The sanctuary is really cool. Suggested donation of $20 and you walk the grounds at your own pace…read more There is some amazing art there and, I believe, it changes regularly with additions from artists. There is a labyrinth right by a beautiful little body of water, some really cool sculptures, glass works, and cool places to sit and/or wander around. The whole place has a really nice vibe, and I think it's just really cool that someone takes care of a space like that for everyone to enjoy. I would highly recommend it. Fun for the whole family.

Phenomenal sculpture garden worth the drive from anywhere in New England. Creative reuse of mixed…read morematerials, rock, stone, glass, ceramic, and metal remnants. Insta-worthy moments in every nook and cranny. Upcycled architectural salvage, and a truly whimsical cottage that can be rented for a stay. A meditative place and healing art garden complex, accompanied by a labyrinth and a barnful of antique stoves and supremely quirky collection of weird and fabulous junque. A must-do experience.

I think this is going to be year 8 for us at the cabins. The feeling "retreat" comes to mind when…read moreI think longingly about the cabins in Goshen. This year they are going to be rebuilding the dam at the end of the lake, so that should be worth exploring next year. Last year, we learned how to sail, which was a real treat. We were in the correct season to get to be able to pick fresh wild blueberries from our kayaks!! We made a great syrup with them, and had it over ice cream...yummmm. ====================================================== In response to the person that has trouble with stairs: I think all the cabins have some amount of stairs, the white one has the fewest (maybe one?). In order to get down to the lake, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE ANY STAIRS. My mother-in-law has bad hips, and she doesn't use the stairs. All you have to do is either go around the house to the right, or walk all the way to the left in front of the green cabin, and there are NO STAIRS. The lawn is very gradually sloped on both of those paths. You can even get to the lake by walking directly in front of their porch...without stairs. Look at picture number two (that I took years ago), there are NO STAIRS under the flag on the left OR near the small red tree on on the right. The stairs mentioned are directly in the center of the picture under the arch.

This was our second stay at Goshen Ocean and it was even more delightful than the first. Our hosts…read moreDina and Bob couldn't be more generous and accommodating, and the property itself can only be described as a little slice of heaven. We swam, kayaked, grilled every night, played with our dog (yes, they are extremely dog friendly) and just relaxed by the lake and in our cozy cottage. It's close to so many great places to visit and enjoy (Northampton, the Berkshires, DAR State forest), yet far enough away to indulge in a little pastoral solitude. We can't wait to return!

I have eaten at the Goldenrod and the food is great and clean. Service is fantastic and friendly…read more The atmosphere is friendly and rustic. Can't say enough positive review for this place up in Worthington MA.. You need to stop and enjoy. Thanks for reading.

This is a review of the restaurant only…read more It's time my friends! Another episode of the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly! Let's start with the Good! There's lots of good here. First, anyone willing to risk running a restaurant in a place like Worthington is tops in my book. This is a tough place to be, and not a lot of people here. A very under-served population. The location is quaint, clean, and picturesque. The staff was very nice and friendly. The bar is well-stocked, particularly with what seems to be every flavor of V1 Vodka they make! A very good sign. The menu is small, but that's a Good Thing!! I would rather have 10 choices, all done perfectly, than 100 done poorly. The chicken sandwich was A++. Perfect. The fries were good too. I like mine a little crispier (more on that later), but they were in the ballpark. The roll the sandwich was on was fantastic. Also, my wife and I were very excited for the upcoming Drag Brunch! In Worthington! Get down with your awesome selves! (Alas, the tickets were already sold out!!) OK, enough of the raving, now on to .... The Bad: These folks are clearly still in the "just getting started" phase. The staff is great, but it's clear that they're having some communication issues. Those kinds of issues cost money. If the management gets that under control, they'll survive. That just takes time. The buffalo wings were just meh. A little undercooked so they weren't crispy at all. Not in an unsafe way, but not as cooked as you'd like them, chewy skin. The Blue Cheese dressing tastes like bad Blue Cheese dressing from a food service bucket. The sort of Blue Cheese dressing you'd expect at a truck stop in the middle of Nebraska. Sort of sweet and tangy, like shelf-stable Wishbone. Really disappointing. The wings did seem to be decent quality, just needed longer to cook. The spice level was nice. I'll chalk these up to growing pains. Oh no, here it comes... The Ugly: There is poutine on the menu. Or so they claim. This is the sort of poutine you would get if you *described* poutine to a person who had never seen nor tasted it. Here's that description: Take french fries, put cheese on them, then gravy. That's missing a LOT of key details. Did I mention that I'm Canadian? This poutine is like promising an Italian a nice plate of Spaghetti and Meatballs, then serving them a can of Spaghetti-o's. Sure, it's pasta, and meatballs, and sauce.... The fries were not nearly cooked enough to hold up to cheese and gravy. As a side for a burger, no problem. The fries are the right type and quality, but Poutine fries need to be cooked a little longer so they don't turn to mush. The cheese seemed to be mozzarella, and the cook *broiled* it onto the fries. Broiled cheese? Are you nuts? OK, OK, I'm calming down. This is still salvageable. Wait, what is this flavorless, white... is it ... gravy? Are you sure? It looks and tastes like country gravy that should have bits of ground up sausage and gets served over a biscuit for breakfast. Poutine gravy is brown! BROWN I tells ya! Even vegetarian poutine gravy is brown! Swear to dog, next time I'm in Quebec I'm bringing back an industrial sized tub of St. Hubert gravy mix and donating it to the Goldenrod (You think I'm joking. I am not.) GYAGH! Better yet, next time I'm going to Quebec I'm going to grab the head chef, drive them to the first Casse-crout past the Derby line, and feed them a proper (paper) plate of poutine. OK, deep breaths. Deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. I accept that (in spite of being only 4 hours drive) finding the perfect Canadian ingredients here in Western Mass is almost impossible, and I will never find perfect Poutine here. I am a poutine snob, and I know this. But Please, please, for the love of dog, Goldenrod, fix this. Fresh cheddar cheese curds need to be at room temp, placed on hot fries, covered in hot brown gravy. You want low moisture cheese, it's *not supposed to melt* or if it does, just barely. If you want to elevate it some, go for it. Add some fresh herbs. Offer to toss in some BBQ short rib or bacon bits. But (in my best Joan Crawford:) NO. WHITE. GRAVY!!!! To the owners/chefs: Google "Poutine" & "Sherbrooke". Look at the pictures. All of them. From every restaurant. Do you see a single broiled cheese curd? Do you see any white gravy? No? OK, now you know. The Wrapup: Alright, I know I practically had a stroke there about the poutine, but here's the end of the story. The Goldenrod is a new restaurant, and it's good. Not great (yet,) but good. Want them to be great? Eat there. Often. Tell the boss what's good and what's bad. Success breeds success. This place has massive potential and needs encouragement. Overall, 4 stars. Tons of potential. Eat there!

