Beautiful house and gardens. Purchase tickets online before you visit. Parking is very limited…read more Grounds are grass, mulch and stairs. Not accessible. Only the lower floor of the house is accessible. Take the garden tour. It provides much information about the family, building the home and gardens and the architects/designers. Well worth the time. The property is on a hill so wear your walking shoes. A dirt 'one way' road leads past the house, to the dirt parking lot, then down the hill off the property. The lower part of the road, off property, is very rutted. (it happens to drive right past Norman Rockwell's grave site) Early spring the gardens are beautiful. The staircase from the cutting garden to the house is gorgeous. A leisurly walk down the Linden walk then curves around to a stroll in the wood. Many little gardens areas. Plan to spend at least two or three hours.

Another really underrated museum and estate in the Berkshires, the gardens and grounds are amazing…read more You have a wonderful view of the valley below and the house has a lot of stately charm. The tour guide we had was fantastic and is probably one of the best ones I've had for a museum tour. He was informative but kept it light. I didn't feel like he was flooding the zone with information to flex. There's some Asian/Chinese flavor in the home and the surrounding gardens, as the Choates had a keen interest in Asia. There's significant walking up and down, so keep that in mind, and not a ton of parking. This summer cottage is worth a visit, especially if you're interested in estates during the Gilded Age.

Beautiful! Easy access to parking and the Falls, at least during the week. There were numerous…read moresmall groups up and down the banks, many of us wading in the water.

Ahhhh.. Umpachene - how do I bottle you and bring you home?…read more Delightful 18 minute ride from where we were staying in Sheffield. Suggest loading GPS or navigation app before losing signal in the mountains. Of note, and quite a surprise after a score of years closed, the bridge on Umpachene Falls Road has been rebuilt and is open. Yesterday, the falls were rushing abs bracingly cold! While I didn't fully submerge or hide behind the water curtain, I sat in the flow and was transfixed and refreshed for an hour. Remains a Berkshire treasure!

I have been to Chesterwood before but not in many years. During the pandemic they did a major…read morerenovation of the residence, including creating educational displays in the bedrooms on the second floor. This certainly was a highlight of this trip to Chesterwood! French's studio is remarkable and so interesting. It contains the actual model of the seated Lincoln that was used to created the marble statue we see in DC today! Many thanks to Laura, our tour guide, who was incredibly knowledgeable and an excellent educator. We learned so much! Highly recommend visiting Chesterwood when in the Berkshires - and be sure to take a tour!

Really lovely and understated estate/museum to visit in an area rich in those, Chesterwood is…read moredefinitely worth a visit. Daniel Chester French was the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial, and there's a smaller version of the famous sculpture here in his studio. The house he resided in is well-maintained and is quite lovely. The tour guide was informative and friendly. The house tour is worth the admission but the views of the valley puts it over. The garden where the studio is has a nice fountain. I had to leave just before the end of the tour. With the tour, try to have at least a couple of hours so you can get the full feel of the estate.

The Apple Map app did not direct us correctly. We were unable to find this landmark and didn't have…read moretime to explore. This is where we ended up. Beautiful, but no statue or memorial to be seen. Be sure to check your directions.

It's not every day that you see a park fountain with three fish spitting water out of their little…read morefish mouths. But I saw that and more yesterday at this very cool landmark in Norfolk. If you look carefully at the Joseph Battell Fountain, you'll also see a stream of water exiting from a lion's mouth, basins, benches and a sundial. Located on a village green where Routes 272 and 44 intersect, this fountain was built in 1889 as a tribute to Joseph Battell. He was a local businessman known for his support of local charitable and civic causes. It's made out of pink stone with a central round column topped by a sphere and those water spewing fish. Basins or troughs near the ground were designed to water horses. The center column is inscribed with the words: In Memory of Joseph Battell Born in Norfolk 1806 Died in New York in 1874.

Decent hike. Interesting boulders covered in vegetation. River views. Buggy and mucky on a lot of…read morethe trails. Trails not as well marked as others in the Land Trust. View from the summit, reached by walking up a huge field, was spectacular

A series of well-marked hiking trails snake through some strikingly massive and odd-looking stones,…read moremany of them topped with moss so soft-looking you'll be tempted to pet it. This lush park is also home to some of the most beautiful ferns I've ever seen. There's also a huge cottonwood tree, with a cubby hole large enough to fit several small children. The visitor center is also worth a visit, and not just for the real flushing toilets. There's a stuffed bobcat, and a helpful staff member who says complimentary things like, "You guys are pretty fit! You'll finish that trail loop in half an hour." (In reality it took an hour, mostly because we kept stopping to take pictures. (There are a bunch of longer trails as well).

