Come to the Festival of Trees at The Berkshire Museum.

It’s hard not like Christmas trees. They’re pretty. They sparkle. They smell good. Christmas trees evoke the best of the holidays.

Surround yourself with Christmas trees the next time you come to our luxury Berkshires Bed and Breakfast this winter. “Under the Big Top: Festival of Trees 2011” runs at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield from November 18 to January 2, 2012. The more than 100 decorated Christmas are just part of the extravaganza.

The circus theme conveyed with “Under the Big Top” is underscored on November 18, during the Opening Night Party. As guests enjoy drinks and tasty appetizers, atmospheric aerialists, towering stilt walkers, and a nimble contortionist will move among them. Circus workshops take place the following day for children aged 8 to 16. Walls will be lined with circus posters, circus memorabilia, and circus photographs throughout the duration of the exhibition.

The circus comes to town again on December 31st for a Circus Spectacular at the Berkshire Museum. Acrobats, jugglers, and contortionists will take the stage at 11 a.m. What a cheerful way to bid 2011 farewell.

The Berkshire Museum has several interesting permanent exhibits as well. See toys created by Alexander Calder in 1927, walk through the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation, and gaze at the wondrous underwater world of the Aquarium, on the museum’s lowest level.

Plan an enchanting getaway at our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast sometime between November 18, 2011 and January 2, 2012, and stop by the “Under the Big Top: Festival of Trees.”

Soon Stockbridge will recreate the Norman Rockwell painting, "Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas."

Each December for the past 21 years, the town of Stockbridge has recreated the famous Norman Rockwell Christmas painting done of its main street. December 3 and 4, 2011 will be the 22nd year of this tradition. As in past years, guests of our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast will arrive from various cities to experience a Norman Rockwell Christmas.

Norman Rockwell lived and worked in Stockbridge for the last 25 years of his life. His painting, “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas,” took more than ten years for him to complete. Year after year, he visited Main Street in the weeks before Christmas and photographed what he saw. The resulting painting captured the essence of an American small town during the Christmas holiday.

In just a few weeks, classic automobiles will take their spots in front of festively decorated shops on Main Street. They’ll reflect the decade it took Rockwell to complete his painting, just as they do in the painting itself. Look for the 1955 red Mercury with a Christmas tree tied to its roof, and the wagon with the spare tire on it’s rear door.

While much has remained the same in Stockbridge since the sixties, there are a few differences between today’s reality and the canvas. The streets will undoubtedly be more crowded on December 3rd and 4th than they are in the painting. People will not be dressed the same. The historic Red Lion Inn will be well lit and cheerfully decorated for the holidays, not dark and closed for the season, as it is in the painting.

Yet these differences are insignificant. The essence of this historic town in the Berkshires is the same, just as the essence of Christmas is the same.

Spend the weekend of December 3, 2011 at our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast, and step into a Norman Rockwell painting.

Attend a Concert at Tannery Pond while staying at our Lee MA Bed and Breakfast.

Concerts at Tannery Pond run from the end of May to mid September. Only 2 performances remain in 2011:
the Arabella Ensemble on September 3 at 8 p.m., and the Harlem String Quartet on September 17 at 6 p.m. Both promise to be outstanding.

The Tannery itself is, true to Shaker values, simple and unadorned. Yet the resonant wood from which it is crafted has unusually good acoustics. Indeed, few venues not built specifically for orchestral or chamber music sound as good as The Tannery. Since it has fewer than 300 seats, all performances have a warm, intimate feeling.

Listeners are invited to picnic before the concerts; bring one, or purchased a picnic on site from Rebecca Joyner Catering (must be ordered the day before the concert). This year’s picnic menu includes roasted beet, grapefruit and stilton salad with grilled pork tenderloin, and sweet potato, leek & smoked R&G Mozzarella flat bread.

The Concerts at Tannery Pond are a favorite among guests of our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast. We encourage you to attend one.

Additional information and tickets are available at Tannery Pond Concerts.

The Berkshire Jewish Film Festival runs Mondays July 11 through August 22, 2011. Read on for a list of remaining films:

• Brothers examines the debate of separation of state and religion through the relationship of two brothers, a secular kibbutz Israeli and an orthodox Torah scholar living in the U.S. August 1 at 4 p.m.

• Barney’s Version is based on Mordecai Richler’s comic novel of the same name. It follows Barney Panofsky – politically incorrect, irascible, impulsive, and blunt. Starring Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, and Minnie Driver. August 1 at 8 p.m.

