New England’s dramatic explosion of color each autumn is truly a sight to behold. The brilliantly colored maple trees attract visitors from around the world. From traveling on a country road to walking through the woods, any outing is certain to be spectacular.
The Berkshires of Massachusetts is noted as a center for the visual and performing arts and is home to an impressive collection of cultural and historic sights. The region was a summer retreat for the newly rich during the Gilded Age. It was also a peaceful, inspiring haven for literary artists such as Herman Melville and Edith Wharton and America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments, Daniel Chester French.
Come along and discover this historic, scenic and inspiring region in Northwestern Massachusetts. Learn from the masters, savor local flavors and let your own creativity come to the surface.
Day One, Sunday, September 12:
Plan to arrive early afternoon at the Albany International Airport. Board your private coach and travel a short distance across the border into Massachusetts. For those not from upstate New York, contact the tour organizer to determine where to meet the group in Stockbridge. Immediately upon the early afternoon arrival in Stockbridge, you’ll feel the vibes of creative energy for which this region is renowned. Your soul will be soothed by the pristine beauty and warmed by the charm that seeps in around every corner. Welcome to the Berkshires! Your first visit is at the Norman Rockwell Museum. The museum is dedicated to the enjoyment and study of Rockwell’s work and his contributions to society, popular culture and social commentary. The Museum is the most popular year-round cultural attraction in the Berkshires and houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of Rockwell’s work, including 998 original paintings and drawings. The exhibit traces the origins and legacy of the Four Freedoms from the Great Depression and World War II to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
Depart the Museum late afternoon and travel just down the road to the historic Red Lion Inn, your full-service home for 4 nights. The Inn is an iconic landmark whose warmth and character express timeless tradition while its vibrant personality brings the best of the Berkshires to life.
It is one of the few American Inns that have operated continuously since before 1800. Among noted guests are five presidents: Cleveland, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge and Franklin Roosevelt. Other guests have included Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Thornton Wilder and more modern legends from John Wayne to Bob Dylan.
Accommodations offer a wide variety of individually decorated rooms each with its own character and charm. Upon arrival, watch for Norman, their feline lobby ambassador. He’s usually hanging out in the side parlor, people watching and soaking up rays.
Once you have checked in, there will be time to enjoy a refreshing beverage served on the expansive veranda or in Widow Bingham’s Tavern.
Gather in the lovely dining room for an included welcome dinner. Surrounded by soft candlelight, crystal chandeliers, antique china and colonial pewter, dining in the Main Dining Room is like taking a step back in history to the Gilded Age. The menu features a blend of traditional favorites and contemporary interpretations of classic New England cuisine.
Day Two, Monday, September 13:
Following breakfast at the Inn, board the coach and set out for a day immersed in art, history and natural beauty. Your first stop is at Chesterwood, the summer home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost public sculptor, Daniel Chester French, sculptor of the Minuteman Statue and the Lincoln Memorial. Explore this hidden Berkshire gem on a tour of the nine-bedroom residence and wander through the trails studded with his fabulous sculptures throughout this 122-acre estate.
Completed in 1901, the nine-bedroom residence incorporates several architectural styles and contains antique furnishings that were either family heirlooms or bought by the sculptor at local antique auctions.
The Chesterwood landscape perfectly reflects Daniel Chester French and his interests; it is a combination of New England agricultural heritage and the influence of classical European ideals and culture.
The Studio Garden, designed in 1898, was created to be an integral part of the French family’s social and recreational life at Chesterwood. Here the Frenches held tableaux vivants, costume balls and parties at which the artist might display a work-in-progress.
French developed the Woodland Walk designed as a classroom of nature, instilling a love of the outdoors in his young daughter. Contrasting with the charming order of the garden, the woodland trails were the sculptor’s celebration of the estate’s wild beauty.
Your visit includes tours of the buildings, grounds and collections. You will also witness final works in bronze and marble. There will be time to visit the gift shop at the end of your visit.
