in 1902, the house embodies the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897). The property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who was also an authority on European landscape design, surrounded by extensive woodlands. Programming at The Mount reflects Wharton’s core interests in the literary arts, interior design and decoration, garden and landscape design, and the art of living. Annual exhibits explore themes from Wharton’s life and work.

Day 3, Afternoon: Berkshire Botanical Garden
Berkshire Botanical Garden
5 West Stockbridge Rd., Stockbridge, MA 01262
(413) 298-3929
www.berkshirebotanical.org

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. 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. Collections emphasize plants that are indigenous to or thrive in the Berkshires; more than 3,000 species and varieties are represented.
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Laura Wolf has led the Hancock Shaker Village Marketing Department since late 2006, and recently became their Director of Operations and Marketing. Laura volunteers with the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Pittsfield Tourism Commission, and was elected to the Berkshire Visitors Bureau Board of Directors in 2011.

At the turn of the 19^th Century, Lenox and the surrounding area was known as “the Inland Newport,” where the New York and Boston Society built “Berkshire Cottages” that rivaled the mansions of Newport.  Indeed, many of these part time residents had homes in both locations – Vanderbilts, Morgans, Carnegies and more. Fortunately, preservation efforts are strong in the Berkshires and visitors (May through October) can still experience the splendor of a bygone era.
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If you have group looking to explore history and preservation the Berkshires of Western MA should be included on an group itinerary you are creating.

Day One:

Start your tour at Ventfort Hall in Lenox, an imposing Jacobean Revival-style mansion built in 1893 for Sarah Morgan, the sister of J. P. Morgan. Designed by the architects Rotch & Tilden, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and de­clared an official project of “Save America’s Treasures,” a Millennium program, Ventfort Hall serves as the home of The Museum of the Gilded Age.

Free time in Lenox- Enjoy the dining and shopping in this quintessential New England town.

Less than a mile away, The Mount is both an historic site and a center for culture inspired by the passions and achievements of American author, Edith Wharton. Designed and built by Wharton in 1902. The Mount embodies the principles outlined in her influential book; The Decoration of Houses (1897). Restoration of the estate began in 1997 after years of neglect and daily tours now include the mansion, stables and gardens.

Day Two:

Chesterwood, is a National Trust Historic Site, located in Stockbridge and the country home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) – creator of the Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial and the Minute Man. Situated on 122 acres in the idyllic hamlet of Glendale just outside of town, the property also features gardens and an annual curated, contemporary sculpture exhibit along woodland trails.

Free time in Stockbridge-Stroll the main street of Stockbridge that inspired Norman Rockwell.

Experience Gilded Age style and splendor at Naumkeag. With its gracious house, magnificent gardens, and panoramic views, Naumkeag is a quintessential country estate of the Gilded Age. Bequeathed in its entirety in 1958 – from furniture to garden tools to its intact dairy barn – this National Historic Landmark provides a special link to Berkshires history. More than that, it is a place where you, like the Choates, can find beauty and rejuvena­tion in a lovely place.

Tour extender # 1 – Museums of north Berkshire. While not directly associated with “the Gilded Age,” two major museums in North Adams and Williamstown show two sides of society from that era – working class factory life and New York arts philanthropy.

Housed on a restored campus of 19th century factory buildings, MASS MoCA (Mas­sachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) is located in North Adams, (right across from The Porches Inn) and is the largest center for contemporary visual and perform­ing arts in North America. Recipient of many prestigious awards for the thoughtful restoration the former Sprague Electric mill, MASS MoCA preserves and reinvigorates the past by displaying the best art of our time in its century old buildings.

Free time in Williamstown- Stop for lunch and then stroll the campus of Williams College.

In 1910, Sterling Clark settled in Paris and began collecting works of art, an interest he inherited from his parents. When he married Francine Clary in 1919, she joined him in what quickly became a shared passion. Together they created a remarkable collection of paintings, silver, sculpture, porcelain, drawings, and prints with complete reliance on their own judgments and tastes. In 1950 the Clarks founded the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute as a permanent home for their collection, and the museum first opened to the public in 1955. “The Clark” has expanded over the last five decades to become the influential institution it is today.

Tour extender # 2 – Artist studios. The studio at Chesterwood is one of three artist spaces that have been preserved in the Berkshires – consider including Norman Rockwell’s studio and the Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio for a slightly different experience. More info at www.berkshires.org.

Brian Butterworth is Director of Sales for The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and the Porches Inn at MASS MoCA in North Adams. He is active in the industry, and has held leadership positions in the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, New England Inns & Resorts Association and NTA.