Mountains, Culture & Rustic Charm - The Berkshires, MA

The Berkshires in Massachusetts was once a prime spot for the Gilded Age wealthy from New York and Boston to get away from the city. The area attracted many different people as residents and guests including authors Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edith Wharton (The Mount), artists Norman Rockwell, Daniel Chester French (Chesterwood), the Astors, Vanderbilts, Sloanes, Carnegies, Westinghouse, Stokes, Choates (Naumkeag), and the Morgans (Ventford Hall), just to name some. This area is also home to one of the world's most beloved music festivals, Tanglewood, the famed Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home. Today the area continues to be a year-round destination with the natural beauty, rich history, and picturesque New England towns like Stockbridge, Lenox, Lee and Great Barrington.

This is what caught my eye; I hope you enjoy!

Antique / Retro Shop in Lee

The Mount, located in Lenox, was the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Edith Wharton and her husband Teddy.

The Library in Lenox

The old Mills in West Stockbridge

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Ghosts of the Berkshires (Haunted America)

By Oakes, Robert

The Berkshires

By Stephen G. Donaldson

The Berkshire Cottages: A Vanishing Era

By Owens, Carole

A beautiful entrance to one of the buildings on the grounds of "Eden Hill", the 375-acre Shrine nestled in the beautiful Stockbridge hills.

One of the historic mill buildings in Housatonic.

A former Gilded Age mansion in Lenox

The Berkshire Theater Playhouse was founded when the Stockbridge Casino, which was owned by Mable Choate, was sold to financier Walter Clark. Clark contacted friends Daniel Chester French, Dr Austen Riggs and Walter Prichard Eaton who together formed the Three Arts Society.

The historic Stockbridge Railroad Station was built in 1893, replacing the original wooden structure. Today, the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum has control of the historic structure and hopes to utilize the space for events and detailing the rich history of Stockbridge.

The towering Allee on the drive at Naumkeag in Stockbridge

On the grounds of Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.

The Malawie Theater, built in downtown Great Barrington in 1905.

Classic buildings lining Main Street in Lee

Sunset in Lee

Lenox

The Berkshires is a great place to see the Fall colors.

Homes with mountain views - Lee

Stockbridge Cemetery final resting place for members of the Sedgwick Family, Dr Austen Riggs, John Sergeant and Norman Rockwell.

The Mission House, on Main Street in Stockbridge, was built between 1741 and 1742 and is a National Historic Landmark. In the 1920's Mabel Choate, owner of Naumkeag, purchased and moved the building down to Main Street an left it to a non-profit to run as a museum.

The Stockbridge Bowl

Bird houses in West Stockbridge

A stately home on Main Street in Stockbridge

Naumkeag, in Stockbridge, is the Gilded Age cottage designed by McKim, Mead & White as a summer home for lawyer Joseph Hodges Choate.

The gardens and blue steps fountain designed by Mable Choate and Fletcher Steele at Naumkeag, Stockbridge

Tulips, Naumkeag, Stockbridge

Naumkeag's entrance hall, Stockbridge

The Chinese Temple in the walled Chinese Garden Garden at Naumkeag, Stockbridge

Inside Naumkeag, Stockbridge

Ventford Hall, designed by Rotch & Tilden for George & Sarah Morgan, sister of J.P Morgan, in 1893, in Lenox. The Jacobean-style mansion has 9 main bedrooms, 17 fireplaces and 10 servant’s bedrooms.

Inside Ventford Hall, Lenox

Inside Ventford Hall, Lenox

Inside Ventford Hall, Lenox

Inside Ventford Hall, Lenox

Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of American sculptor Daniel Chester French in Stockbridge.

Inside Chesterwood Studio, Stockbridge

The view from Chesterwood in Stockbridge

Inside the library of Edith Wharton's The Mount in Lenox

The terrace at The Mount, overlooking the gardens and Laurel Lake in Lenox

Inside The Mount, Lenox

Rockers on the porch at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. Since opening in 1773, the inn has hosted 6 presidents and other famous people like Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Cullen Bryant and Henry Wordsworth Longfellow. The Red Lion's quintessential New England charm was immortalized by Norman Rockwell in his painting Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas.

The Children’s Chimes bell tower was built in 1878 by David Dudley Field II, in honor of his grandchildren, with the intention that, “It will be a memorial of those who are enshrined in my heart, while the ringing of the chimes at sunset I trust will give pleasure to all whose good fortune is to live in this peaceful valley.” it is still rung today, according to his wishes, every evening between Memorial Day and Labor Day at 5:30pm.

Main Street - Stockbridge

In Lee

What you should know:

• There are many walking / hiking trails in the many area preserves and parks.

• Parking in season in some areas may be difficult in some of the towns.

• There are many restaurant and entertainment options.

• You could spend a day to a couple of days exploring the area and it’s attractions.

For more information: The Berkshires