There are several beautiful golf courses in the Berkshires.  Many of Brook Farm Inn’s guests enjoy a round of golf while they are here.  Below is a list of the courses that welcome visitors:

1. Cranwell Golf Club in Lenox Mass. is 1 1/2miles from Brook Farm Inn.  It is an 18 hole par 70 course that is 6204 yards.  They also have a driving range and a golf school.  Their website is www.cranwell.com and the phone number is 413 637 2563.  Have lunch at the Sloane’s Tavern overlooking the 3rd tee.
2. Greenock Country Club in Lee is one of the best maintained courses in the county.  It is a 9 hole par 35 course that is 3080 yards.  Stay to the left on the par 4 third hole or you will be in the woods (you’ll find some of my balls there).  It only takes a few minutes to get there from Brook Farm Inn.  The restaurant is Pauline’s and the food is good.  The website is www.greenockcc.com and the phone is 413 243 3323.
3. Another 9 hole course is the GE Athletic Association in Pittsfield.  It is a par 36 and 3022 yards.  The phone number is 413 443 5746.
4. Pontoosuc Lake Country Club is one of my favorites.  The 18 hole par 70 course is 6224 yards.  It’s about 20 minutes away but is less crowded in the summer season than the courses that are closer to Lenox.  The 15th hole is a par 5 that is 610 yards long.  I’ve been on in 4 several times but I have yet to do better than a bogie.  The phone number is 413 445 4217.
5. Egremont Country Club is about 30 minutes away.  It is an 18 hole par 71 course that is 5771 yards.  Watch out for the stream that runs the lengthof the eighth hole, that  also runs behind the green.  The website is www.egremontcountryclub.com and the phone is 413 528 4222.

You will find the Berkshire courses challenging, scenic, less crowded and less expensive than the golf clubs in and around New York or Boston.  Bring your clubs and come to the Berkshires!

Right here on Hawthorne Street, 1/2 mile from Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts, is the wonderful Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio.  Visitors to the Berkshires can now see it Thursday through Sunday.  This was the home of a glamorous, artistic couple who painted and collected abstract art in the 1930’s and ’40’s.  See how art and architecture meet in their house, set on a manicured estate. 

A favorite of summer visitors to Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts has always been the author lecture series at The Mount, home and gardens of Edith Wharton. Lectures take place on Mondays at 4 PM, starting July 7th, and they’re followed by tea and book-signing. We’re also glad to announce  Wharton on Wednesdays at 5 PM in July and August, which consists of live readings from her works.  Also a wonderful new idea is called Some Enchanted Evenings — wine & hors d’oeuvres on the Mount’s terrace, 5 - 8 PM Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  A great prelude to any summer evening in the Berkshires!

This Sunday,  The Clark will open its new Stone Hill center.  The famous art museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts has a spectacular collection, and is set on 140 acres of beautiful Berkshires scenery.  The new center was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Tadao Ando.  In his honor, the community open house on Sunday will offer a barbecue, picnic, and Japanese drumming.  The Clark has always been a favorite destination for Brook Farm Inn visitors, and it’s an easy ride from Lenox.

Ventfort Hall, in Lenox Massachusetts, is one of the Berkshires’ gems.  It’s a mansion and Gilded Age Museum.  Guests can enjoy, in addition to tours and exhibits, lectures and picnics on the porch, and special events.  This weekend we recommend the play, “They Called Me Lizzy…from Slavery to the White House.” See it Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14. It’s the true life story of ELizabeth Keckly and her rise from slavery to entrepreneurial freedom, then scandal and decline.  She was dressmaker & confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln.  You can walk to Ventfort Hall from Brook Farm Inn!

The new, must-see exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts is “Raw Nerve: The Political Art of Steve Brodner.”  Guests of Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts have already seen it and say it’s great.  It will run through October 26th.

An award-winning draftsman, commentator, and humorist, Steve Brodner has created illustrations, cartoons, and reportage for nearly every major American periodical, including Esquire, The New York Times, New York, Mother Jones, The Nation, National Lampoon, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, and The Village Voice.

Don’t miss it!  You can also catch the Saturday Evening Post magazine covers, that are always a treat.

Guests of Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts have lots of places to choose from, if they enjoy a  casual nightclub with live music. There’s Castle Street Cafe in Great Barrington, Club Helsinki also in Great Barrington, and Lion’s Den in Stockbridge. All of these have intimate, friendly atmospheres, good food and drink, and great music.

When guests ask where they should hike, our favorite suggestion is Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, a Mass Audubon property. It’s minutes from Brook Farm Inn, and you can choose from 7 miles of well-marked trails.  Some trails are more challenging than others, but all offer the opportunity to enjoy the  natural beauty and wildlife of the Berkshires.  You can hike to the summit of Lenox Mountain (a young couple staying at Brook Farm Inn recently got engaged there!) or stroll around the ponds and see the beaver lodges.  This is a destination for any season. 

This is the opening weekend of Chesterwood, in Stockbridge.  It’s right near Lenox, MA, and a visit there is recommended for any visitor to the Berkshires. Chesterwood was the home and studio of Daniel Chester French, who sculpted the Lincoln Memorial and the Minuteman Statue, among other things.  The tour is fascinating, and  a walk of the grounds, including a lovely wooded trail with outdoor contemporary sculpture, makes for a great afternoon.

Brook Farm Inn is a short distance from Steepletop, in Austerlitz, NY.  Edna St. Vincent Millay lived there, and the home is still as it was in her day.  The Society sponsors artists-in-residence, and is restoring her gardens, and hopes to make the home into a museum for visitors.  Part of the grounds are available for visitors to walk, although most of the property is usually closed to the public.  However  this Saturday, May 17th, is the first of two Open Days, from 10-4.  In addition to the gardens, Millay’s writing cabin will be open. It should be a great day.  And a great book about the poet is Savage Beauty by Nancy Milford