Welcome to Visit New England - Massachusetts - Berkshires/Pioneer Valley/Mohawk Trail

Berkshires burst with performing arts, history, and vigorous outdoor fun!

The Berkshire Mountains region of western Massachusetts is a haven of pristine mountains sprinkled with gems of cultural and outdoor activities. Bisected by the historic Mohawk Trail, the Berkshires offer a wealth of cultural attractions, starting with Tanglewood in Lenox, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 2003, the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington was transformed into the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, which is rapidly building a reputation as a year-round cultural center. Among museums, the region’s big draw is the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, with the world’s largest collection of original Norman Rockwell art, a perennial attraction for kids and families. In North Adams, MASS MoCA, or the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, charms visitors with every imaginable slant on the visual and performing arts. In Pittsfield, the restored Hancock Shaker village, a living history museum, provides a glimpse into the lives of these agrarian people. Similarly, Historic Deerfield displays New England life in the pre-modern times. Winter activities in the Berkshire Mountains / Mohawk Trail region include skiing and snow sports at the Butternut (Great Barrington) and Catamount (South Egremont) ski areas.

Just east of the Berkshires is the Pioneer Valley and Connecticut River Valley, a north-south swatch of cultural attractions and lively college towns. A tour through the Pioneer Valley begins at Springfield, with its cluster of museums of anthropology, science, fine arts, and history. For a taste of classic silliness, the complex offers to kids and parents the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden, with giant sculptures of Dr. Seuss’s beloved characters. Springfield offer sports fans the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Every August, the giant Eastern States Exposition or “The Big E” – a giant agricultural fair for all of New England -- opens in West Springfield. Moving northward up the Pioneer Valley, visitors can enjoy a variety of arts and cultural activities in the college towns of Amherst and Northampton. For the kids, two not-to-be-missed places are the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst and the Zoo at Forest Park in Springfield. Truly, visitors have plentiful opportunities to feed the mind and to exercise the body in the lovely, soulful Berkshires.