Lenox Mansions

Once occupied for a few months in summer by commercial and industrial magnates and their families, many of Lenox's mansions are still in private hands, enjoyed by an ever-widening circle of the descendants of the original builders.

Most of Lenox's fine houses are not open to the public, so you must settle for tantalizing looks from the sidewalk.

Church on the Hill

Walk to the top of the hill on Main Street (US 7), north of the town center to see the Church on the Hill, a very fine New England Congregational meetinghouse (church) built in 1805.

Pleasant Valley Sanctuary

For a beautiful hike through a thousand acres of Berkshire countryside, find your way to the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, northwest of Lenox. Follow the signs, or take MA 7A north to West Dugway Road, then West Mountain Road (map). Pay the admission fee (dawn to dusk daily, closed Monday), and set out on the 7 miles of nature trails to explore native Berkshire flora and fauna.

Tanglewood Music Festival

Since 1934, the number-one summer activity in Lenox has been the Tanglewood Music Festival, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Over 50 concerts—by full orchestra, chamber groups, and soloists in recital—take place during the Tanglewood season, including the famous weekend BSO concerts. More...

Lulu-Fest

Lulu-Fest, an annual jazz festival celebrating female musicians and composers as bandleaders, offers a weekend of outstanding music at several venues in Lenox in mid-July. Performers include both men and women, with women in the leadership roles, making the choices of artists, composers, and works to be performed. It's great! More...

Ventfort Hall

Built in 1893 for Sarah Morgan, sister of financier J P Morgan, later used as the exterior set for the movie The Cider House Rules, this brick-castle Gilded Age mansion was saved from demolition and restored to become a museum of the era when the income tax was nonexistant and financial fortunes were huge. Located only a half mile (800 meters) from the obelisk in the center of Lenox, it's an easy way to have a glimpse of Lenox in its Gilded Age. Programs, performances and special exhibits add to its attraction. More...

The Mount

The Mount (tel 413-637-1899) is a grand house and gardens planned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton. You can tour the house, and watch a salon drama based on Ms Wharton's life and works, June through October, Tuesday through Friday. The Mount is located just south of Lenox, at the junction of US 7 and MA 7A. More...

Shakespeare & Company

For three decades, Shakespeare & Company has brought to life the Bard's best in the Berkshires, with memorable performances by a company of more than 150 artists. More...

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum

At 10 Willow Creek Road in Lenox (map) you can find out about local railroad lore, poke around in a New Haven Railroad caboose, watch a complex model railroad run, and see railroading videos. Nostalgic excursion trains run from the museum on a 15-mile route connecting Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, and Great Barrington. The museum is open weekends and federal holidays only from late May through late October. More...

Touring the Berkshires

Lenox can be your base for visiting other Berkshire towns and their attractions, such as the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in neighboring Lee, Massachusetts, music concerts beyond Tanglewood, theater performances and more. Look at the pages on other Berkshire towns to see what's available. More...

—by Tom Brosnahan

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