Massachusetts - 90 Great Things to Do in Massachusetts in Berkshires/Pioneer Valley/Mohawk Trail

Artists Pick Up Hammers
to Save Revered Showroom

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The 20-year-old Salmon Falls Artisans Showroom on Ashfield Street in Shelburne Falls faced a challenge in the summer of 2009 with the retirement of two key staff members and a flagging economy. But the artists that contribute to the showroom rallied and undertook a major renovation, and the showroom reopened with a splash on October 17, 2009. In the new design of the showroom each window frames a spectacular river view and is surrounded by a bevy of beautifully displayed pots, paintings, collages, mixed media, glassware, textiles, wood work and photographs. The gallery is open to the public daily except Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. Phone: 413-625-9833.

Artwork From Around the World
Presents Wonderful Gift Selections

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Visit the Ten Thousand Villages store at 82 Main Street in Northampton to browse and purchase beautiful folk art, ceramics, textiles, baskets, jewelry, wall hangings and wall art, pillows, rugs, mirrors, vases, incense, candleholders, and furniture handmade by artists in developing parts of the world. Each product reflects the traditions and cultures of its maker. Enjoy the international music, smell the aroma of gourmet coffee, and taste the luxuriously rich chocolate. Your fair trade purchase of handmade jewelry, home decor and gifts helps improve the lives of thousands of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Phone: 413-582-9338.

Botanical Garden Offers
Herbal Beauty Year-Round

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Plant lovers can find a place of peaceful, studious beauty at the Botanic Garden of Smith College on College Lane in Northampton. The garden includes thousands of plants, of course, under glass in the Lyman Conservatory and outdoors in various not-so-secret gardens. There is also a collection of dried plants. There are 60,000 pressed specimens available for research in the Herbarium. The public is invited to explore the campus arboretum and specialty gardens. Open daily, year-round. Phone: 413-585-2740.

Bring Your Own Romance … and Some Matches

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This is one of New England's most popular destinations, with lots of fun shopping and holiday spirit. Yankee Candle Village on Routes 5 and 10 in South Deerfield offers a unique shopping, entertainment, and dining experience. Explore the largest selection of Yankee Candle fragrances and styles. Stroll through the Bavarian Christmas Village, Nutcracker Castle, and Home Store. Enjoy fabulous candle, home décor, and holiday shopping. Savor freshly made fudge and other sweet treats in the Fudge Shop. Dip your own candles and watch history brought to life in the Candlemaking Museum. Open daily. Phone: 877-636-7707.

Classic Structures and Natural Beauty
at Ashintully Gardens

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Ashintully Gardens on Sodem Road in Tyringhamare a retreat in the Berkshires surrounded by forested hills and traversed by a rushing stream. The gardens blend natural features – a stream, deciduous trees, and rising meadows – into an ordered arrangement with formal and informal beauty. Formal elements include Fountain Pond, Pine Park, Rams Head Terrace, Bowling Green, Regency Bridge, and Trellis Triptych. Urns, columns, and statuary ornament the garden, while foot bridges, stone stairs, and grassy terraces connect parts of the garden. A trail leads to the ruins of a Georgian-style mansion. Open June to Columbus Day, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Phone: 413-298-3239.

Marble Luxury at the Hands of Nature

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Discover a geologic wonder and a peaceful place to walk and view the artistry of nature at Natural Bridge State Park. Examine the only naturally formed white marble arch and man-made white marble dam in North America, and tour an abandoned marble quarry. The "natural bridge" for which the park is named, according to geologists, is 550 million year old bedrock marble, carved into an arch by the force of glacial melt water over 13,000 years ago; one of the best places in New England to demonstrate the effects of glaciation. The bridge spans rushing Hudson Brook as it twists and tumbles through a steep 60-foot deep gorge. Phone: 413-663-6392

Namaste

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It might seem like all your trendy friends are heading off to yoga class these days, but the folks at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health have been doing it for more than 30 years. Tucked away in the beautiful Berkshires of western Massachusetts in Stockbridge, Kripalu offers a multitude of classes, workshops, and weekend retreats. Different yogic programs focus on writing, creativity, relationships, body detoxification, cooking, dancing, and even snow-shoeing. So whether you’re a long-time yoga practitioner or a dedicated couch-potato, it’s a safe bet that a stop at Kripalu will make you feel peaceful and rejuvenated. Phone: 866-200-5203.

Private Poet on Display in Amherst

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Emily Dickinson was a loner, a recluse and a rogue female poet who is said to have spent much of her life hiding out at home. At the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts, Dickinson enthusiasts can tour that home, and the landscaped grounds that inspired so much of her poetry. Visitors can take a guided walk through the house and learn all about the poet’s idiosyncrasies, 19th-century architecture, and the Dickinson family drama. See the room where the prolific poet wrote her masterpieces and learn why, 1,800 poems later, her life and work have generated more than a century of scholarly debate. Phone: 413-542-8161.

