Around the Berkshires
We have Camp Becket to ourselves for the weekend, so there will be plenty to do on site: swimming, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, a climbing wall, tennis, arts and crafts, and, of course, 4-square. But if you feel like venturing out, there's lots to do in the area.
Arts
Norman Rockwell Museum For many years, Rockwell lived in Stockbridge. Its small town American rhythms inspired many of the 322 Saturday Evening Post covers he executed from 1916-1963. Much of his work is here in this museum, on the outskirts of Stockbridge. The “new” museum was built about 15 years ago and is quite lovely.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute This charming and sophisticated museum, in Williamstown, Mass. is always worth a visit, but this summer there’s a blockbuster Monet exhibit, based on recently discovered materials and focusing on his drafting, sketchbooks and pastels.
MassMOCA This contemporary art museum is the largest contemporary art museum in the world! It’s located in North Adams, Mass., in a restored 19th century factory complex of buildings. This leaves room for many large, avant garde, complex works.
Literary Sites
Arrowhead: Herman Melville’s home Here in Pittsfield, he wrote Moby Dick, looking out his window upon forested hills and Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts. From the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, this area housed Melville, Hawthorne, Edith Wharton, painters Thomas Cole and George Inness, and more. You can walk into his study, view the mountain and see a video.
The Mount: Edith Wharton’s estate This magnificent 113 acre estate in Lenox, Mass. was the focus of her life for years. It has magnificent gardens, a tree lined allee, a Georgian/Italian mansion and memorabilia of her literary output (The House of Mirth broke all sales records at the time!)
Visits
Hancock Shaker Village On the edge of Pittsfield, this farm and workshop complex is set on 1200 acres and is a museum. Members of this Christian sect, dedicated to communal life, gender equality and manual labor, crafted elegant furniture, farm implements and household items in the 19th century. Collection includes 22,000 objects in 20 historical buildings.
Towns of Stockbridge, Lenox Destination New England towns with lots of charm, little shops and beautiful main streets. In Stockbridge, don’t miss the Red Lion Inn, with its famous front porch of rocking chairs, or Naumkeag, a 26 room gabled mansion with a collection of Chinese export porcelain, antiques and gardens. Chesterwood, the home of sculptor Daniel Chester French has many of his pieces, studio and maquettes. Lenox has Shakespeare and Co., beautiful stores and restaurants, and is the home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the summer (see Tanglewood, below.)
Yoga
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health Kripalu is a unique yoga center in Lenox that remains close to Autumn's heart. You can get a day pass there and enjoy a variety of yoga and healing classes, delicious food, and a giant whirlpool.. You can also visit, shop in their extensive yoga store, and check out the beautiful setting on 300 wooded acres above Lake Mahkeenac.
Music
Tanglewood This is an international destination for music, on 300 rolling acres of lawns, pine groves and mountain views. Labor Day weekend is the famous Jazz festival. There’s usually an open rehearsal on Saturday morning. There's a group of folks going to the Sunday 2 PM concert, sitting out on the lawn, weather permitting, and you’re invited.
Outdoors
Hiking The Appalachian Trail passes through the Berkshires right near camp, in a particularly beautiful area, including October Mountain State Forest . Ask us for directions if you want to find it (or, if you keep your eyes open, you'll see it when you pass the trail junction on the way to camp).
Golf Cranwell Resort Spa and Golf Resort in Lenox, Mass. has 18 holes, with irrigated greens, carts with GPS and is on the grounds of a converted monastery.
