This is a small, quiet park sitting just above the river, next to a covered bridge. During our…read morevisit the river was low and flowing gently. A sign in the dirt parking area, directly across from the park, says the river is polluted and no fishing is allowed. There is however a stairway, of sorts, there leading down to the river where you may be able to launch a kayak or canoe. An information sign at the entrance to parking states this covered bridge is the oldest in MA? There is a timeline from it's inception to the present day. It is now a pedestrian only bridge. Walking across this bridge brings you to a dirt road where people were walking and to the park. A small metal sculpture welcomes you. Several benches face the river here lining the bank. A sign under a shady tree from the State of MA announces the historical inclusion of a UFO event that occurred here as being factually accepted by the state. A big picnic table also resides in the shade here. The grassy lawn is mowed. New plantings have been protected from wild life. Lamp posts are located between the benches. Everything seems to be donated with plaques affixed. One of the benches includes cremeated remains so they are always there, where it happened. A bike rake, trash bin and dog waste bags are located in the parking area. Pups are allowed on leash. This is a small, quiet area. A place to enjoy solitude, take a walk, read a book or share a picnic. Visit for the history of the bridge and the event.

"We're dying to be invaded Waiting for the UFOs Waiting for…read morethe UFOs We are waiting for the UFOs We know that they're there" (Graham Parker) Did a series of UFO's appear in the skies over Sheffield, Massachusetts in 1969? Did over 250 people see a disc-shaped white orb bigger than a football field hover in the sky over Sheffield's covered bridge? Did the Reed family have their car engulfed in light as they were pulled into the UFO? Did the family take a polygraph test found to be 99.1% truthful? Could this have been one of the most-seen UFO incidents in history? The Great Barrington Historical Society, Massachusetts governor, and Massachusetts historians seem to agree that all this happened, and there is a park in Sheffield commemorating that event. The Thom Reed - UFO Monument Park was founded in 2015 on the banks of the Housatonic River by the town of Sheffield where Thom Reed's off-world incident was said to have occurred. A sign reads "On behalf of the citizens of Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I am pleased to confer upon you this Governor's citation in recognition of the off-world incident on September 1, 1969, which engaged the Reed family, which has been established. Your dedicated service to this incident was factually upheld, founded, and deemed historically significant and true by means of Massachusetts historians. The records highlighting the historic event are now officially part of the Great Barrington, MA Historical Society's collection and your recent induction into Massachusetts history." There are benches scattered along the park waterfront, and many have sponsorship plaques from the media sources (Netflix, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Discovery Science, International UFO Museum in Roswell) that have publicized the story on TV shows like Ancient Aliens and Unsolved Mysteries. What say you?

I'll second that this is totally the place for a beginner and kids will thoroughly enjoy…read morethemselves. Eugene Mamut has an interesting collection of special effects, and asked some good questions of my 6 year old to let him explain what was going on with each. He showed us some differences between different styles of animation. The video that W made was uploaded on his website for sharing and Will had a great time!

I was researching things to do in the Berkshires while my classmates and I were vacationing. This…read morepeaked our interest as we're all tech-fascinated people, and my husband was an animation major. It's a free museum visit, but because it's privately run, you have to call them and make special arrangements for them to come and open the museum. The pros: you get a private tour, and hours aren't limited to your usual 9-5. The cons: since it's only run by 2 people, you're really at their mercy when you show up and they may or may not be on there way there still. Admittedly it's nothing fancy, but if you're legitimately into animation, it's a really fun casual tour. They go very old school on some animation techniques. They have a gift shop with some animation trinkets you can buy. For extra money if you have time, you can also create your own animation with them. We opted out of that one. If you're in the area anyway, it's a great place to stop by. Otherwise, I wouldn't go out of your way to travel to the area just for this.

