Things to do in Great Barrington & Around
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Bartholomew’s Cobble
After an hour or two’s rest in small-town America, you might consider a hike in the hills. Ten miles south of Great Barrington along US 7 and MA 7A toward Ashley Falls is Bartholomew’s Cobble, a ‘cobble’ being a high, rocky knoll of limestone, marble or quartzite. The highly alkaline soil of this 329-acre reservation supports an unusual variety of trees, flowers, moss and especially ferns. Six miles of hiking trails provide routes for enjoying the cobble and the woods, which are set beneath a flyway used by over 200 species of birds. Try the Ledges Trail that weaves along the Housatonic River.
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Windy Hill Farm
If you hop in the car and drive out of Great Barrington, you’re bound to find several farms where you can pick seasonal produce at harvest times, which can be overwhelmingly beautiful in the fall. One spot is Windy Hill Farm, about 5 miles north of Great Barrington, where more than a score of apple varieties, from pucker-sour to candy-sweet, are yours for the autumn picking. Summer is blueberry season.
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Café Helsinki
Plop down on an overstuffed sofa at this café in the back of the Barrington House Atrium and eat Scandinavian and Eastern European comfort food – dishes such as the Mad Russian (potato latkes with gravlax and sour cream) and ‘Finnish’ barbecue ribs. In the evenings, outstanding folksy and bluesy musical acts take over the adjoining Club Helsinki (tickets $7 to $35). No cover on Mondays.
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Monument Mountain
On US 7, less than 5 miles north of Great Barrington center, is Monument Mountain, which has two trails to the summit of Squaw Peak. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote that Monument’s summit resembled ‘a headless sphinx wrapped in a Persian shawl.’ On August 5, 1850, Hawthorne climbed the mountain with Oliver Wendell Holmes and Herman Melville, thus sealing a lifelong friendship.
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John Andrews Restaurant
Chef Dan Smith turns out organic mountain lamb, a daily risotto and a fine Italian/New American menu with most items grown on nearby farms. The place occupies a clapboarded 19th-century home overlooking a garden. Prix-fixe specials on Thursdays are absolutely worth the 6 mile trek west from Great Barrington. Good wine selection.
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Castle St Café
The piano in the back of this café just off Main St once belonged to Nat King Cole, who owned a summer home in Tyringham. Chef and owner Michael Ballon cooks up grilled Cornish hens, sautéed calves’ livers, and local shad roe. Pastas and burgers are less expensive. Come for jazz on Friday or Saturday nights.
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Bizen
This popular, mostly organic Japanese restaurant features a small sushi bar, sashimi, tempura and a room for kaiseki (the seasonal meal that accompanies a tea ceremony). All meals are served on pottery created by owner Michael Marcus. The simple room is separated into nooks with paper lanterns and tatami mats.
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Allium
For an upscale date, try the New American cuisine (wood-grilled pork, house-cured salmon) in this elegant room, which manages to combine a repurposed barn door, pretty jigsaw-esque panel of wooden shingles, flower boxes and modern Scandinavian influences without being heavy-handed. Bravo design team.
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Martin’s
Eat breakfast all day on blond wooden chairs (country, not modern) over a black and white linoleum floor. Other telling accoutrements: pinkish paper placemats and the possible company of a gregarious high school soccer team. Sandwiches served, as well as tofu scrambles.
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La Chosa
At the back of Barrington House Atrium, this is the spot for filling Mexican takeout. Be sure to throw down the extra quarter to have one of the fiery hot sauces added to your burrito. On weekend nights you can often catch live rock here. Cash only.
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Baba Louie’s
Small, cozy Baba’s is known for its wood-fired pizza with organic sourdough crust and guys with dreadlocks. The interior is painted a peach-orange tone that would look appropriate in New Mexico.
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