The Best Weekend Getaways From New York City

The Berkshires, an Ideal Getaway

MSN Lifestyle, September, 2020
By Claire Volkman, Sarah Buder, and Laura Dannen Redman

Photo by T Photography/Shutterstock. With more than 200,000 square feet of exhibition space, MASS MoCA is one of the largest centers for contemporary and performing arts in the United States.

How far are the Berkshires from NYC?

You can reach the Berkshires in about 3.5 hours by car via the Taconic State Parkway.

Why go to the Berkshires?

Adventure and art enthusiasts will find their ideal getaway in the Berkshires, a mountainous area in western Massachusetts that, in recent years, has become a Northeastern epicenter of culture thanks to a rush of entrepreneurs transforming the region’s formerly derelict buildings into contemporary galleries and lodging.

Where to stay

Check into Tourists, a sleek, ecofriendly lodge opened in 2018 by John Stirratt (the bassist with the Chicago alt rock group Wilco) in North Adams’s previously rundown Redwood Motel. Note that during COVID, the lodge is open Thursdays through Sundays with a three-night minimum.

Things to do

Stay the weekend in North Adams, a small city near the Vermont state line that’s home to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), a 19th-century factory mill complex turned modern center for world-class art. Roam more than 2,000 square feet of the museum’s sprawling exhibition space, then head outdoors to nearby Mount Greylock and traverse hiking trails that lead to the highest point in Massachusetts. (Start planning your trip with this complete guide to the perfect weekend in the Berkshires.)

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