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.

Remember carnival sideshows and the relentless shilling that happens out in front of the midway…read moretent? This is what it feels like to visit AniMagic. The handbill reads, "50% off Make Your Own Animation in our Hands-On Studio," and "$20 workshop includes 2-hr training, materials, and your creation on take-home video (reg. $40). Good for dates! Absolutely not. What we received for $40 instead of a 2-hour, make-your-own-animation workshop was: - a 10-minute tour of all the overpriced optical illusion toys in the dusty gift shop - a 10 minute "free" tour of their "museum," a small room full of sight gags and posters, and an expanding sphere that drops out of nowhere, just barely missing your head. We weren't allowed to linger over the really interesting things - a family tree of all the animators and animation studios in the Berkshires, the actual crab puppets from a food commercial, a technical Oscar - and were instead hustled (pun intended) from one thing to another, with a long, incomprehensible spiel accompanying our visits with long-outdated computer equipment, trompe l'oeil toys, and a mechanical Donald Duck on a high wire. I feared for my eyes during the entire visit. - a bait-and-switch video (really! on VHS!) of claymation (plasticine stop-motion animation), claimed to have been created by the guy's workshop students (we'll get to that in a minute). - 20 minutes of doing exactly what this guy impatiently told us to do, followed by being hustled (again, pun intended) out the front door. In that twenty minute (not two hour!) workshop, we were treated to a machine-gun-fire rapidity of commands by a person who had absolutely no intention of allowing us to make our own animation. We were told to sit at a table in a back workshop and were nonconsensually videotaped as he told us exactly what to do with the plasticine. When the camera was off, he was barking orders at us to make simple stick figures, which were NOTHING like the melting snowmen, dancing flowers, and amazing animals of the teaser video. I felt like I was promised a visit with a unicorn, but when I pulled back the oilcloth tent flap, I was treated to a brief glimpse of a dog with a tree branch secured precariously to its forehead with a necktie. As dreams of a romantic afternoon evaporated in the exact way that my forehead sweat didn't, I noticed his sign, printed in ALL CAPS, which read "THIS IS NOT BURGER KING. YOU DO IT *MY* WAY." No joke, if you have to make a sign to explain to people that they will adhere directly to your totalitarian clay regime, you probably shouldn't be in the business of working with small humans. Any humans. We've both made movies before, and - in the case of my beloved, who's taught classes in animation - brought some measure of competent experience to the table. I had hoped to learn something further about new technology's role in stop-motion animation, and have time to build my character, the backbone of any subject-based creative endeavor. Instead, I was given two minutes to cut legs out of a tube and shove a head onto a trunk with exacting precision, what this guy called "surgery." He had his spiel down pat. When I tried to ask if I could make something else, he said "NO." When I asked if I could make my figure an animal, he said "NO!" He sighed, and growled, and grimaced, and flat-out took our pieces away several times and just built them his damn self. It was as if we weren't there, because every time he noticed we had any selfhood, he seemed supremely annoyed at our very existence. Show's over, folks, keep on moving. The best part of this celluloid turd was when we went back into the main room and were told how to press computer buttons on a 1998 iMac running iMovie 2.0, which apparently required a complex call-and-response system to actuate still photos from a twenty-year-old, 0.5 megapixel webcam in the shape of a giant eye. I prayed that this eye would bear witness to our ordeal. Instead, we were told that we were making different movies (not one, as we at least expected to do), and were told what the movies would be about. We were not allowed to touch the figures more than twice apiece, because we were Doin' It Wrong, so he positioned the figures and told us when to take the pictures and basically used us to fulfill a role he had long before decided needed to be filled with deformed, ugly clay monstrosities. I imagined that a clay horse would run through the set and rescue my poor puppet, or, at the very least, trample it into the earth so it could avoid suffering further. He wouldn't let us do any post-production, forcing us instead to watch as he looped "our" terrible movies, added copyright-infringing music, and tasteless audio effects. We didn't even get a copy - we had to hunt on YouTube for it! When we were led out with a Bye Now after 40 minutes, we knew we'd been had. It's so unfortunate, too, because these people are so very talented (Irena is WAY more talented than he is). Run!!

I am so glad I added this house to our itinerary. Thankfully the house was saved so we can all…read moreenjoy it! Sadly, it occurred after some of the interior demolition was begun. Our docent tour guide was very enthusiastic and informative. She made the tour so much fun. The tour includes a history of the property from it's construction, to it's use as a dorm for musicians, a dance school and movie set. Very interesting. The staircase with it's musicians gallery, the butler safe and original bathrooms are all part of the 'modern' amenities included in this home. There is an unimaginable amount of restoration that has been done to this property and restoration continues, including on the day of our visit when the salon, used as the gift shop, was having it's floors restored. The home's furnishings are, for the most part, donated or loaned to the museum and they are doing a nice job staging everything. The visit begins with a short film after which you begin your guided tour. The collections on display includes some beautiful clothing items. Really lovely. The fireplaces throughout the house a beautiful as well. The kitchens have not yet been restored and they are working on some of the upstairs rooms as well. It is truly amazing what they have been able to do, bringing this home back to life. The museum hosts fund raiser events, including 'Tea's' and you can rent the facility for private events. Definitely check that out! I would love to attend a Tea here.

