Berkshires in August
 

We are going to the Berkshires in August and have a hotel, Tangelewood and Jacob's Pillow booked. I spent many summers up there as kid and have not been back as an adult in 30 years.

We will be staying in Lenox but plan on spending an afternoon in Great Barrington. We also plan on hiking on a easy to moderate path.

Do you have recommendations for restaurants in GB, Lee, Stockbridge, or Lenox and a hiking path. We eat everything and prefer not to go over a moderate priced restaurant.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Xicohtencatl on the outskirts of Great Barrington has a long Tex-Mex menu, margaritas, etc but the back pages have real Mexican food like Rick Bayless would cook. Worth It.

Rouge or the Vietnamese restaurant (high end, no Formica) in West Stockbridge are good. I love breakfast at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge.

If you are picnicking at the Pillow, which is almost unavoidable, or on the lawn at Tanglewood, Guido's Supermarket, south of Great Barrington, has a lot of choice stuff at prices better than in Stockbridge or Lenox and with quality way above Price Chopper.

Everyone I know likes hiking to Bash Bish Falls.

Are you interested in historic houses and other attractions?

Ackslander,are you saying that the great Barrington Guidos has better prices than the Pittsfield/Lenox Guidos? I haven't noticed that.
If breakfast is not included where you are staying the Pittsfield guidos has a nice breakfast with hot and cold choices
At a reasonable price.

If you are willing to go to Pittsfield for dinner go to a local gem called Elizabeth's. You definitely need a reservation.

Thank you for the suggestions.

A nice easy hike near the CT border is Bartholomew's Cobble, which also has a small display of artifacts in the visitor center. Also near Pittsfield is Monument Mountain, with good hiking. Melville and Hawthorne climbed it together.

Thank you Fra.

Monument Mountain is in Great Barrington but I agree with the recommendation. In Pittsfield, there is the Pittsfield State Forest - check status first as some trails if not all are under renovation and the full loop road was washed out last year. You could do part of Mt Greylock around the summit as some of those are graded moderate and it will be cooler too. Wahconah Falls in Dalton has some too.

I can't say anything about the Guido's in Pittsfield-Lenox because I didn't know there was one! We just never go north except once to Melville's house or yearly to the museums in Williamstown.

In recent years we stay with friends in West Stockbridge and we just mostly go south to GB unless we are going to Tanglewood or the Frelinghuysen house in Lenox. If it's closer, go for it! I don't know if one Guido's is cheaper than another. The one in GB is not cheap but has nice stuff.

Thank you Tchon and Ackis.

The Pittsfield Guidos is the original one and has always been a great store. I've stopped there on my occasional trips up. It's on Route 7 almost right on the town lines.

Very useful news, tcoiniere. Thanks from me, too.

I'll second the Bash Bish Falls recommendation! The falls are beautiful as is the drive to get to them. The hike isn't really much of a hike...just a short walk down a trail, but well worthwhile.

Thank you

tchoinere, Guido's is so close to the town lines in fact, I thought it <i>was</i> in Lenox until I read your post. :).

It would be the closest one for you, IMDonehere. This is no ordinary grocery store. I used to wonder how my Mom could go on and on about a grocery store..until I went myself. My husband loved it so much he had to have one of their coffee cups as a fond reminder. They carry lots of prepared foods, I'm certain with Tanglewood picnics in mind. You will enjoy the experience, I promise.

a couple other possibilities for eating..

I like the Diner in downtown Gt Barrington for breakfast in particular. It's a very plain place, looks more like a bar than a restaurant and you'd think it would be a dive, but the food is quite good. Sandwiches and burgers, or they serve breakfast all day.

I also like Baba Louies for pizza. I imagine their pastas are good too, I've just never gotten past the pizza and salads.

Guido's is awesome. Well, at least it was the last time I was in there, its been a while.

However, if its out of your way, and you are in Great Barrington anyways, you might check out Rubiners. They have an awesome cheese selection, and you can definitely put together a nice picnic there.

The Audubon Society runs the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox. There are a variety of trails, and the entrance fee is very modest.

If you are interested in Edith Wharton's home, the Mount has been restored, along with the gardens/ you can tour the house and gardens for the same admission price. It is also located in Lenox.

Mt Greylock has some challenging hikes, but you can always drive up to the lodge and enjoy the view.

There are some picnic tables at Tanglewood, and if don't have lawn seating you can arrive early have you picnic and even put the things back in the car before the concert, so long as you have your ticket they will let you in and out the gate. Since everyone parks in the free lots, when the concerts end everyone will exit the same route..a two way road will become a one way temporarily to move the traffic along. It can be a bit disorienting and at night some roads are pretty dark so having a gps set in advance is helpful.

Thank you all for your suggestions. We appreciate them.