Great Barrington

Largest town of the southern Berkshires (population 7200), it's a major crossroads. commercial center, and the home to Alice's Restaurant, made famous by Arlo Guthrie in the movie of that name.

In the 19th century Mr and Mrs Edward Searles became the town's benefactors, establishing many public buildings and constructing for themselves Searles Castle, an immense mansion in a 100-acre (40-hectare) park which nudges right into the center of town.

Great Barrington was an important town even before the American Revolution. The citizenry, angered at Britain's denial of the colonials' rights, prevented the king's judges from convening in the courthouse here in 1774.

Berkshire Fringe Theater

The Berkshire Fringe and other innovative theater performances are held at Bard College at Simon's Rock in summer in Great Barrington.

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

The historic Mahaiwe Theater built in 1905 for vaudeville acts, converted to a cinema in 1930, is going strong after more than a century. It is now Great Barrington's drama, film and concert venue, right in the town center, offering a wonderful historic space as well as a full program of varied arts entertainments.

Monument Mountain

If mountain hiking is more to your taste than shopping, head north out of Great Barrington on US 7, and after 4.5 miles (7 km) you'll see signs for Monument Mountain, on the right-hand (west) side of the highway (7M52+72 Stockbridge MA; map).

There are two trails to the summit, one easier but slightly longer than the other. The hike to the top, a rest, and back down will take between 2 and 3 hours. The view from the summit is very fine, thanks to the good folks at The Trustees, who cares for it.

Bartholomew's Cobble

Follow US 7 south from Great Barrington for about 10 miles, and turn onto MA 7A for Ashley Falls. Your destination, a mile from Ashley Falls along Rannpo and Weatogue roads, is Bartholomew's Cobble, 105 Weatogue Rd, Sheffield MA, another Trustees property, bordering the Housatonic River (map).

A "cobble" in this case is a high knoll of limestone, marble, or quartzite, 500 million years old, and covered with a rich and varied collection of native flora: trees, ferns, mosses, wildflowers. The nature reservation, open year round, has 6 miles (10 km) of hiking trails. A naturalist is on duty from mid-April to mid-October, daily except Monday and Tuesday from 9 am to 5 pm, to answer your questions and point out natural highlights.

Bash Bish Falls

Another pretty nature nook, good for a picnic, is Bash Bish Falls, 12 miles (19 km) southwest of South Egremont, right on the New York state line in Bash Bish Falls State Park (map).

Cool place for a dip on a hot day.

Follow MA 41 south out of town, and turn right onto Mount Washington Road (look for signs for Catamount ski area). Follow signs to Bash Bish Falls, taking East Street, then West Street, and finally Bash Bish Falls Road, deep in the Mount Washington State Forest.

You'll plunge into the valley carved by the Bash Bish Creek, and finally come to a parking area from which a steep trail leads to the falls in 1/3 mile (530 meters).

Stay on the road a bit farther and you'll come to another parking place, and an easier—but longer—trail (2/3 mile; 1 km). Stay on the road any longer and you'll end up on NY Route 344 in New York's Taconic State Park.

At the end of the trails, deep in the forest, is the 80-foot (24-meter) Bash Bish Falls, cascading into a chilly pool. A half hour's relaxation here on a hot summer's day is pretty close to Nirvana.

North & South Egremont

The Old Mill, a popular restaurant of longstanding in South Egremont MA.

Egremont MA (map) actually consists of two settlements:

—North Egremont is a tiny place on MA Route 71, due west of Great Barrington. It has a country store, an inn with a restaurant, and a few houses.

—South Egremont, 4 miles southwest of Great Barrington on MA 23 and 41, is a much bigger place, with several inns and restaurants, shops, and churches, and quite a number of antique shops.

All in all, the town has only about 1225 residents, meaning it is still very rural, though the number of people you see here is amplified in summer by inn guests, antique-seekers and, in winter, by skiers going to or from the nearby Catamount Mountain Resort. In summer, the traffic to Catamount ski area is for the zip lines in its Aerial Adventure Park.

Dutch farmers from the colony of New York founded Egremont in 1722, and English settlers arrived a few years later. In 1761 the town was incorporated into the Massachusetts Bay colony, and people began saving antiques to sell to tourists 250 years later....

Where to Stay

Use this handy Hotel Map with Prices to find just the lodgings you want in the southern Berkshires: