Get Set for Tanglewood Music Festival 2019!

Tickets for Tanglewood Music Festival 2019 go on sale Sunday, February 10th, 2019. Now is the time to start planning your summer getaway with the BSO in the Berkshires!

Tanglewood (as you are likely already well aware) is the summer home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Their annual summer festival has been bringing classical music’s biggest names to the Berkshires stage for over 80 years!

If you have plans to be in the Berkshires this summer, you should definitely consider making Tanglewood Music Festival 2019 part of your experience. Further, if you do plan to go, now is the time to start making your plans and reservations.

Tickets go on sale February 10th and will go very quickly. Accommodations, on the other hands, are already being snapped up … (more…)

Posted in: Events
Tags: André Previn, Berkshires B&B, BSO in the Berkshires, Emanuel Ax, James Taylor, Renée Fleming, Tanglewood Center for Music and Learning, Tanglewood Learning Institute, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Yo Yo Ma

Pride and Prejudice and Shakespeare & Company!

Lenox’s own Shakespeare & Company is heating up the Berkshires with two upcoming presentations: a costumed reading of a new version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as well as the annual Winter Studio Festival of Plays. If you’re a fan of excellent theater (or just good entertainment) you do not want to miss these performances!

Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 and has since become a Berkshires’ cultural institution. They put on one of the largest Shakespeare Festivals in the country, May through December of every year, along with a variety of other programs.

Shakespeare & Company has three different venues in Lenox: The Roman Garden Theatre, The Tina Packer Playhouse, and the Elayne P. Bernstein Theater. All three have concession stands offering light fare for both before and after the shows. The Tina Packer Playhouse and the Elayne P. Bernstein Theater also feature outdoor spaces with tables for a picnic, snack, or drink.

While Shakespeare & Company focuses primarily upon the Bard’s plays (natch), works by others are also regularly produced. The two upcoming performances mentioned at the top are excellent examples of this. (more…)

Posted in: Attractions
Tags: Berkshires Lodging, Jane Austen, Night of the Iguana, Pride and Prejudice, Tennessee Williams, Winter Studio Festival of Plays

Step Back In Time at The Bidwell House Museum

Step back in time to the Berkshires of the 1760’s with a visit The Bidwell House Museum, an authentically restored historic house and museum, in Monterey, MA. The beautifully maintained grounds include 192 acres of gardens, fields, forest, stone walls, and trails.

The Bidwell House Museum is an elegant, two-story, post-and-beam, Georgian saltbox that was constructed as a parsonage, circa 1750. Its location marks the center of what was originally known as Housatonic Township Number 1. Docent led guided tours of this beautifully restored home are recommended. In fact, they’re the only way to see the interior!

House Tours begin outside with a focus on the grounds and architecture. Inside, a tour of the first and second floors further reveal the history of the house, the Bidwell family, and 18th century life in the Berkshires. A virtual tour on tablet is available for those unable to manage the stairs to the second floor. (more…)

Posted in: Attractions
Tags: Berkshires B&B, Berkshires getaway, Berkshires Lodging, guided tours, historic house museum, Housatonic Township Number 1, Lenox, Stockbridge

Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival 2018

It’s Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival time once again! Live entertainment, games, food, vendors, workshops, and more! Come celebrate the autumn harvest at the Berkshire Botanical Garden during Columbus Day weekend: October 6th and 7th, 2018.

The annual Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival is one of the Berkshires’ most popular fall festivals. The Botanical gardens are always beautiful but they positively sparkle with activity and good humor during Harvest Festival.

The expanded Plant and Bulb Sale continues to be one of the biggest draws for the festival – but it’s not the only reason to attend. Artisans from across the region bring their best hand-crafted items to the festival, as well as delicious culinary creations. There are also Tag Sales of gently-used jewelry, accessories, household items, clothing, and more.

The Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival is also known for its great drop-in Workshops. Last year saw talks on beekeeping, seed collecting, ice harvesting, cider making, and much more. While this year’s workshop list has yet to be released, it’s bound to hold some exciting topics. (more…)

Posted in: Events
Tags: Artisans, Berkshire Botanical Garden Lodging, Berkshires B&B, Live music, Plant and Bulb Sale, pony rides, Tag Sales, Workshops

Come Experience The 39th Annual Lenox Apple Squeeze!

Lenox Apple Squeeze 2018 is a free, 2-day street festival harvest celebration. The event includes live bands and other performances, farm stands, artisans, and plenty of great food and drink. September 22nd through the 23rd, 2018 in Lenox, MA.

Come experience the family-friendly fun of this classic, small-town America festival. This long-standing, Berkshire County harvest celebration brings thousands of visitors to Lenox every autumn and this year should be no different.