Tour was very informative. Loved the house and details. They are still working on some rooms.read more

This is a really interesting living museum and a good place to bring the kids. The round barn is…read morevery interesting. It feels like a carousel when you first walk in. A docent by the entrance is there to tell you about it's construction and answer questions. We headed to the annex to see the animals: baby goats, lambs, piglets and chicks! The Discovery Barn is the place to be for the kids. They have a 'cow' mock-up that you can 'milk'. There are plenty of arts and craft projects there and a staff member to answer any questions. Although not a kid, I did give the cow a try and the staff member answered a bunch of questions about the museum and the local area. The Brick Dwelling has *so much* information! you could spend a lot of time in there reading about the lives of the Quakers. They also have a broom making shop, butter making shop, furniture shop, blacksmith, dorms for non-Quaker workers and so much more. We were given a map of the property with our admission and a list of events happening on site during the day of our visit. Definitely make a plan to see the demonstrations. A very interesting day.

Lovely and fascinating place, marred only by a bad cafe. Either I didn't understand the menu or…read morethey were basically out of everything on a weekday afternoon. BLT, nope. Soup, nope. Ice cream, nope. I bought a candy bar in the gift shop. I wouldn't make a big deal out of this, except the place is so big that you need 3-4 hours to see all of it, and so you want to rest your feet and have a snack. Anyway, don't miss the round barn ( heavily rebuilt in the modern era), the meetinghouse and numerous very interesting buildings where they did industrial work. The artifacts and crafts items are real, the farm is bucolic, and the volunteers are knowledgeable and friendly. And you learn a ton about how radical the Shakers were.

Cute if you're in the area - no long train rides but they do little minute long rides and blow the…read morehorn which is fun. Very pretty overlooking the pond out back. The little museum inside the old train station is cute, not a ton to see but it is interesting to learn about the trains in the yard. $5 for adults

Apparently a review for the BSRM could mean the museum itself, the old train ride (pre-2016), or…read morenew train ride out of North Adams, MA (2016+). Having heard that it was scheduled to open, I tried to go in 2015 but they apparently only had one weekend of trips. So, when they announced a scheduled run in 2016 the same weekend as my birthday (Memorial Day) I jumped on it. I am a train nut, so even a bad train yet will still garner a couple of stars here. However, based on our trip in May I can only give it three. Here is why: 1.) It was HOT. VERY HOT. Riding in the train/RDC with no air conditioning, or the ability to open windows, led to most people on our train ride being very uncomfortable. People were visibly sweating. No water was sold on the train, which would have helped. Waiting for the train, there wasn't a "station" of sorts so people gathered in line on the ballast in whatever shade could be found. The only breeze came when the train was moving through the front and rear door, but it just isn't enough. An open riding car would help a lot. And that was just May. 2.) A conductor read from a script about the things we were passing by as the train rolled along. It was nice, but it was hard to hear, even though the entire train is one car long! The speakers need to be turned up. BUT... he also read for nearly the entire trip. Without stopping. It was just a wall of noise that we tried to tune out as we wanted to talk on the train, not listen to someone read something for 80 minutes or so. On the return trip, it seemed like (from the bits and pieces we could make out) that he was just reading the paper in reverse. Some interesting commentary is nice, but it needs to be cut back and louder. I hope they do well. I have heard that the AC was repaired, which would be great. Also, the scenery was less than spectacular (some old factories, some old roads, some trees, etc.) but perhaps in the fall when the leaves change colors it would be really nice I bet. I probably would come back and ride it, but as train rides go it wasn't one of the better ones.

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.

I am sorry to be writing this letter but feel I have no choice. The repair work that was done on my…read moreRuth Duckworth sculpture is extremely disappointing and frankly unacceptable. I went into this with realistic expectations. I did not expect to see a completely invisible restoration, but when I finally had the opportunity to inspect the "restored" piece I was shocked by how crude the work was. The section that was reattached does not align properly with the section it had been broken off from, at the joint line they are two different heights. The wide and boldly visible bond line between the two sections is very distracting and its surface is irregular and unsightly At the edge where the two pieces connect there is an open area that's missing material. I have shown images to two longtime museum restoration experts I know and asked for their opinion. They were reluctant to critique another restorer's work but in spite of their professional reticence one said, "That this could look much better." The other restorer noted "it should have been possible to achieve a far less visible (though not invisible) joint." I came to the Williamstown Art Conservation Center after speaking with other restorers who said the size and weight of the sculpture put the job beyond their comfort zones. The poor quality of repair work displayed on the Duckworth seems to indicate that the Williamstown team should have said the same. It would have saved me a great deal of time and money as well as avoiding WACC having a very unhappy customer. Now I need to find a more knowledgeable person who will first have to undo the work the Williamstown team has done before they can improve and bring the sculpture to a presentable condition. The Williamstown Art Conservation Center has an excellent reputation, but this very disappointing repair certainly does not live up to it. Douglas Heller Heller Gallery NYC

From the owner: Williamstown Art Conservation Center is a nonprofit institution for the conservation and…read morepreservation of artworks and objects of cultural heritage. WACC provides the highest standards of professional service in all areas of treatment and consultation for museums and other nonprofit organizations as well as private institutions, businesses, and individuals throughout New England and the Northeast. WACC also co-founded and operates the Atlanta Art Conservation Center to serve institutions and individuals in the South.