Put the Second Amendment to Good Use

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A decidedly outdoor sport moves indoors at the Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center , a public shooting facility on Page Boulevard in Springfield, where shooting lanes are available for use by non-members. If you have wondered about the sport of shooting and want to give it a try, this is a place to do it. Smith & Wesson firearms and targets are available at two classrooms and other support facilities. Through the Try-A-Gun offer, any non-licensed person may use a handgun, one box of ammunition, and three targets. The facility also has a historical exhibit that focuses on the development of firearms and the the Connecticut Valley firearms industry. Phone: 800-331-0852.

Farmers Market Makes a Fun Vacation Stop

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Great Barrington Farmers Market on Taconic Avenue in Great Barrington operates on Saturday mornings through October and is a great place to stop for food, treats, and even to enjoy some local entertainment. The market sells the predictable selection of local produce, along with cut flowers, baked goods, dried and fresh lavender, and bread and jams. Many market days include special programming, like a Chef Tasting, a Strawberry Day, an anniversary day on July 10 with live music, and an heirloom tomato tasting day. It doesn’t matter if you are on vacation – the market is filled with portable foods and good things to take home. Phone: 413-528-8950.

Fresh Look at Home of
Author and Horticulturist

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The Mount, which is the restored home and gardens in Lenox of writer Edith Wharton (1862-1937), will reopen in the summer of 2010 with new installations, exhibits, and special events. Wharton wrote books on architecture, gardens, and interior design, and consequently her home and gardens are a masterpiece of design. The 2010 season begins on May 1 with the unveiling of Dramatic License: Edith Wharton on Stage and Screen. Late July brings the first annual Berkshire Literary Festival to the Mount. A two-week run of “Summer,” Wharton's coming-of-age story set in the Berkshires, will be performed in late August. A visit to the Mount is an uplifting experience for readers, gardeners, and admirers of this progressive Victorian lady. Phone: 413-551-5111.

Gilded Age Mansion With Stunning Gardens

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With its gracious house, magnificent gardens, and panoramic views, Naumkeag on Prospect Hill Road in Stockbridge is a quintessential country estate of the Gilded Age. Joseph Choate, a leading 19th-century attorney, hired the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, & White to design the 44-room cottage, Naumkeag, which would serve as a summer retreat for three generations of Choates. With its views of Monument Mountain, its stunning collection of gardens created over a period of 30 years, its original artwork, and its shingle-style house, Naumkeag creates an unforgettable experience for visitors. Open daily May 22 to Columbus Day. Phone: 413-298-3239.

Sculptor Who Helped Immortalize Abe

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Chesterwood , on Williamsville Road in Stockbridge, is the country home, studio, and gardens of Daniel Chester French, sculptor of the statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., and the Minute Man in Concord. The buildings are furnished with American and European decorative arts and paintings. Woodland walks feature mountain vistas and perennial gardens. The house and gardens are daily open for self-guided tours from May 1 to October 31. Phone: 413-298-3579.

To Sit, Perhaps to Dream

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Poet’s Seat Tower in Rocky Mountain Park in Greenfield is an idyllic location for walking, bird-watching or peaceful contemplation. Poet’s Seat Tower was built in 1912 and has a long history of poets being drawn to the spot. The park currently consists of three trails which are extensions of a local and regional trail network. The local trails connect other parks, including Abercrombie Field, Highland Park and Temple Woods designated by red, blue and yellow trail markers. The regional trail, The Pocumtuck, connects Greenfield to the Sugarloaf Mountains in South Deerfield and links with the Blue trail in the Rocky Mountain Park creating a regional link to the south. Phone: 413-772-1553.

Tranquil Village

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Hancock Shaker Village on Route 20 in Pittsfieldtakes visitors back to daily life in a Shaker community, founded nearly two centuries ago. Known during its active life as the City of Peace, this historic site now hosts special activities such as watching newborn baby animals, enjoying Shaker suppers or, for kids, exploring the Discovery Room. Fun for all ages. Phone: 800-817-1137.

Unleash Your Inner Child

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This stop is a joy for anyone who loved picture books as a young child. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art on West Bay Road in Amherst collects and celebrates the art of the picture book. Much of the fun is child-oriented and interactive: there is a hands-on Art Studio; an auditorium for performances; a library for reading and storytelling; a café; and a museum shop. Bring kids and memories. Open year-round. Phone: 413-658-1100.