Visit to Tanglewood in August
 

We are planning to visit Tanglewood for a 3-day, 2-night getaway in early August. I would also like to visit Lenox and Lee as part of this trip. We are two adults and one teenager (hence the visit to the outlets in Lee!). There is a food and wine festival in Tanglewood on August 6-8 that sounds interesting, but never having been to the area, I'm not sure if this is worthwhile. Any suggestions from seasoned travelers to this area would be very much appreciated! We can add another day to the trip if the planning works better. Thanks!

How about attending some concerts at Tanglewood? Boston Pops playing on the 7th, BSO playing on the 8th, and Mark Morris Dance Group on the 6th.
www.tanglewood.org

I have always wanted to (but haven't yet) visit the Edith Wharton Estate:
http://www.edithwharton.org/

I"m sorry I wasn't clear -- of course we want to attend some concerts at Tanglewood, but since we'll be accompanied by our 13 year old daughter, wanted to plan some other activities in the area. Also needed to ask about recommended hotels. We'd prefer not to be in a B&B. Thanks!

The BSO website's Tanglewood page lists a number of hotels, inns and B&B's in the area. Some of them like Blantyre would probably be too stuffy for the typical 13 yo Also there is a Berkshire tourism website (can't recall the url) that lists a lot of stuff to do in the area.

We'll be taking our 16 and 13 yos out there too but later in August for one of the James Taylor concerts. We haven't found any lodging in the area yet that works for us so it may end up being a day trip. That's okay but I was really hoping to spend a night and go to Stockbridge and the Edith Wharton estate. Oh well, that will just have to mean we go another time!

You can call the BSO ticket office directly to get tickets or book on line. I would do so quickly as they do sell out. JT's already mostly sold out or just lawn seats available.

Nothing is very far apart in this area, so I would try to stay in one of the larger towns where your teen could window shop and hang out a bit. Lenox itself is a bit [very] stuffy, and the Blantyre would be miserable for most teenagers.

I like the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. It is very funky (floors go up and down, full of crazy antiques) but it is right on the main street, is famous (she will always be able to tell friends she stayed there), has a pool, has wonderful breakfasts, and it is not hugely over-priced -- if you can get a reservation. Definitely call soon and -- as advised -- book performance tickets quickly.

There are good places in Stockbridge to get picnic stuff for Tanglewood if you are going to an afternoon performance.

Great Barrington is another great town, though farther from Tanglewood. Lots of good restaurants in all price ranges, and lots of interesting non-mall shopping.

What to do: Norman Rockwell Museum, Daniel Chester French's house, Edith Wharton's The Mount and its gardens, if they are still open. They have been having terrible financial and political problems. Hancock Shaker Village is also very interesting.

The Edith Wharton estate survived its financial problem, though it may come up again at the end of this tourist season...

Chesterwood, the Daniel Chester French house, is a good choice. The studio where French sculpted the statue of Lincoln (the famous one in the Lincoln Memorial) is really interesting, and the sculpture garden can be very good. And not so big as to totally bore your teenager. There's lots of other performing arts you can take in, if you care to. And some nice places to hike as well.

Sorry I can't help with specific accomodations, but there are b&b's or hotels to fit all budgets. Lenox, or Stockbridge would both be excellent locations if you can find something in your price range. And you are doing right to try and book now. The best places will be full in August.

Does you have specific restaurant recommendations for Great Barrington?

My husband's family is from the Berkshires so we spent many summers there visiting grandparents and taking in all this amazing place has to offer! This area is truly a cultural mecca and it's difficult to see all in 3 days. Here are a few highlights and recommendations.

We stayed mostly at the Cranwell Resort, www.cranwell.com, which has a pool, tennis, golf, spa, restaurants.

Don't miss:
Jacobs Pillow, www.jacobspillow.org, internationally reknowned dance troup your daughter may enjoy.

Berkshire Theater Festival, www.berkshiretheater.org, summer stock with wonderful plays and musicals.

Williamstown Theater Festival, www.wtfestival.org, Tony award winning theater with amazing shows. We saw teenage Qwyneth Paltrow there with her mother, Blythe Danner, in Picnic. Many well known actors come here in the summer. It was a favorite of Christopher Reeves.
You can also tour the Williams College campus where there is a wonderful museum and a couple of cute restaurants on the main street.

And of course we went to many concerts at Tanglewood on the lawn with a picnic. You can order picnics from their catering company and pick it up there also. Wine is sold at the kiosks. Bring a water proof blanket if you sit on the lawn as the ground is alway a little damp. We always ended up buying a shower curtain from a little hardware store nearby! It's fun to see the people who bring candelabra and fancy dinners.
Have fun!!! One of our favorite places to visit, even after all these years.

