Great Barrington Travel Guide

Nestled in the southwestern corner of Massachusetts, we are bordered by Connecticut to the south and New York to the west. We're easy to reach by car and are less than 2-1/2 hours from both New York City and Boston. The Appalachian Trail winds through our scenic network of mountains, streams, lakes and forests. We're rich with history and surrounded by natural beauty. In addition we offer exciting outdoor recreation, unique shopping, exquisite art galleries and antiques, world-class performing arts, wonderful lodging and dining and a solid professional community and diversified small-business base.

A great charm of the town is its magnificent view-points- to Prospect Rock or East Rock on Mount Bryant is a fairly hard climb, but, within half a mile of the railroad station, an easy path creeps upward through a sunshiny hill pasture bordered by a green wood; pine-needles strewn over tree- roots offer an agreeable seat in the forest balcony. on the edge of the hill; across swaying tree-tops swells The Dome of the Taconics. The inspiring landscape of valley and mountain extends into three States. As evening approaches, the wood-thrush pipes in harmony with the lines of Cowper:

"No noise is here, or one that hinders thought; Stillness accompanied with sounds like these Charms more than silence. Meditation here thought May think down hours to moments. Here the heart May give a useful lesson to the head And learning wiser grow without his books."

If visiting Great Barrington in early July be sure to visit the annual Berkshires Arts Festival which is held at the nearby Butternut Ski Hill grounds. Dozens of high quality artists and craftsperons sell their one-of-a-kind goods at the bottom of the ski slopes (now covered with green grass).