Really lovely and understated estate/museum to visit in an area rich in those, Chesterwood is…read moredefinitely worth a visit. Daniel Chester French was the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial, and there's a smaller version of the famous sculpture here in his studio. The house he resided in is well-maintained and is quite lovely. The tour guide was informative and friendly. The house tour is worth the admission but the views of the valley puts it over. The garden where the studio is has a nice fountain. I had to leave just before the end of the tour. With the tour, try to have at least a couple of hours so you can get the full feel of the estate.

I was up in the Berkshires the other week and found out about Chesterwood whilst searching online…read morefor music and poetry events. Turns out they had an hour long poetry reading event curated by Voices of Poetry, an amazing poetry group run by Neil Silberblatt. I drive in, parked in the free lot, bought a ticket in the main building and explored for a bit before the event began. The poetry reading featured Chard di Niord (poet laureate of Vermont), Patrick Donnelly (director of the Poetry Center at the Frost Place), Shanta Lee (recipient of the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts), Hilde Weisert, winner, 2017 Gretchen Warren Award (New England Poetry Club) & 2016 Tiferet Journal Poetry Award. Every single poet was super talented and covered a large range of topics. Now I've been to my fair share of poetry readings however the talent and environment here really set this one apart. The backdrop and setting of the grounds is absolutely gorgeous. There is a short trail that you can hike and also plenty of beautiful walking paths, with plenty of sculptures, artwork, fountains and incredible trees/flowers for your viewing pleasure.

Beautiful house and gardens. Purchase tickets online before you visit. Parking is very limited…read more Grounds are grass, mulch and stairs. Not accessible. Only the lower floor of the house is accessible. Take the garden tour. It provides much information about the family, building the home and gardens and the architects/designers. Well worth the time. The property is on a hill so wear your walking shoes. A dirt 'one way' road leads past the house, to the dirt parking lot, then down the hill off the property. The lower part of the road, off property, is very rutted. (it happens to drive right past Norman Rockwell's grave site) Early spring the gardens are beautiful. The staircase from the cutting garden to the house is gorgeous. A leisurly walk down the Linden walk then curves around to a stroll in the wood. Many little gardens areas. Plan to spend at least two or three hours.

The Winter Lights show is AMAZING! So creative, great use of all the uniqueness of the property…read more Very well organized. You park in the center of the town of Stockbridge MA which looks straight out of a Christmas romance hallmark movie. Even the town information booth (where you get the shuttle buses- which are school buses) over to Naumkeag House (less than 5 minute ride) looks like the cutest information booth you've ever seen. The buses are heated so after walking around outdoors you're happy to be on the warm bus ride back to the centers of the town. The light show has many nooks and crannies and surprises around every corner. I've been to much larger holiday light shows, and despite the size of this one being a bit smaller than some, it is spectacular and unique in so many ways. The property has a Chinese garden, a beautiful greenhouse (like straight out of frosty the snowman), a beautiful fountain, very large rows of giant evergreen shrubs, and incredible trees (like an arboretum). There are two "snack shacks" where you can get desserts, hot cocoa, hot cider, and even some nice add-ins like peppermint schnapps, bourbon, rum. Walking around looking at beautiful Christmas lights with a spiked hot beverage is magical. One of the snack shacks also has a fire pit with benches all around to sit and warm up by. Perhaps my favorite part...I went with several teens & young adults who don't always appreciate me taking tons of photos...but here...there were SO MANY PHOTO OPS that they didn't mind, and even started asking me to take more photos of them! Fair warning- this property has quite a few steps, so if mobility is a challenge, probably not the best place...even wheel chair accessible would be tough...especially with the school bus shuttles to/from town. Best to call ahead and see what accommodations can be made for accessibility. I hope to come back every year for the winter lights show. A very festive and beautiful thing to do with friends and family around the holidays.

Great museum where 2-3 hours is all you'll need to see everything and enjoy a great time. Suggest a…read moretour with tour guide for another 10 dollars. Easy parking too.