Oh, I forgot to add that we were at dinner one night in Lenox and in walkwd Seigi Ozowa (sorry for bad spelling) and John Williams! Very cool.

Check to see if Tanglewood on Parade is during your visit. This is one of the busiest nights but best of the summer. I have gone a few times and always enjoy it.

Definitely agree with Ackislander and 309pbg's recommendations for activities in South County.

For North County,
Check Jiminy Peak to see what they have to offer for activities. They have an alpine slide (I believe it was being renovated), among other things that would interest your teenager. I also believe the roads to the summit on Mt Greylock are reopening this year so you could take a ride to the top and have a picnic. Bousquet Ski Area also has a lot during the summer (mini-golf, water park, etc).


You also have MassMoca in North Adams, which would be worth it if you extended your stay.

309, that must have been in August around Tanglewood on Parade when Ozawa and Williams were there as they are 2 of the featured composers for it. Steven Spielberg is usually there for it too. This is the night when they have a huge fireworks display and shoot the cannons over Stockbridge Bowl.

In Great Barrington, I really like Pearl, which has good steak and excellent fried chicken. I've had consistantly good food at Castle Street Cafe. There's a new-ish Italian restaurant called Allium. I've only been once but really liked it. And I think Route 7 BBQ makes decent barbecue (though I'm not really an expert on BBQ).

Thank you

What is MassMoca in North Adams?

http://www.massmoca.org/index.php

Mass Museum of Contemporary Art

A contemporary art museum. There's some interesting books stores too. I think that's where Williams is, no?

Williams is in Williamstown, about 5-6 miles East of North Adams.

I meant WEST. Sorry.

Second that Red Lion Inn recco. We used to summer in the Berkshires frequently and dinner at RLI is one of our daughter's fondest memories. Like stepping back in time.

We've narrowed down our picks for Tanglewood as follows: Friday, 8/7 - Boston Pops @ 8:30 p.m., Saturday, 8/8 - Food & Wine Classic 12:00 noon - 4:00 p.m., Sunday, 8/9 - Perle, Shostakovich, Fauré and Bizet with Yo-Yo Ma @ 2:30 p.m. My assumption is that we should buy seats for the Boston Pops on Friday, but plan a picnic on the lawn on Sunday. Does this sound like a good idea? Also, the Red Lion Inn is already booked on Friday and Saturday nights, so we'll have to find another hotel/inn. We thought we'd look again in Stockbridge or perhaps Great Barrington. Any suggestions?

You probably have enough music on your agenda, but if you're a classical music lover and can't get enough, there are usually free open rehearsals at the shed during the day and better chance at getting a good seat.

Although the lawn is nice, I prefer Ozawa Hall, for the architecture and more intimate atmosphere.

nstevey - are you sure the open rehearsals are free? I'm looking at my Tanglewood program brochure, and I believe tickets are $17 for open rehearsals.

I could be wrong though, as I find the brochure rather difficult to read/navigate.

Ozawa Hall is beautiful! If you can hear something there, I surely would.

Your biggest concern should be lodging...if you can find a place in your price range for your dates. If there is something big going on at Tanglewood, you can count on a minimum stay. The Berkshires are compact...you can get most anywhere fairly quickly (an hour to a bit more, depending on traffic), but should shoot for town character--Lenox, Stockbridge, Williamstown. Great Barrington will always be a Mill town in my mind, right or wrong, (and I know today that is wrong). Red Lion too would be my choice. Plenty of character...very old...coiled rope fire escapes. LOL...don't know if they were serious about that, but we never had to use them. She is a grand dame, showing her age as any of us would if we were older than 100, so make allowances. Rooms won't be large, nor will bathrooms, but there will be plenty of character!

I grew up there. It's a wonderful place for tourists in the summer, and for residents in the winter. :) Only those from the area might "get" that statement! Winter unfortunately has no Tanglewood, so you'll face hordes of fellow tourists, but it is just an unbelievable area. Sadly, growing up in it, you take it all for granted until you leave.

Whoops, I stand corrected. Not free. Oh well. For some reason, I got them free.

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately the Red Lion Inn is already booked on Friday, 8/7, and Saturday, 8/8, so we have to look for something else. We have relatives in Chesterfield, MA, who we will meet us at Tanglewood for the day on Sunday, 8/9 and then we will be spending a few nights with them, visiting with family, spending a day in Northampton (my 13-year old loves it there!), etc. So it might make sense to pick a hotel/inn between Lenox and Chesterfield for the Friday and Saturday nights. Any suggestions?

I've stayed at the back of someone's house via VRBO. It was about the same price of a hotel, and I had a kitchen and a pretty roomy place.