©Stillman Rogers Photography 2019
We looked for a not-too-far-off corner for a perfect weekend getaway, full of activity, new discoveries, great dining, art, shopping and a bit of skiing. We found it in the Berkshires.
During the summer, and especially when the Boston Symphony decamps to Tanglewood, the Berkshires can be crowded, but in the winter this is a playground for locals with enough activity to keep you busy.
We chose to stay at the Old Inn On The Green in New Marlborough, a colonial-era inn dating from the 1760s. This small, quiet, town was a good base for exploring, with the towns of Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lee and Lenox all nearby.
The Berkshires are an easy drive from southern New Hampshire and Vermont and western Massachusetts, mostly on Interstate highways. We arrived in time for lunch at Haven Café & Bakery, on Franklin Street in Lenox. Ingredients there are sourced locally; try the Haven Burger or the Haven Reuben.
©Stillman Rogers Photography 2019
Our immediate goal was the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, on Route 183 just outside of Stockbridge. From the early twentieth century well into the 1960s Norman Rockwell was one of the best known American illustrators. He started his illustrating career as art director for Boy’s Life, and went on to capture the essence of American small town and rural life for the covers of the Saturday Evening Post (321 covers) and Look magazines.
Photo: ©Stillman Rogers Photography 2019
Many of his works are icons of the period, for example his Four Freedoms posters during World War II, the young boy and policeman sitting in a diner in The Runaway, and the impactful Grand Canyon Dam, done for the Bureau of Reclamation. Also here is the original of his Negro in the Suburbs, a sensitive recording of tensions during the integration of Chicago suburbs, done for Look Magazine in 1967.
The more than 700 Rockwell works include some that document how he approached his subject matter, showing his detailed photos of models, subsequent charcoal sketches, preliminary drawings, final painting and the published magazine cover. It is a rare and fascinating glimpse into the working methods of an artist.
Also fascinating are changing shows of works by other illustrators. Currently these are Frank Schoonover (1887-1972), who studied under Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth (there through May 27) and the contemporary work of Gregory Manchess, done for his book Above the Timberline (through Feb. 24). On the lower level is a brief film on Rockwell’s life and three walls of his covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell’s studio, moved from Stockbridge and equipped as he left it, is also at the museum.
From the traditional works of American illustrators, we jumped to cutting–edge works of art in glass at Schantz Galleries on Elm Street in Stockbridge. This outstanding gallery represents some of the world’s finest artists in all glass techniques. One of the most prominent is Dale Chihuly, and the gallery exhibits a number of pieces by him and by other internationally known glass artists. The vivid colors and shapes are shown to their best effect here, with lighting and exhibit space that make the small gallery into a glass museum.
While in Stockbridge, we strolled along Main Street, and remembering Rockwell’s painting of it at the museum looked for the 1884 gingerbread brick Old Town Hall. The Mews next to it houses a collection of small shops, including a chocolatier, craft co-operative and heirloom jewelry shop. Amid these is the little restaurant, Once Upon a Table, where we couldn’t pass up their specialty: escargot pot pie.
Our inn was a chance to return to an earlier world. While our room had all the modern conveniences, including a double Jacuzzi, the setting felt right out of colonial days with wide-board paneled walls and a working fireplace.
Opting for a glass of wine before dinner, we found the taproom lit by chandeliers of real candles. Likewise, in the dining room, candlelight gently illuminated murals of the New Marlborough Green, reminiscent of the work of the itinerant 19th-century painter Rufus Porter. A fire in the giant fireplace, candles on the table and the flickering chandeliers gave the room a warm glow and plenty of light for menu reading. The dining room, often listed as one of New England’s best, was an eighteenth-century experience, with a 21st-century menu.
©Stillman Rogers Photography 2019
Our dinner of slow-braised veal cheeks in red wine sauce, and pan-roasted breast of duck with duck-fat-roasted fingerling potatoes was so outstanding that we decided the dinner deserved an encore and dined there the second night, too. Breakfast was just as outstanding, with juicy fresh berries, house-made granola and a basket of fresh-baked scones, Danish pastries, muffins, cinnamon rolls and crisp croissants. These, we learned, came from the Southfield Store, a bakery just down the road (of course, we stopped there later for a pick-me-up snack).
Route 7, which runs through Great Barrington, is known for its antiques shops, and although these can be crowded in the summer, most are open all year, and we had them almost to ourselves as we browsed among 1930s kitchen ware, Art Nouveau jewelry, fine silver, pine furniture, mid-century modern décor, vintage advertising signs, even Chinese garden statuary.
Unfortunately, the great gardens for which the Berkshires are known were snow-covered, but we did search for one, Santarella in Tyringham, a part of Lee. While we couldn’t see its fanciful gardens, we could see the centerpiece, a fairy-tale cottage with a thatch-like roof and tall conical towers — like something out of the Grimm Brothers tales.
©Stillman Rogers Photography 2019
One of my goals here was to try a new ski area, and both Catamount (which straddles the NY-Mass border) and Butternut are close by. I decided to ski Butternut, a favorite of local families. It has 1,000 feet of vertical and its trails descend from a ridge that stretches for more than a half mile along Warner Mountain on the East Mountain State Forest. An easy cross-mountain trail makes easy access from one side of the mountain to the other, and with 22 trails and 100% snow making, it’s a great family mountain. There’s a tubing hill, as well.
Snowshoer’s and cross country enthusiasts might want to try Hilltop Nordic Center on Route 295 in Richmond, where several kilometers of trails wind through the ridge-top fruit orchards. Along with rental for both sports and a warming room with a fireplace, Hilltop has a winery and cidery with tastings.
While there we learned of a lot more that will certainly draw us back in warmer weather: the gardens, several historic houses and homes of literary figures and a wealth of farms, cheesemakers and local food producers.
©Stillman Rogers, Rogers Writers 2019
Best Getaways 
I love the Norman Rockwell Museum.
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