Some places are like vocations: they call you.
For students of art and culture, Paris certainly has its embarrassment of inspiration. New Yorkers, too, should be justifiably proud of our tourist-filled, insomnia-inducing, beauty-found-where-you-least-expect-it megalopolis.
But are cities the only places where one can practice unfettered bohemianism?
Is there a rural community that could actually satisfy the nightlifers, the voluntary vagabonds, and the weekly readers of “Goings On About Town”?
Possibly.
Nestled in Western Massachusetts, in the Berkshire Mountains — a southern extension of Vermont’s Green Mountains — there’s a pocket of four picture-perfect towns that may assuage even the most sincerely sworn big-city person: Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lenox, and Becket. (Approximately three hours from midtown Manhattan.)
If you’re searching for a way to feel simultaneously totes zenned out and creatively overfed, then a proper Berkshire respite is more than essential, it’s nonnegotiable.
Read on to discover what to bring, where to start, and how to do it like a local. Start calculating your maximum summer home price now!
Most Extraordinary Museum: The Clark Art Institute
An admirable permanent collection and world-class exhibitions. Outdoor seating is arranged so that the bucolic setting is also framed in an artistic fashion. Plus: cows!
Your Mansion Away from Home: The Mount
Edith Wharton, presupposing #bestlife since 1902.
Worth Standing in Line For: Baba Louie’s Pizza
Gluten-free? Vegan? Insufferably picky about pizza? This won’t disappoint.
The Spiritual Rejuvenator: Tanglewood Music Festival
The greenest grass in the whole wide world.
Never Leave Home Without: Badger Balm Products
The Wish-We-Had-It-In-NYC: Guido’s Fresh Marketplace
The Triumph of Art: Jacob’s Pillow Dance
“Thousands of people, of all ages, from across the United States and the world, have Jacob’s Pillow to thank for opening their horizons to dance.” – President Obama
The Shortest Route to Inebriation: Berkshire Brewing Co.
The Lasting Legacy: W.E.B. Du Bois
Walk in the footsteps of greatness.
The Only Must-Do Thing in the Berkshires: Find Your Writing Nook
Cats love it too.
If you liked this piece, read our Content Dispatches from Berlin.