Depart Chesterwood and travel back into downtown Stockbridge. Have lunch on your own at one of the local eateries.
Board the coach and travel along a scenic country road to the Ashintully Gardens, a 120-acre estate. The gardens blend several natural features into an ordered arrangement with both formal and informal beauty. Garden features include the Fountain Pond, Pine Park, Rams Head Terrace, Bowling Green, Regency Bridge and Trellis Triptych. Urns, columns and statuary provide ornamentation. Footpaths, bridges, stone stairs and grassy terraces connect various parts of the garden.
Ashintully Gardens came about through the efforts of two men: Robb de Peyster Tytus and John S. McLennan Jr. In the early 20th century, Tutus built a white, Georgian-style mansion that came to be known as the Marble Palace. The mansion’s main façade featured four Doric columns and was spanned by thirteen bay windows. Though the Marble Palace was destroyed by fire in 1952, the front terrace, foundation and four Doric columns remain today.
A year after Tytus’ death, his widow married John Stewart McLennan and she gave birth to John McLennan Jr. He later moved into the farmhouse at the bottom of the hill, and renovated the nearby barn into a music studio. McLennan was an accomplished composer of contemporary classical music and he designed the elegant gardens as a parallel creative effort to his musical work,
During your visit you will follow a woodland trail to the ruins of the Marble Palace. Find a moment of serenity amidst the natural features and stunning constructed elements like urns, columns and statuary.
“I love nature, I love the landscape, because it is so sincere. It never cheats me. It never jests. It is cheerfully, musically earnest.” Henry David Thoreau, 1850.
Your last stop of the day is at Naumkeag, an architectural masterpiece built by Joseph Choate, a leading 19th-century attorney. Caroline Choate was a trained artist interested in women’s education, co-founding Barnard College.
Their daughter, Mabel Choate, inherited Naumkeag in 1929, and for the next 30 years worked with landscape architect Fletcher Steele to create the magnificent gardens for which Naumkeag is now known, including the world-famous Blue Steps.
The 44-room “cottage,” is filled with original furniture, ceramics and artwork. The entire estate was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2007. Its designation was made for the architecture and content of the house, which are well-preserved examples of a Gilded Age country estate, and for the innovative landscape design work of Fletcher Steele. Your visit includes a guided tour of the house and gardens.
Return to the Inn late afternoon. There will be time to relax and refresh. Dinner is on your own. Stroll down Main Street and find your new favorite local restaurant or gather at the Inn’s casual Widow Bingham’s Tavern or Lion’s Den Pub.
Day Three, Tuesday, September 14:
Today’s adventure takes you deep into the Berkshires as you travel north to Pittsfield, the largest city in Berkshire County. The City of Pittsfield was chosen to receive a Commonwealth Award, Massachusetts’ highest award in the arts, humanities and sciences.
Your first stop is at the Hebert Arboretum at Springside Park. This new arboretum, established in 1999, displays a diverse collection of trees and other plants in formal landscapes in a natural setting. It is a living laboratory with diverse habitats of rolling hills, meadows, woodlands, streams, marshes and ponds. It is home for over 50 species of native trees, 338 species of plant life and a tremendous wildflower variety of over 135 species.
The Arboretum is host to a migratory bird ‘migration funnel’ where migrating warblers, vireos and songbirds come for sanctuary and rest. As you will visit the Arboretum during the fall migration, you are certain to witness a variety of feathered friends.
Depart the Park and continue north to Williamstown, home of Williams College. Williams is a private, liberal arts college, and one of the best, non-ivy league colleges in the nation.
Upon arrival, visit the Clark Art Institute, home to the world-renowned Sterling and Francine Clark collection of American and European Art. The Clark is one of only a handful of institutions globally with a dual mission as an art museum and a distinguished center for research and higher education.