I first intended to stay at Flower Hill Farm for a short time... but this captivating place kept me…read morelonger! It's just a couple of miles from the market and post office, but it has a country feel and peacefulness. From bed, watch the sun rise over the hilltop, and at the table over coffee, see the birds, butterflies and wildlife start their day. Whether you are on a getaway or working remotely, it's easy to get outside on the property's trails or enjoy the wild places nearby. Carol is a responsive host and a font of knowledge about the area, living things, art and photography. Note: This is an old house (for example, a wood floor that in spots is not even) but it had everything I needed to be comfortable and productive.

Looking for a beautiful, quiet New England getaway?…read more Flower Hill Farm, which is situated on a gorgeous flower farm in picturesque Williamsburg, MA, is an eco-friendly vegetarian and vegan B&B. I spent time up at Flower Hill in 2004, when the proprietress, Carol Duke, was working with me to design the flowers for my wedding. That's her other business, flower arrangements: http://www.yelp.com/biz/carol-duke-flowers-williamsburg#hrid:P1YOyzGwFG-ggsJ39czSXA. The farm is really peaceful, the grounds beautiful and the attitude truly grounding. If you think your life is spun just a little wild, try a getaway at Flower Hill. You'll leave refreshed.

I have stayed at the Curtis House a few times and it is lovely. Everything went perfectly. My room…read morewas great, breakfast was delicious, the house and gardens are divine. And the home is so close to the lake and the town center. Gloria, the owner of the Curtis House, is helpful and sweet. She has precious doggies and chickens! I absolutely recommend this bed and breakfast to anyone looking to stay in western mass!

From the owner: We have three lovely rooms available. All rooms come with a breakfast of homemade baked goods,…read morefresh eggs from our chickens, and ingredients from our garden. We also plan, arrange, and cater weddings, showers, reunions, and other gatherings, indoors and outdoors, at the Curtis House or at a variety of venues around the area. Our signature floral arrangements include an array of seasonal, fresh-picked flowers and foliage from the gardens here at the Curtis House.

Located smack dab in the middle of downtown Shelburne Falls, The Memorial offers regular acts,…read moreMetropolitan Opera HD broadcasts, classic movie showings (Hitchcock, Looney Tunes/Three Stooges Festivals, etc) and a (usually) folksy lineup of touring musicians... Nice space, terrific sights and venues all around it in tiny Shelburne... the Bridge of Flowers and the Potholes are mere feet away... a great place to take in a favorite artist of yours - any seat in the house is a good one...