I am so glad I added this house to our itinerary. Thankfully the house was saved so we can all…read moreenjoy it! Sadly, it occurred after some of the interior demolition was begun. Our docent tour guide was very enthusiastic and informative. She made the tour so much fun. The tour includes a history of the property from it's construction, to it's use as a dorm for musicians, a dance school and movie set. Very interesting. The staircase with it's musicians gallery, the butler safe and original bathrooms are all part of the 'modern' amenities included in this home. There is an unimaginable amount of restoration that has been done to this property and restoration continues, including on the day of our visit when the salon, used as the gift shop, was having it's floors restored. The home's furnishings are, for the most part, donated or loaned to the museum and they are doing a nice job staging everything. The visit begins with a short film after which you begin your guided tour. The collections on display includes some beautiful clothing items. Really lovely. The fireplaces throughout the house a beautiful as well. The kitchens have not yet been restored and they are working on some of the upstairs rooms as well. It is truly amazing what they have been able to do, bringing this home back to life. The museum hosts fund raiser events, including 'Tea's' and you can rent the facility for private events. Definitely check that out! I would love to attend a Tea here.

As the owner of another Gilded Age mansion in the Berkshires, Holmesdale, I have a deep…read moreappreciation for the history, architecture, and dedication required to preserve these remarkable estates. My visit to Ventfort Hall exceeded every expectation. The staff was exceptionally professional, knowledgeable, and welcoming, providing outstanding service while sharing the fascinating history of this magnificent home.The ambiance is perfectly suited to the Gilded Age, transporting visitors back to a time of elegance and grandeur. Every detail reflects the care and commitment that has gone into preserving this historic treasure. Whether you're passionate about history, architecture, or simply want to experience one of the Berkshires' finest landmarks, Ventfort Hall is an absolute must-visit.

"Hey, babe Take a walk on the wild side"…read more(Lou Reed) Great Barrington, MA was founded way back in 1738. So what did the town do to celebrate it's 250th anniversary? They staged a cleanup of the Housatonic River and volunteers removed 15 tons of debris from the riverbank. This was the start of a river restoration project that culminated in the creation of the Housatonic River Walk. The River Walk was built in two sections known as "Upstream" and "Downstream". We walked the Upstream section yesterday. It runs from the River Walk bulletin board at 195 Main Street to the William Stanley Overlook. The entrance has a pretty steep staircase, so you'd best be paying attention and not be texting with your BFF. The trail is short, but has some gorgeous views of the river on your left. This portion of the trail ends at the William Stanley Overlook - a nice observation point where you can admire the view and learn about Mr. Stanley, a local inventor who developed an electrical transformer. His 1886 breakthrough was responsible for running electrical wires across the river to transmit power to stores and offices on Great Barrington's Main Street. The upstream section's exit is a staircase going up to the St. Peter's Church parking lot on Dresser Avenue. This worked great for us, because we had conveniently parked our car there. It's not the longest trail we ever walked, but it was one of the more interesting and scenic walks we've taken.

I visited this trail today for the first time. I really enjoyed the view of the river…read moreand the serenity. The path is flat, with blue crushed stone and quite wide so even someone with a wheelchair could navigate it. At times the river falls out of view and comes back again while the trail takes you through meadows and more populated areas of the town. A great way to get out and enjoy nature in Western Massachusetts.

The Mission House was built with the intent of teaching local indigenous people christianity. Built…read morein 1742, missionary John Seargent lived there with his wife. Previously located across the road from Naumkeag, Mable Choate purchased the Mission house in the 1920's and moved it downtown for more people to learn about Indigenous peoples history in Stockbridge. The building is maintained by The Trustees group. This house is open during the warmer months for a self guided 'tour'. As there are only two rooms to see, it's a quick stop. The gardens are open to the public year round at any time. They do offer house tours about once a month. Check their website for dates, times and how to reserve your spot. We wandered their gardens on a day the house was closed. There are signs with information and one of them highlights a walking tour with some of the town's history. You can walk the town stopping at each site and watch the videos or enjoy the tour from home. It was interesting and we walked up into the woods behind town hall to see some of the historic sites there. Before the tour we had no idea they existed so kudos. We returned to the house on a day it was open for a self tour. There was no docent on site so we couldn't ask questions. The two rooms to view have plexiglass doors so you can only see them. There was a bit of information in the house and barn to read about local indigenous history which sometimes seems agressive. I can understand that. We all know generally how Indigenous people were trated historically. This is the story of Stockbridge. The three stars is based solely on my disappointment of not having more access to the house and more information. The gardens are a lovely, quiet spot with a medicinal garden area and the house is well maintained. If in the area, the guided tour may be quite interesting. Hopefully someone will leave a review with more info on that.