Places Of Interest In Northern Berkshire County Massachusetts.
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010When most of us plan vacations, we always think of tropical destinations, beaches, high end resorts or big city flair. Many overlook the reclusive harmony of going someplace unique with much culture, a laid back setting, and no hustle and bustle of traffic jams and crowded beaches of the top 10 tourist destinations. For the small percent of people that have grown out of the “spring break” beach bar and club scene, Berkshire County Massachusetts is the place for you. Nestled among the mountains in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, it is directly bordered by Vermont to the north and New York to the west with sporting Pittsfield as it’s largest city and North Adams coming in second. Speaking of cities, don’t get the wrong idea as Pittsfield checks in at less than 40,000 and North Adams at around 15,000 so it’s NOT compared to Boston. I believe in this post, I am going to focus on the top 2 museums located in Williamstown and North Adams. Speaking of North Adams, it is home to the Museum of Contemporary Arts (Mass MoCA). Mass Moca has been a museum lovers destination as it features hand made contemporary art on all display in a HUGE warehouses (25 in all covering 13 acres). A small portion of the artists include Natalie Jeremijenko, Ann Hamilton, Tim Hawkinson, Carsten HÜller, and Cai Guo Qiang. It is a good thing to reserve a whole day, maybe two to actually see and enjoy everything. Outside of the visual art, Mass Moca also has live performing arts, galas dance parties concerts, etc. As many as 60 per year. For all the information, happenings, calender events and everything Mass Moca, visit their official website by CLICKING HERE!. More than ample parking, restaurants and attractions are all within walking distance. Speaking of walking distance to restaurants, it will be your pleasure to check out Gramercy Bistro just steps outside the main gate.
Let’s take a quick few mile drive to neighboring Williamstown Massachusetts. Home to Williams College, The Williamstown Theater Festival, and the Clark Art Institute. I may assume that you are already out of college but, just walking around the campus and sight seeing can spend the better part of a morning and early afternoon due to the fact there is so much to see. Spring street has great little restaurants many gift shops, souvenirs, and unique stores within it’s few hundred yards. Lets move on to The Williamstown Theater Festival, shall we? Williamstown Theater Festival was founded by Ralph Renzi and David Bryant back in 1955. Award winning Marcia Henderson (of Williamstown) was honored to star in the first play and since then, the theater has brought in numerous stars since it’s inception and has come so far as to win a Tony Award. Through the years some of the famous stars to grace the stage are Mary Tyler Moore, Austin Pendleton, Dianne Wiest, Joanne Woodward, Kate Burton, Christopher Reeve (who started there as a teenager in 1968), Sigourney Weaver, Kate Burton, Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner just to name a few. If you plan to visit Northern Berkshire County, The Williamstown Theater Festival is a must. Feel free to check out their “new” website by CLICKING HERE!. From the website, you can check out the calender of events, view pictures, buy individual and group tickets, support, read all about the WTF and even read the press articles.>div>
Lets now take a 1/2 mile drive to the Clark Art Institute. The Clark Art Institute was founded by Sterling and Francine Clark and was opened to the public in 1955. Largely focusing on intimate galleries and stunning natural environment, the Clark Art Institute has become one of the most respected museums in the world. The Clark is also badged as one of the few museums that incorporate a research and academic under the same presence. Similar to Mass Moca, The Clark Art Institute has live performances to compliment the visual aspects of the museum. If you plan to visit the Clark Art Museum, feel free to reserve a complete day as there is much to see, do and learn. You can get all the information on the Clark Art Institute by visiting their website HERE! When the day is over, I would like to suggest a few eateries that are well established, highly respected and offer great food. While in Williamstown, seek out The Water Street Grill, Red Herring on Spring St, Hobson’s Choice on Water St, and Desperados Mexican on Rt.2 (main St.) Enjoy your time in Northern Berkshire County and I will soon post about Southern Berkshire County.
Happy Travels!
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