There are so many absolutely amazing aspects of working with Mari that it's hard to know where to…read morestart. She is talented, kind, creative, a great communicator and listener, and just an all-around supportive and calming presence in the midst of wedding planning chaos. My wife and I started the planning process knowing nothing about floral design -- we had a vague vision and general flower types and colors we thought we liked, but not much else. From our very first conversation, Mari gently guided us through the entire process from start to finish and brought that vague vision to life in a way that was 1000% better than we ever expected or hoped! She went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect (including spray painting our ceremony arch in the days before our wedding since the color wasn't quite right, spending hours on set-up and take-down on the hottest day of the season, and so much more). As a result, the flowers were a standout highlight of our wedding day. We could NOT get over how incredibly beautiful everything looked, from our bouquets to the ceremony installation to the tablescapes, and neither could our guests -- they're still raving about her work months later. (This sounds like an exaggeration, but it's not.) In addition to florals, Mari designed our invitations and welcome sign -- which matched perfectly with our floral color palette -- and was an advisor to us on so many other parts of the planning process, outside of florals and paper. Throughout the whole process, she was flexible and understanding about our budget, hardworking and committed to making our ideas a reality, and always fun to chat with and be around. We were truly stunned by how epic the flowers turned out on our wedding day, and we seriously can't recommend Mari strongly enough, as a vendor and a human.

Mari and her team made sure that all of our needs and wedding dreams came true! Being quite…read moreunconventional and initially thinking we didn't need things to be traditionally savvy, we didn't think hiring coordinators would be that big of a benefit. But, hiring Mari as things began to feel slightly overwhelming early on was the best investment we made for our wedding. Mari quickly established a rapport with my wife and me; and, our visions aligned in how we wanted to exchange our vows (and party) with our friends and loved ones. The genuine eagerness to ensure our fantasies became reality coupled with the attention to detail working with our vendors was such a blessing to have during our wedding and the weeks prior. She was able to keep things loose enough so that it didn't feel regimented, but also kept us on task with our responsibilities. It was truly the most amazing day of our lives. Thank you, Mari.

DJ Pete is great! Very professional, responsive to all inquiries, easy to work with, on time, fully…read moreequipped with lights, etc - and great sound!! From cocktails to dancing, he kept the mood start to finish for a very memorable party.

We hired Pete for our wedding and were extremely happy with his DJ services! He's very friendly and…read morepersonable; communication was top notch. Everyone was raving about the music at the reception. Announcements were on point, and he provided a microphone that projected well without any issues. He's an audio professional and it really showed; the music was loud without overpowering the entire room. It really was an A+ job well done! We'd definitely hire Pete again.

Beautiful grounds. In summer the trails take you through an old growth forest. In winter, every…read moreother year the home is decked out for Christmas and open for seasonal tours.

This former home of the poet/journalist William Cullen Bryant is a bit out of the way - it's in the…read moremiddle of nowhere actually and still operates as a farm. The house is in a bit of a shamble and could definitely use some TLC (the Trustees of Reservations, which own the property, seem to do better with outdoor landscapes). I had a moderately good tour of this interesting house. Those who enjoy architecture will be intrigued by the story of the home and its construction stages. I was more interested in the life and work of Bryant and the tour was moderately successful. I was most pleased, however, at the end of the tour when the guide noted she likes to make sure people leave the home knowing some of Bryant's poetry. So, she handed each of us a copy of one of his poems and read from it. This was a touching but important part of the experience - it was a poet's house, after all, so it's only appropriate we should be treated to poetry!

Double Edge shows are an insane and beautiful experience. They put a lot of themselves in these…read moreshows. They throw themselves in ponds! Crawl around in Rivers! Climb and perform from trees! in the cold! In the rain! In the heat! Do ecstatic meditative dances! Puppets! dabble in some circus and gymnastics! Mythologies! Surrounded by nature! This years spectacle included a lot of animal characters... and then when they were making their animal sounds and gestures a real bird like... joined them and was singing and bopping around on the cut trees floating in the pond. It was surprising and very beautiful. Their shows are just so damn exciting and they just are seemingly unafraid. I loved both Summer spectacles that I've seen. They also collaborate with other groups and sometimes let other groups preview work on their farm. We were lucky to see the Hinterlands preview their "Will you miss me when I'm gone" piece there. If you have to travel to see them (and it's pretty worth it). Make plans for food. Do not wait until after the show. There is nothing nearby, and the restaurants might be closed once you get to Turners Falls (the next town). Eat before the show. There aren't a lot of hotels, but apparently there are a number of air bnb's around. Do yourself a favor - also buy your tickets well in advance. They sell out.

How on earth has no one reviewed Double Edge yet?!?!?…read more I have been to the last two summer show cases (The Firebird and the Odyssey) both of which were FANTASTIC! The shows run rain or shine during the summer in the evenings. Both times I've gone it's been a little drizzly, but not too bad. It's okay to bring an umbrella as long as you don't block other audience members with it. I really enjoy the fact that the summer showcases use different areas and building on the farm. The shows are very interactive and use some VERY cool tricks. The actors run and jump and climb and swing. I HIGHLY recommend going to see one of the summer showcases