The Berkshires
 

I'm planning a trip with my wife at the end of April. Want to stay in a B&amp;B but being totally unfamiliar with what different areas have to offer, I'm not quite sure which town to stay in. We want to be able to do some shopping, hiking and good dining. We're leaning towards Lenox as it seems the safest bet for all these things. Any suggestions out there for something a little less obvious?<BR><BR>Thanks

Neuge,<BR>I haven't been up to the Berkshires in a while but I would say Lenox is as good a place as any. Unfortunately, the most fabulous place there, the Blantyre, won't be open yet (they open on May 9)<BR>http://www.blantyre.com<BR>Here are some other thoughts &amp; websites to check.<BR>There are towns on the New York side with Inns/B &amp; Bs like<BR>Spencertown http://www.bnbfinder.com/bedandbreakfast/level2/161 Spencertown <BR>South Egremont the Egremont Inn<BR>Hillsdale<BR>http://www.aubergine.com/ Hillsdale<BR><BR>In Mass., Williamstown is lovely with Williams College but further north<BR>Stockbridge is a bit touristy but nice<BR>http://www.bnbfinder.com/bedandbreakfast/city/Stockbridge/BEK/MA<BR>This website for the whole area<BR>http://www.berkshires.org<BR>If you are interested in antiques, the town of Hudson, NY is a big antique center.

The Blackberry River Inn in Norfolk, Ct.is a lovely B&amp;B.

Definitely don't miss the museum at the Clark Institute in williamstown......and Yankee Candle in Deerfield - - fantastic!

We spend a weekend in the Berkshires every other year or so - usually in September. Have stayed a couple of times at the Weathervane Inn in South Egremont - not particularly fancy schmancy but well run by friendly folks and in a peaceful, relaxing location not far from lots to see and do. There are all sorts of interesting shops and good restaurants nearby in Great Barrington. Great antiquing opportunities at all price levels along Rte 7 from northern Ct right through Lenox. The Williamstown/North Adams museums are spectacular - but a bit of a trip. A must if you are keen on art. One of our favorite spots is Chesterwood outside of Stockbridge - took the tour on two consecutive days last fall it was so beautiful and interesting. Naumkeag, also on the outskirts of Stockbridge, is a great house to tour with amazing gardens. The Edith Wharton house has been &quot;done up&quot; in a very disappointing manner (in my opinion - having visited prior to letting decorators go wild there) but ought to be visited if you are a fan of her work. There's a good outlet mall hanging over the Lee exit from the Mass Pike which always amuses us on our way home - we manage to find all sorts of things we hadn't realized we needed!<BR>We stayed last year at Cranwell in Lenox (well located business conference!) and thought it very nice, although considerably larger and more pricey than we would have picked on our own - we ate every night at different spots in Lenox - all of them excellent. The whole area from Great Barrington to Lenox is really easy to navigate - you'll be reasonably close to all sorts of good dining, shopping - cant really comment on the hiking as we are totally lazy about that sort of thing!