Embark on a one-hour, docent-led tour of this extensive collection, followed by time to explore on your own and to visit the gift shop. Most notably, witness the French Impressionist masterworks by artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renior, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot and Camille Pissarro.
Depart the Clark and head into “downtown” Williamstown. Enjoy time on your own for lunch and to visit the charming shops and boutiques.
Following lunch, arrive at Williams College and embark on a student-led tour. Williams College was founded in 1791 when Colonel Ephraim Williams, a colonel in the French and Indian War, bequeathed $9,297.00 to Massachusetts to start a free school to educate the sons of farmers. He had three stipulations: 1) the school had to be in Massachusetts, 2) the school had to be named after him, and 3) the town that the school was in had to be named after him. At the time Harvard was the only other institution of higher learning in Massachusetts.
During your tour, you will learn of the college’s rich past and witness historic buildings such as the Sloan House, Sage Hall, Williams Hall and Hopkins Hall.
Depart Williamstown mid afternoon and travel back to Stockbridge. The remainder of the afternoon is yours to experience at your leisure. Climb into one of the substantial rockers on the Inn’s veranda and watch the small-town-world pass you by. Browse through the locally owned shops or stop for a refreshing beverage at a “locals’ hangout.”
Gather in the lobby and walk just around the corner to your dinner destination. Your included dinner will be served at a quaint, casual eatery offering classic American dishes.
Day Four Wednesday, September 15:
Today’s outing features travel along scenic roads that lead to extraordinary experiences. Board the coach after breakfast at the Inn and travel north to Lenox, home of Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount. Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into a tightly controlled society at a time when women were discouraged from achieving anything beyond a proper marriage. Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers. Author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome and The House of Mirth, she wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including authoritative works on architecture, gardens, interior design and travel. She was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University and a full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Edith Wharton designed this spacious turn-of-the century home that was built in 1902. It is a National Landmark and a cultural center that celebrates her intellectual, artistic and humanitarian legacy.
Upon arrival, embark on a docent-lead tour of this magnificent home and learn of Edith’s achievements and her literary legacy. A guided garden tour follows. The tour recounts the history of the estate’s structures and plantings, and reflects Wharton’s passion for gardens and beauty.
Following the tours, gather for an included lunch served at the Terrace Café and visit the gift shop and bookstore.
Depart The Mount and travel a short distance to Pittsfield where you will arrive at The Herman Melville House, a historic house museum. It was here, between 1850 and 1863, that Melville wrote some of his major work: the novels Moby-Dick, Pierre (dedicated to nearby Mount Greylock), The Confidence-Man, Israel Potter and The Piazza Tales (a short story collection named for Arrowhead’s porch).
The house was built in the 1780’s as a farmhouse and inn and was sold to Melville in 1850. Melville called his new home Arrowhead because of the arrowheads that were dug up around the property during planting season.
“I rise at eight—thereabouts—& go to my barn—say good-morning to the horse, & give him his breakfast. (It goes to my heart to give him a cold one, but it can’t be helped.) Then, pay a visit to my cow—cut up a pumpkin or two for her, & stand by to see her eat it—for it’s a pleasant sight to see a cow move her jaws—she does it so mildly and with such a sanctity.” Herman Melville
It was at Arrowhead that Melville finished his novel, Moby-Dick; though the work was not recognized during the author’s lifetime, it has since become known as one of the greatest American literary masterpieces.
Your visit includes a guided tour of the house, barn and grounds. After the tour you may watch Moby-Dick or another film, visit exhibits in the historic barn or stroll on the nature trail.
Depart Arrowhead and travel back in time to a much simpler and unadorned way of life at the Hancock Shaker Village. This living history museum, with 20 authentic Shaker buildings, brings the Shaker story to life and preserves it for future generations.
