Summering in the Berkshire Mountains is a full-time joy for lucky locals and a vacationer's dream for those drawn to the area by its activities, sights, and culture.
..Read MoreThe Tanglewood Music Center (www.tanglewood.org) in Lenox, Massachusetts, is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and the setting for a wide variety of musical performances each year.
..Read MoreShakespeare & Company's 2008 New England tour will return to the Berkshires for a gala performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at 7pm on May 9. Then, the Shakespeare and Young Company take over for Mother's Day weekend with performances on May 10 and 11. In Shakespear's words, youth lives eternally.
..Read MoreIn the Berkshires you will find inns and B&Bs in rustic, antique-filled Colonial homes; turn-of-the-century mansions with majestic fireplaces and canopy beds. Cultural attractions abound like Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
..Read MoreYou've treated yourself to the local cuisine and cultural offerings, now it's time to take a walk. And there are plenty of places to stretch your legs in the Berkshires. The Appalachian Trail extends 80 miles from Clarksburg State Park to Mt. Everett State Reservation (413 442-8928).
..Read MoreIf you can't stand to leave the Berkshires without wetting a line, no problem. There are plenty of places to fish, and your innkeeper may be able to cook your catch. Fishing is one of the more popular summer activities in the Berkshires, and for good reason. The various bodies of water in the county are home to many species of sportfish.
..Read MoreFrom July 4 -6, 2008, behold a range of arts and crafts, from classic to contemporary and functional to fanciful, in the summer green of the Berkshires.
..Read MoreJiminy Peak (413-738-5500; http://www.jiminypeak.com), Hancock, with the Berkshires' only high-speed quad chairlift, brings riders to the summit on weekends and holidays.
Butternut (413-528-2000; http://www.skibutternut.com), Great Barrington, offers scenic chairlift rides on October weekends.
..Read MoreThe Ashuwillticook Rail Trail (ASH-oo-will-ti-cook) is an 11-mile paved trail on the former railroad corridor of the Pittsfield/Cheshire line to Adams. It is a perfect place for biking, jogging, in-line skating, or just a pleasant stroll. For more information, call the local office of the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation: 413-442-8928.
..Read MoreExperience how new life has been given to what once was an abandoned relic. Visit the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMoCA) (413-662-2111; http://www.massmoca.org), 87 Marshall Street, North Adams. An abandoned 19th century factory has been transformed into one of the largest centers of modern art in the United States.
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