Food & Drink!

The core (pun intended) of Lenox Apple Squeeze is an old-time harvest festival – and this means food! All kinds of food, too – not just apples. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken wings, corn chowder, and a variety of local food trucks. Of course, there will also be every apple dish you could possibly imagine (and then some). Apple pies, apple cakes, apple sauce, cider, donuts, muffins, ice cream, bread, and even coleslaw! (more…)

Posted in: Events
Tags: Apple Squeeze 5K, Balderdash Cellars, beer garden, Berkshires bed & breakfast, food trucks, harvest festival, Lenox Apple Squeeze Lodging, Victorian B&B

The 42nd Annual Great Josh Billings RunAground Triathlon

Come to the Berkshires September 15th an 16th, 2018, for one of the oldest, largest bike-canoe-run triathlons in the country: the 42nd annual Great Josh Billings RunAground Triathlon!

The Josh Billings RunAground Triathlon has been held every year since 1976, making it the second-oldest continuous annual triathlon in the country. The full challenge includes a 27 mile bike race, 5 miles of canoeing, and a 6 mile run.

500 teams will start off from Great Barrington, MA on Sunday, September 16. First, they’ll bike 27 miles of scenic back country roads through 5 Berkshire towns to the Stockbridge Bowl.

Here, the bikers hand off their wristbands to team members waiting to race across the lake by canoe, kayak, or SUP. Having met this challenge, the wristband is then handed off to runners on the beach. Receiving their wristband, runners then race 6 miles around the lake. (more…)

Posted in: Events
Tags: Berkshires bed and breakfast, Josh Billings Triathlon, Josh Billings Triathlon Lodging, Lenox B&B, Stockbridge Bowl, Tanglewood

Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary – Hiking, Wildlife, and More!

When it comes to spending time in the great outdoors, one of our favorite hiking spots is Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sanctuary offers more than 1,000 acres of wilderness with over 7 miles of trials – and it’s located here in Lenox, just minutes from our Berkshires B&B!

Lenox’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is a branch of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The sanctuary encompasses a wide range of habitat, on Lenox Mountain, including forests, meadows, and wetlands along the slopes of Lenox Mountain.

Wildlife at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

Birders and wildlife photographers love Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. As the name implies, the preserve is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Several migratory species use it as a stopover during different times of the year. The sanctuary also serves as a breeding ground for ducks, geese, and several varieties of hawk. (more…)

Posted in: Outdoor Activities
Tags: beavers, Berkshires B&B, Berkshires bed and breakfast, hiking trails, Lenox Mountain, Massachusetts Audubon Society

Discover Becket Quarry and the Becket Land Trust

Becket Quarry seems like a place frozen in time and the hike to it, through the forested acreage of the Becket Land Trust, can make for a wonderful day’s adventure.

Historic Chester-Hudson Quarry (Becket Quarry’s real name) was operational from the 1860’s to the 1960’s, providing granite for monuments across the country. When the quarry closed, the site was abandoned, along with a number of buildings, vehicles, and equipment.

As nature began to work its way back in, the area became a bit of a local playground and hiking paradise. In the 1990’s, when it looked as if the land was going to be developed for industry, local citizens came together to protect it.

Becket Land Trust is a 300+ acre forested parcel open to the public. The preserve contains a demonstration forest, miles of hiking and cross country ski trails, vernal pools, and lots of wildlife. The biggest draw, however, has to be the historic quarry and its remnants. (more…)

Posted in: Outdoor Activities
Tags: Becket Land Trust, Berkshires accommodations, Berkshires B&B, Berkshires Lodging, Chester-Hudson Quarry, Directions to Becket Quarry

Explore Chesterwood – Estate of Daniel Chester French

Chesterwood, in Glendale, near Stockbridge, MA, is the country home, studio, and gardens of Daniel Chester French (1850-1931). The 122 acre estate is now a fabulous house museum and sculpture garden here in the Berkshires.

Daniel Chester French was one of the country’s foremost public sculptors. If you’re not sure who French is, just conjure up an image of the seated Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. That’s the work of Daniel Chester French. Other iconic sculptures of his include Concord’s The Minute Man, and the Dupont Circle Fountain in Washington, DC.

Chesterwood was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors will definitely enjoy exploring the estate. You’ll see the Daniel Chester French residence, studio, barn, gardens, and gift shop. (more…)

Posted in: Attractions
Tags: Berkshires B&B, Chesterwood Lodging, Daniel Chester French, Edith Wharton’s The Mount, Jacob’s Pillow Dance, Lenox B&B, Lincoln Memorial, Naumkeag, Norman Rockwell Museum, Tanglewood, The Minute Man