Ahhhh.. Umpachene - how do I bottle you and bring you home?…read more Delightful 18 minute ride from where we were staying in Sheffield. Suggest loading GPS or navigation app before losing signal in the mountains. Of note, and quite a surprise after a score of years closed, the bridge on Umpachene Falls Road has been rebuilt and is open. Yesterday, the falls were rushing abs bracingly cold! While I didn't fully submerge or hide behind the water curtain, I sat in the flow and was transfixed and refreshed for an hour. Remains a Berkshire treasure!

Beautiful place. Nice picnic area. Very relaxing. Great place to go to unwind and enjoy nature…read more Highly recommended!

This place is abandoned. We traveled up a treacherous drive to be yelled at by someone who lives on…read morethe property who told us to get off her property. There are signs all over saying Butler Sculpture Park but the remaining metal sculptures are toppled over and now there are just muddy logging trails. Stay clear. They need to take down the signs and off the Internet because there is no longer a sculpture park here.

The entrance to this park is actually dangerous...there is definitely not enough room for more than…read moreone car to be on this road at the same time. We were driving our Jeep Gladiator up this extremely steep, unpaved, narrow, pothole-ridden path and I was praying that our vehicle wouldn't tip over and roll down the mountain. If you have a standard front wheel drive vehicle, you are definitely going to leave car parts behind on the way up. I'm willing to bet that the sculptor uses abandoned car parts to make more sculptures! On another note, I've visited many sculpture parks and this one is okay...not a favorite. All sculptures here are abstract and some are more interesting than others. The atmosphere is peaceful and I agree with others that they need to improve their signage for better visitor communication.

Peaceful and calm setting. Beautifully designed rooms (cabins) with plush towels, comfortable…read morebed, Scandinavian minimalism. There's also a lake, pool, sauna, tennis, restaurant. I'm writing this while here and Prospect Berkshire is only open under new ownership for 5 weeks. Staff is very friendly. About 15 min drive to Great Barrington.

this place is literally out of a fairy tale and it's so worth a visit. the water, the pool, the…read morepeople everything is amazing. the sauna!! the tennis courts the food!!

"The moon is big and yellow And the stars are all a' glow…read moreFrom the bridge, I see reflections In the waters far below" (Dolly Parton) The Upper Sheffield Covered Bridge was built in 1999 as close to a stick-by-stick replacement (as close as modern engineering standards would allow) of the original 1832 bridge that was destroyed in a fire in 1994. Some materials salvaged from the original bridge were used for continuity. It's a nice example of "One Span Town Lattice Truss" open construction with a wood plank floor and wood siding painted grey. No vehicles are permitted on the 93-foot-long bridge that spans the Housatonic River. I read that the original 1832 bridge was the oldest covered bridge in Massachusetts and one of the oldest Town lattice truss bridges in the U. S. There's an information kiosk with vital information about the history and restoration of the bridge. There's a parking lot and a little park where you can access the bridge, and a hiking trail at the other end of the bridge, It's a very peaceful place to stop, take a stroll, enjoy the construction of the bridge and a nice water view at the park.

Cool little place to stop - over the Housatonic river in Sheffield. There is a small dirt parking…read morelot and a wide path for walking.

We had a great time but if you're hurt at all or not in good shape DO NOT do the upper falls trail…read more Only do lower falls. I have hurt knee and it was extremely hard for me but it's gorgeous and absolutely worth it if you're in good health.

This is the home of the Conservancy in western Massachusetts and, of course, abutts the trail and…read moreis a good place to park and hop on the trail for short hikes. There is also a small museum and usually people available to answer questions who are very knowledgeable.

I visited this trail today for the first time. I really enjoyed the view of the river…read moreand the serenity. The path is flat, with blue crushed stone and quite wide so even someone with a wheelchair could navigate it. At times the river falls out of view and comes back again while the trail takes you through meadows and more populated areas of the town. A great way to get out and enjoy nature in Western Massachusetts.

"Hey, babe Take a walk on the wild side"…read more(Lou Reed) Great Barrington, MA was founded way back in 1738. So what did the town do to celebrate it's 250th anniversary? They staged a cleanup of the Housatonic River and volunteers removed 15 tons of debris from the riverbank. This was the start of a river restoration project that culminated in the creation of the Housatonic River Walk. The River Walk was built in two sections known as "Upstream" and "Downstream". We walked the Upstream section yesterday. It runs from the River Walk bulletin board at 195 Main Street to the William Stanley Overlook. The entrance has a pretty steep staircase, so you'd best be paying attention and not be texting with your BFF. The trail is short, but has some gorgeous views of the river on your left. This portion of the trail ends at the William Stanley Overlook - a nice observation point where you can admire the view and learn about Mr. Stanley, a local inventor who developed an electrical transformer. His 1886 breakthrough was responsible for running electrical wires across the river to transmit power to stores and offices on Great Barrington's Main Street. The upstream section's exit is a staircase going up to the St. Peter's Church parking lot on Dresser Avenue. This worked great for us, because we had conveniently parked our car there. It's not the longest trail we ever walked, but it was one of the more interesting and scenic walks we've taken.

Bizarre with a capital "B"…read more There is a Timexpo Museum in Waterbury that tells the story of the Timex company, and the history of watches and time. But as important as that might be, they are nothing when compared to the totally cool 40' tall Easter Island Moai statue that graces a strip of grass in front of the museum. What exactly this statue has to do with the history of time, I don't know. What I do know is this- I pity the poor drunken fool who might be unfortunate enough to be stumbling down Union Street when he glances up and sees this 40 foot tall beast blocking his path. I think that would sober up our poor guy pretty fast.

Discover the Easter Island Moai…read more Forget your bucket list. Don't wait till you can't climb the hill at the quarry to one of the world's most amazing places, Rano Raraku on isolated Easter Island. A giant Moai is waiting to be freed from a thousand years of captivity. What was the last carver's thoughts as he walked away from his final creation? Take a flight or a cruise to French Polynesia and visit Easter Island. Sign up with Tiare Edmunds of Easter Island Guides for a one or two or day tour and see what time left behind. Tiare is the only Rapanui native guide with direct descendents to the original natives. She leads you on an adventure back in time in her air conditioned vehicle. Easter Island is situated on a triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific over 2,000 miles from Tahiti and Chile. It's a living outdoor museum and Tiare has the E ticket pass. We were picked up at the pier and spent two incredible days exploring and learning about what might of happened to a thriving culture that almost lead to extinction. While historically no one knows exactly what happened to leave behind over 900 massive Moai, Tiare will help you understand the culture and the people. She also brought along a picnic lunch on both days of arugula from her garden on fresh sandwiches and olives and Rapa Nui locally brewed beer. What a treat. Looking out over the ocean, drinking a cold beer, having a great lunch and talking with a real local historian about her family's history. A truly memorable time. Don't wait.