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Boundless Berkshires

Carol Reed

The stunning region known as the Berkshires, in western Massachusetts, offers the opportunity to share a boundless bounty of nature, history, music and fun. Thrill to spectacular music at Tanglewood, the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum, camp, hike or browse shops and galleries in old Stockbridge.

Massachusetts boasts one of the largest State Park and forest systems in the country, and a majority of these parks lie within the borders of Berkshire County. Scattered across mountains, valleys, streams and forests, they form the heart of the Berkshires outdoor experience. The Audubon Society of Massachusetts maintains two Berkshire wildlife sanctuaries where birds and animals can be seen in their natural habitats. Pleasant Valley, near Lenox, encompasses over a thousand acres of forests, meadows and wetlands. Excellent hiking, fishing and cross-country skiing draw people to the park. There is also the Natural Bridge State Park off Rte. 8, just south of the Vermont border. Spruce Hill Trail climbs to the summit of Spruce Mountain at 2,730 feet. Hill-craving mountain bikers also love the Savoy State Forest, where 11,000 acres offer the challenge of unpaved roads, hiking and horse trails for the mountain biker's pleasure.

Eighty-six miles of the Appalachian Trail run through the Berkshires. The path starts near the village of Mount Washington in the southwest corner of the state. After negotiating peaks and valleys, ponds and streams, the path traverses Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,487 feet. www.berkshireweb.com/index.html

Then there is Tanglewood, THE place for outstanding musical performances, and summer home of the Boston Symphony for more than 60 years. The brilliance of nature is surpassed only by the magnificence of the music. Today, Tanglewood attracts more than 300,000 visitors each season and produces one of the world's most famous music festivals. This 2004 festival season features world-class conductors, and a mix of musical styles to please everyone in the family.

The music festival runs throughout July, with performances that begin before the opening of the Boston Symphony season. Tanglewood's Fourth of July celebration includes fun for the whole family, with fireworks following a performance by jazz vocalist and pianist Diana Krall.

The BOSTON SYMPHONY Orchestra's opening night concert features conductor Kurt Masur and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on July 9th.

POPS AT TANGLEWOOD, with guest conductor Marvin Hamlisch, starts the Pops season with music and comedy on July 14th. There are varied performances every day in July. Tickets are on sale- either online or through Symphony Charge: 617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200 or at www.bso.org/index.jhtml?area=hme.

The Norman Rockwell Museum, founded in 1969, houses the world's largest collection of original Rockwell art, including favorites from his Saturday Evening Post covers. Rockwell's Archive contains more than 100,000 photographs, letters and other memorabilia. Exhibitions offer an illustrated history of our nation, attractive to old and young, as interpreted through the artist's gentle humor. 9 Glendale Rd. Stockbridge, MA 01262 (413) 298-4100, www.nrm.org/info/. Arrowhead in the Berkshires was the home of author Herman Melville from 1850-1863. Here, Melville wrote his most famous work, Moby-Dick, along with three other novels. The house at Arrowhead was built in 1780 and is open to the public as a museum. Year-round programs relate to Herman Melville, whaling, and to Melville's life in the Berkshires. It is owned and operated by the Berkshire Historical Society and is located at 780 Holmes Road Pittsfield MA 01201 Telephone (413) 442-1793, www.mobydick.org/hm.html.

Prospect Lake is a commercial campground open from the first weekend in May through October 15. Prospect Lake Park is set along a wooded lakeshore and offers 140 campsites plus cabin accommodations. Cabins come furnished and feature a full kitchen and bath. These cabins provide a camping experience with a bit more comfort, and require a week's stay in July. The park offers two swimming beaches with a dock full of rental boats. There is a picnic area with games of basketball, tennis, volleyball, horseshoes, as well as a children's playground. North Egremont, 877-860-4PLP or www.prospectlakepark.com/.

Or, after a day of Berkshires exploring, it's easy (and cheap) to set up camp at one of the nine campgrounds in state parks and forests. The Tolland State Forest on the Otis Reservoir has the largest campground, with ninety sites and flush-toilet and shower facilities. Not all campgrounds are as cushy. Clarksburg State Park nestles forty-seven campsites among 3,250-forested acres and offers only outhouses.

Canoeing and boating are available at the Beartown State Forest, Mount Washington State Forest, Savoy State Forest, October State Forest, and Pittsfield State Forest. www.berkshireweb.com/sports/parks/.

This brief introduction is a bit is like dipping your toe in a cooling July lake. Take the plunge, dive in and explore this region! There is so much to see and do in the boundless Berkshires.

Carol Reed is a middle school teacher and freelance journalist who specializes in travel writing. Carol’s journeys have taken her as close to home as the New Jersey Pines and as far as the islands in the Caribbean, New Zealand and Australia.