The Shakers are one of the most intriguing religious movements in American history and considered among the most successful utopian societies ever to have flourished in this country. A religious order whose members believe in pacifism, celibacy and communal living, Shaker religious expression took the form of singing and ecstatic dance, which is why they were called the “Shaking Quakers,” or “Shakers.” The Shakers have made important contributions to American culture in their art, architecture, craftsmanship, music, government, agriculture and commerce. They are renowned today for their plain architecture and furniture.
Hancock Shaker Village began in the late 1780s, when nearly 100 Believers consolidated a community on land donated by local farmers who had converted to the Shaker movement. The Hancock Shakers erected communal dwelling houses, barns, workshops and other buildings, and developed a large and successful farm. Today they operate a vibrant working farm that continues the Shaker tradition by practicing a distinctive kind of farming, based in both historic Shaker farming principles and modern regenerative agriculture.
The Shakers were avid gardeners who saved the best seeds to cultivate the following year. They followed the path of the Shaker Seed Company including distributing, packaging and cataloging seeds, all of which changed the horticultural business model forever.
Upon arrival, you will be joined by a local guide and head out on a Historic Shaker Garden Tour. The Shakers invested great thought, time and labor in their gardens. They were the first to package seeds and well known for their fine herbal remedies, as the tour reveals.
After the tour, you will have time to visit the buildings, exhibits and amazing the Shaker Mercantile.
For the ideal ending to your day in the Village, gather for a Shaker Supper and Song.
They make you “kindly welcome” in true Shaker fashion with this unique dining experience. Begin with a cider and cheese reception, followed by a bountiful four-course Shaker-inspired supper. Dinner begins with the singing of a Shaker grace and closes with music that illuminates Shaker beliefs and spirituality.
Day Five, Thursday, September 16:
Check out of your rooms after breakfast at the Inn. Before you say goodbye to the Berkshires, there is one more destination that you simply can’t miss.
Within minutes from the Inn, sits the Berkshire Botanical Garden, one of New England’s oldest public gardens. A showcase of horticulture and garden design and a “museum of living things,” Berkshire Botanical Garden features dozens of display areas that are educational, functional and highly ornamental, with plant collections emphasizing plants that are native to the Northeast. The gardens have evolved and expanded over the years in breadth and variety, with its newest, “Lucy’s Garden,” featuring topiary animals and other ‘live’ sculptures.
Embark on a self-guided tour and make certain to save time to visit Center House Art Gallery.
Board the coach mid morning and travel to the Albany International Airport for your early afternoon flight home, or depart in your own car. A souvenir gift will remind you of the days when you “fell in love with the Berkshires.”
Your Package Includes:
- 4 Nights accommodation at the historic Red Lion Inn
- 4 Breakfasts
- 1 Lunch
- 3 Dinners-including Shaker Supper and Song dinner
- Admission to the Norman Rockwell Museum
- Guided house and garden tour at Chesterwood
- Visit to Ashintully Gardens
- Guided house and garden tour at Naumkeag
- Time to explore the Arboretum at Springside Park.
- Docent-led tour of the Clark Art Institute
- Student-guided tour of Williams College
- Free time in Stockbridge
- Guided house and garden tour of The Mount
- Docent-let tour of Arrowhead
- Admission to the Hancock Shaker Village
- Guided garden tour at Hancock Shaker Village
- Admission to the Berkshire Botanical Garden
- Baggage handling for one piece of luggage per traveler
- Full-time tour manager and knowledgeable horticulturist
- Private motor coach service round trip Albany International Airport
- Accommodations, admissions, group meals and baggage for the coach driver
- Taxes and gratuities (NOTE: Gratuities for the tour manager, coach driver and local guides are not included and are at your discretion based on service.)
Note: This trip is for small groups of a maximum of 22 travelers.
Pricing Information:
- Per person double occupancy: 1,649.00
- Per person triple occupancy: 1,534.00
- Per person quad occupancy: 1,477.00
- Per person single occupancy: 2,132.00
Prices and itinerary are subject to change. Custom quotes are available upon request. Call 802-850-7601.
