MCLA Gallery 51 is run by the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and it's mostly staffed by…read morestudents. It's downtown North Adams, walkable distance from MASS MoCA. The gallery presents work from a wide range of emerging and mid-career contemporary artists. All medium considered, from painting and sculptures, to mixed media, photography and video. It's a fun gallery to stop by to see some emerging cool art, that you can also buy!

PRESS: LetterPRESS as a Public Art Project is a gallery, but also a classroom for college kids and…read moreadults on letterpress printmaking! In the center of the space there is a fully operational old press (Vandercook Universal III), quite impressive. At the walls you can see a variety of artworks and exercises made with the machine. The gallery staff is always happy to show how a single sheet of paper strapped into the machine's cylinder gets printed and punched. Definitely an experience to do, after visiting MASS MoCA! Just few steps away, downtown North Adams.

Probably the most interesting art museum in Mass. If you're in the Boston area, it is a bit of a…read moredrive--we turned it into a weekend getaway, and it was worth it. The museum is massive, with tons of exhibits. You'll find a mix of contemporary art, immersive installations, plus regular live performances. We spent hours exploring/wandering. Some exhibits lean abstract or experimental, so it helps to go in with an open mind, but that's part of the appeal. Overall, it's a must-visit, and I hope to come back to catch their dusk/dawn exhibit, which seems to be a staple.

My mom and I were members for a year. I do wish there were more new and frequently changing…read moreexhibits. We have always enjoyed our time there but prefer to go a bit less often so we don't keep seeing the same things. The buildings are so cool but it is large and a little confusing to navigate. As with any art, there's been certain exhibits we've loved and others that weren't as interesting to us. It would be cool to have some more info about what the building used to be and how it used to look. I think the price could be prohibitive for a lot of people or for families. I am not knowledgeable about contemporary art but I like browsing here. We have done one of the free tours before as well. There are some times exhibits and those require advance booking online (the cost in included). This means many times, there were no slots available during the days and times we'd planned to visit. That felt like some people were getting "more for their money" and like we'd missed out. There was a roller coaster that ran once per hour and so I think members got first choice of spots so there was no availability for months (we never did get to experience the ride). There are a few James Turrell experiences that also require pre-registration. This makes it impossible to see them if you do a spontaneous visit.

Lovely collection of locally made crafts - pottery, clothing, jewelry, etc. And downstairs is Beth…read morePhelps' yarn store. Support local craftspeople!

A very nice new store in the area where local artisans have all sorts of work displayed and for…read moresale. There are so many nice things here, from jewelry to quilts, wonderful photos, and folk art. Definately worth the stop and reasonably priced!

Absolutely spectacular experience here. I reached out a few days before we planned to visit to see…read moreif we could reserve a wheelchair for my Mom, who is experiencing some mobility issues. They responded to my email immediately and were more than happy to accommodate us. Coming from Albany, this is a bit of a drive at about an hour. The first part of the drive is fine but as you get closer to Williamstown on Rt 2, it can be challenging in bad weather. The museum and grounds are absolutely spectacular. Signage leading to the museum is great and we were able to locate it right away. They have a convenient drop off area that's perfect for those with ADA accessibility needs. Parking was convenient, easy and plentiful. Check in was a breeze and they had the reserved wheelchair waiting for us. The museum is absolutely gorgeous, clean, well lit and phenomenally well curated. There are great works by Renoir, Degas, Manet, Monet, Sargent, and Mary Cassat. I was impressed to see they also included a number of lesser known formal artists in their new acquisitions. There was a great sculpture by Edmonia Lewis, a sculptor of African American and indigenous descent active in the late 1800s, that was very impressive. Bathrooms were immaculately clean. They have a cute station near the bathrooms with free postcards. They will even mail them for you! This place is a little out of the way, which I later learned was because the founder, Sterling Clark, wanted to ensure the artworks were safeguarded in a remote location in case of a war targeting major cities. He lived through WWII and had to flee France and had some of his property destroyed there. Another amazing feature of this museum is their remarkable museum store which has the usual museum store items like bags and scarves and magnets and postcards, but also has an amazing and well priced selection of art books. The most expensive book I purchased was $20 for a softcover on the history of the museum and my fiancé scored a gorgeous hardcover book on the Renoirs for only $15. Staff again here was friendly and kind. We can't wait to go back and check out the grounds and trails when the weather is warmer. If you're driving here from distance make sure you've got a full tank of gas and are comfortable driving on some back roads. We drove back to Albany in a snowstorm on Rt 2, which was a bit harrowing.

I went to see Corot, but also ended up admiring Renoir and George Inness, a Montclair local. The…read moreClark is situated in a bucolic college town whose scenery made me think of Wuthering Heights. Maybe because we went at a time when spring should have been sprouting out, but winter lingered and light snow even showed up, casting a gloomy atmosphere. Haru, enjoyed exploring its surroundings while I shivered. I noticed though that some patrons were chatting disruptively.