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.

The Barrington Stage Company, which is located in a beautiful theater in Pittsfield, is welcoming back The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  Originally created and developed by BSC in 2004 the Tony Award winning play is returning home.  It is an absolute delight and a must see.  We saw it last week.  The cast is incredibly talented and 4 members of the audience got to compete in the spelling bee.  They may select you. 

Performances are every day accept Monday.  There are even some 2PM matinees.  Check their schedule on http://barringtonstageco.org or call 4134995446.  Avoid the weekend crowds and come mid week.  The Berkshire Theater Festival is also performing on weekdays.  More on them in a future blog.

Book your room at Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts and enjoy great theater only minutes away.

Our newest promotion gives you free golf.  When you book a minimum 2-night stay between June 14th and September 1st, that fills our holes, we’ll give you 2 gift certificates for 9 holes at Greenock Country Club.  Click  “Availability “on the menu to the left, and if your reservation fills the blanks  between two other reservations, you qualify!  (Tee times are subject to availability, cart fees are extra. Valid only for new reservations made between June 14th and Sept. 1st.)

Greenock is a nine hole course that is one of the most scenic in the Berkshires.  It was originally designed in 1895 and redesigned by Donald Ross in 1927.  In our opinion it is the best maintained course in the county.  Located in Lee Massachusetts, just 4 miles from Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts.

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 summer weather has come to Lenox Massachusetts.  Temperatures have reached the 90’s.  At Brook Farm Inn the air conditioners are ready and the pool is crystal clear and cool.  The Berkshires has always been known for cool evenings and tonight the temperature drops to the low 60’s.  Our pool heater has recently been refurbished so we can keep the water temperature comfortable.  Call to reserve a room and get away from the city heat and enjoy some time in the country.

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. 

Who would have thought? An exhibit combining Norman Rockwell and Herman Melville!  It’s opening tomorrow night at Arrowhead, Melville’s home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  And that’s very close to Brook Farm Inn, in Lenox, Massachusetts.  The exhibit features the original color study of Rockwell’s mural showing Pittsfield in 1854, and includes clothing, tools, and other items found in the buildings in the mural.  Sounds like a great activity for Memorial Day Weekend, or any time this spring and summer.

Take a Walk with Van Gogh

More information from Brook Farm Inn about the Art Walk…

  On Saturday May 24th and Sunday May 25th 11-5, Lenox, Massachusetts will open its art season with a new logo as we all walk along with the cheerful fellow carrying the Van Gogh.  We will be walking along Main or Housatonic or Church Street enjoying the wide array of works in the 15 participating galleries 

Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts, is close to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.  This wonderfully restored theater, one of the Berkshires’ best attractions, has announced its program for May through December, and there’s something for everyone. Judy Collins will be performing June 1st, then there’s Renee Fleming, more classical music, Paul Taylor Dance Co., and some summer special screenings, like “West Side Story,” “Oklahoma!,” and “The Graduate.” Also not to be missed is the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series — Saturday afternoon simulcasts from the Met. So go to “Area Attractions” on our homepage and then click on “Mahaiwe” for the entire program.