This was a must see for my wife and I. A very informative museum on this talented man's life. We…read morepaid for a tour to have his art explained to us, it was very informative and well worth the price. They do not do a very good job of promoting the tour, so ask. There are walking trails around the museum grounds. The gift shop is very nice and has great quality items to buy.

Took the tour. It feels like you are rushing through - so much information is given. The tour lasts…read moreand hour and it hardly seems enough to cover three floors of house. After the tour we were free to wander at our leisure. The gardens are well manicured. A video in the house shows the history of the property and photos of restoration inside and out. Gives a real appreciation of the restoration work done here. Amazing. The woodland path is lovely, shaded and serene. There were childrens programs going on along the path during our wander. There is also a sculpture event happening with pieces scattered along the paths. Park in the dirt lot by the stables where you can purchase tickets and watch an orientation video. It's about a five minute walk to the house from here. A book walk begins here too-a series of signs, each one page of a childrens book. If you need handicap parking, buy tickets online, drive past the stable and park near the house. Very informative tour. An abunfance of information throughout the house. Cafe with prepared food on the terrace overlooking the grounds. Plan to spend two to three hours.

Checked out the grounds while staying in the area. This is a beautiful and relaxing spot to walk…read morearound. There's also a trail system behind the main house, which is well worth exploring. Plenty of benches to stop and enjoy the gardens. Look forward to returning here to tour the interior.

This is an excellent spot to bring the kids with a kids discovery garden, kids veggie garden, and a…read moretopiary garden with and elephant you can 'ride'. Among other things like the pond and ampitheater. The garden is on both sides of the road. They have a crosswalk w/signal to cross safely. Areas within the park are a mix of sun and shade with several shady benches scattered throughout. The gift shop has plenty of items including cold drinks. Parking lot is gravel. Public restrooms are available

We have not been to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in probably 15 years and it has certainly grown…read moreand improved. Lovely gardens mostly identified with the type of plant which is always helpful. We used passes from our local library so we did not have to pay admission. The gift shop is difficult to leave empty handed. A great way to spend two hours outdoors.

Amazing Asian art statue and art collection-- from all over the world. Speak to the owners, they…read moreare so knowledgeable and travel around the world for their merchandise.

We wandered off during one of our days while staying in the Berkshires to come here and take in all…read moreof AsiaBarong's immense art collection. To add, the husband and wife team prove that there's no stopping them. The massive- and I mean jaw-dropping space is the perfect background for showcasing a range of Tibetan sculptures, Balinese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Nepalese, Indian to Kama Sutra and even more items. There are $$$$$ sculptures up the wazoo- but we were substantially below that. Plus, we're not in the market for Asian statuaries or marble items weighing a ton. As an alternative, AsiaBarong has many modest pieces such as Buddhas that I was eyeing- but we have a few in the garden and indoors. Instead, we picked up a very small Xian Warrior sculpture, a black lacquered Japanese vase, hubs picked out a black onyx bracelet for himself and something for our daughter. The price was right and so was the super warm service. She even secured one of the gifts in like a (cleaned) plastic salad container for the ride home. Listen... whatever works.

I am a lifelong fan of Jacob's Pillow! I have been to so many performances here and enjoyed each…read moreone. I am also a frequent visitor of the gift shop, and I even took a dance class when I was younger. Most recently, I came for an outdoor dance performed by two different dance teams that had collaborated on Irish Step-dancing pieces. I was told that I would appreciate the performance because I have some Irish in my blood, not sure how that works, but I really did enjoy it! The dancers worked so well together. They glided across the stage, and they looked so happy to be there. There was one dancer in particular who really seemed like there was nowhere he would rather be. I also came for a tap dancing performance and I was in awe of all the performers who clearly put 110% into their performance. I was beyond happy with both experiences, and I've always greatly appreciated the talent and effort of all performers.

There is no better place to watch a ballet show without air conditioning in a hot summer night…read more Bring your picnic baskets as the on premise restaurant is always booked solid. We saw the Dutch National Ballet and return for Martha Graham later this season.