Top Things to do in Berkshires
Top Hotels in Berkshires
- 1. LakeHouse Inn
- 2. Cornell Inn Lenox
- 3. Vacation Village in the Berkshires
- 4. Fairfield Inn & Suites Great Barrington Lenox/Berkshires
- 5. MAPLE TERRACE MOTEL
- 6. Hampton Inn & Suites Berkshires Lenox
- 7. Cornell Inn Lenox
- 8. Yankee Inn
- 9. The Black Swan Inn Lee - Lenox, Ascend Hotel Collection
- 10. Seven Hills Inn
What to do and see in Berkshires, Berkshires: The Best Historic Sites
The Berkshires are home to an impressive collection of cultural and historic sights. Get your fill of music, art and theater at Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony's summer home, MASS MoCA, the country's largest contemporary art center, the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Recreational opportunities also abound, including snowshoeing, snowboarding, skiing, rafting, kayaking, fishing and golf. The Berkshires are an easy drive, just two and a half hours from Boston and New York.
Restaurants in Berkshires
1. The Mount, Edith Wharton's Home
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 917 reviews
The Mount, Edith Wharton's Home is an historic house museum and vibrant cultural center located in the heart of the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. A day at The Mount is an opportunity to experience the beauty and splendor of Wharton’s beloved country estate. Take a tour of the mansion Edith Wharton designed and where she wrote The House of Mirth and Ethan Frome. Explore the extensive grounds and gardens and view this year’s outdoor sculpture show. Enjoy drinks and seasonal fare at the outdoor café and shop for the perfect gift or a new Wharton title in the bookstore. Advance registration required. Please book at EdithWharton.org Please practice safe social distancing while you are here and follow our Safety Guidelines, posted on our website.
Reviewed By bbright1 - New York City, United States
On a roadtrip through the Berkshires decided to stop here for a few minutes. Ended up spending at least a couple of hours. The grounds are stunning and there is so much to explore from the formal gardens, trails through the woods and pet cemetery. I didn't even have time to tour the inside of the house, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Mount.
2. Chesterwood Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 213 reviews
Summer home, studio and gardens of America's foremost sculptor, Daniel Chester French, creator of the Minuteman and the Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. Explore his studio, residence and gardens, including woodland walks, where there is a changing exhibition of contemporary sculpture every summer. Open Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day.
Reviewed By gretchenh165
Beautiful sculptures in his studio on display and a fascinating tour of his summer home in the Berkshires. Our guide was passionate and knew lots of interesting stories about his life, including why the shortest railroad track in the country was on his property. We also explored the lovely meandering trails on the property with contemporary sculptures scattered throughout.
3. Hancock Shaker Village
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 740 reviews
Hancock Shaker Village is a living history museum committed to bringing the Shaker story to life and preserving it for future generations. Called the "City of Peace" by the Shakers who lived here for 179 years until 1960, this community was the third of 19 major Shaker Villages located in New York, New England, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. There are 20 historic buildings on this site. The values that the Shakers embraced -- equality, pacifism, community, sustainability, responsible land stewardship, innovation, simplicity and quality in work -- still resonate here. The working farm is the oldest in the Berkshires. Visit the gardens and animals, meet the interpreters, see demonstrations, hike the trails, immerse yourself in unique art exhibitions, and explore. A farm-to-table cafe is on site.
Reviewed By BeachcomberT - Daytona Beach, United States
This collection of 17 buildings, including a unique round barn and spread over hundreds of acres, provides a glimpse of what life was like on a Shaker farm about 70 years ago. Now just a tourist attraction, the property once housed up to 300 Shakers at its peak. A few costumed characters cordially interact with visitors and are child-friendly. I especially enjoyed the demonstration of Shaker singing and sacred dancing, which allowed audience participation. The buildings give an appreciation of the craftsmanship and ingenuity of this religious sect, which is all but extinct. (A few still live communally in Maine,) For enthusiastic students of Shaker culture, this is a must-stop, along with the nearby Mount Lebanon colony across the NY line, about 5 miles away, and the Shaker South Family settlement near the Albany NY airport, about 30 miles to the northwest.. Beware, the village is about the size of two football fields and many of the buildings have staircases, so handicapped people may be able to see only some of the features. Children will especially enjoy the cattle, sheep, chickens and other farm animals, available for petting.
4. Herman Melville's Arrowhead
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 170 reviews
Open on Saturdays only from October 19 through December 14, 10am - 2pm. Visit the home where Herman Melville and his family lived from 1850-1863. Melville wrote "Moby-Dick" here as well as many other notable novels and short stories. Main season is from May-October with daily tours, programs, hiking trails and museum shop.
Reviewed By michaelz107 - Falmouth, United States
Visited in August 2018 and loved it. (I indicated August 2019 because the system requires a date and the selection is limited!). This is a house in which Melville lived in the mid-1800s. You can go into his office and even see the view of a nearby mountain that is said to have inspired Moby Dick, Mount Greylock.
5. Sanford Blackinton Mansion, North Adams Public Library
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
A full service, CWMARS library with expanded loaning and great web resources .... your gateway to learning.
6. Birthplace of Susan B. Anthony
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 50 reviews
The Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, Inc. Is a not-for-profit corporation, dedicated to preserving the birthplace and raising public awareness of the wide-ranging legacy of the great social reformer, Susan B. Anthony, who was a pioneering feminist and suffragist as well as a noteworthy figure in the abolitionist, opposition to Restellism (opposition to abortion), and temperance movements of the 19th century. As part of its mission, the Museum will highlight the familial and regional influences which shaped Ms.Anthony's early life, by displaying the textiles and furnishings of that period, as well as the literature and other memorabilia associated with her later career.
Reviewed By bcnett - Stoneham, United States
Wow! I knew very little about Susan B Anthony until we visited her birth place. We had an excellent tour guide. I thought for sure that he was a history teacher. Turns out he is a lawyer. He gave us a fascinating hour and a quarter tour filled with lots of history and interesting stories. Admission is only $6.00 or free if you are a member of NARM. There are rest rooms and a store (I bought a pretty red kitted scarf).
7. Colonel John Ashley House
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 7 reviews
Learn about two very different people who fought for freedom and liberty – and changed our history.
8. The Mission House
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 17 reviews
Journey back in time at this Colonial-era house and museum, a National Historic Landmark that tells the story of the Stockbridge Mohicans and missionary John Sergeant.
9. Samuel Harrison House
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
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