USA, Massachusetts, soaring view of Mount Greylock.

Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

The Berkshires

Few places in America combine culture and country living as deftly as the Berkshire hills, home to world-class music, dance and theater festivals – the likes of Tanglewood and Jacob's Pillow – as well as miles of hiking trails and acres of farmland.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

MASS MoCA
The Berkshires
MASS MoCA sprawls over 13 acres of downtown North Adams – one-third of the entire business district. After the Sprague Electric Company closed in 1985,…
Bash Bish Falls
The Berkshires
In the very southwest corner of the state, near the New York state line, is Bash Bish Falls, the largest waterfall in Massachusetts. The water feeding the…
Clark Art Institute
The Berkshires
Even if you're not an avid art lover, don't miss this gem, set on 140 gorgeous acres of expansive lawns, flower-filled meadows and rolling hills. The…
Norman Rockwell Museum
The Berkshires
Born in New York City, Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) sold his first magazine cover illustration to the Saturday Evening Post in 1916. In the following half…
Chesterwood
The Berkshires
This pastoral 122-acre plot was 'heaven' to its owner Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), the sculptor best known for his great seated statue of Abraham…
Mount
The Berkshires
Almost 50 years after Nathaniel Hawthorne left his home in Lenox, another writer found inspiration in the Berkshires. Edith Wharton (1862–1937) came to…
Williams College Museum of Art
The Berkshires
In the center of town is this worthwhile – and free! – art museum. It has a collection of some 15,000 pieces, with substantial works by notables such as…
Hancock Shaker Village
The Berkshires
This evocative museum illustrates the lives of the religious sect that founded the village in 1783. The Shakers believed in communal ownership, the…