• Mahler on the Couch and Making Music is a behind the scenes look at Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Swedish Radio Symphonic Orchestra. August 8 at 4 p.m.

• In Miral, audiences follow a Palestinian girl in the wake of Arab-Israeli war. August 15 at 4 p.m.

• Anita follows a young woman with Down Syndrome lost in Buenos Aires after the 1994 attack on the Jewish Community Center. August 15, 8 p.m.

• Women Unchained documents the struggles of several women to obtain a “get” or Jewish divorce, and move on with their lives. “According to traditional Jewish law, a woman who is an “augur” (from the Hebrew word meaning “chained”) cannot remarry.” August 22 at 4 p.m.

Following Women Unchained, there will a closing reception and a concert by Joshua Nelson and his Kosher Gospel.

All screenings take place at the Duffin Theater at the Lenox Memorial High School, 197 East Street, Lenox. It is approximately five miles from our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast. Seating is general admission.

Extend your weekend getaway into a long weekend. Stay at our Lenox Bed and Breakfast some Monday night this August, and see a wonderful film or two at the Berkshire Jewish Film Festival. You’ll have that much longer to experience the natural beauty and cultural offerings of the Massachusetts Berkshires.

Quotes taken from the Berkshire Jewish Film Festival and Women Unchained.

The Theater Barn specializes in making audiences smile. This is entertainment at its finest: talented performers tackle everything from musical theater to classic whodunits and romantic comedies. The theater is air conditioned (a perfect spot on a hot Sunday afternoon) and the snack bar full of tasty treats.

The Theater Barn’s 2011 Season began July 1 and concludes September 25:

Spend an evening at The Theater Barn when staying at our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast.

• The Hollow: a classic Agatha Christie murder mystery. 7.14 – 7.24.

• I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change: it played Off-Broadway for 12 years, wowing audiences. 7.28 – 8.7.

• The Andrews Brothers: this “swinging tribute to the music of World War II” runs 8.11 – 8.22.

• The Drowsy Chaperone: a 1920s Broadway show comes to life in the apartment of a modern-day fan. 8.25 – 9.4.

• Stones in His Pockets: a quirky, unexpected Irish comedy. 9.9 – 9.25

Performances at The Theater Barn take place Thursday through Sunday. Any of the upcoming shows would be a delightful addition to a long weekend at our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast near Lenox, MA.

Additional information is available at The Theater Barn.

Some guests arrive at our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast with tickets in hand to see performances at Tanglewood or Jacob’s Pillow. They come ready to see the latest exhibit at The Clark or the Norman Rockwell Museum. Some come with a plan to visit Hancock Shaker Village.

A delightful surprise for many of our midweek guests are the free concerts in Lilac Park on Wednesday nights.

See the Sister City Jazz Ambassadors at the Lenox Concerts in the Park.

Lilac Park is on Main Street in Lenox – a very charming place to enjoy live music. Some listeners bring picnics, while others dine early or late at one of the restaurants within walking distance of the park:

• Rumpy’s Tavern: a great spot for drinks.

• Rumplestiltzkin’s Restaurant: enjoy a meal full of seasonal offerings.

• Frankie’s Ristorante Italiano: hearty, tasty Italian fare.

Lilac Park Concert Schedule for July, 2011:
7.6: The Berkshire Highlanders
7.13: JoAnne Redding and her Band
7.20 Sister City Jazz Ambassadors
7.27 Jazz Tuber Trio

See the Capitol Steps this summer while vacationing at our Lenox Bed and Breakfast.

Most of the current members of the Capitol Steps have, at one time or another, worked on Capitol Hill. In the end, they found it was more fun to gently mock and satirize current events than to be actively involved in them.

Capitol Steps celebrates their 30th Anniversary this year with a summer in the Massachusetts Berkshires. Capitol Steps will perform nightly (except Tuesdays) from July 2 to September 3, 2011, at Cranwell Resort, which is just a few miles from our Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast.

The show starts at 8 p.m. and lasts 90 minutes. Enjoy dinner at one of the restaurants at the resort before the show, or linger for a late night meal and drinks after the show. We look forward to hearing about your favorite bits sometime back at our Berkshires lodging.

For tickets or more information about these summer performances, please visit Capitol Steps.

Guests of our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast are welcome to swim and lounge by the pool all day on the 4th. Yet those who want to get out and about may enjoy the following activities:

Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox puts on a free but heart-felt reading of the Declaration of Independence each July 4th. This year, the reading will be preceded by Revolutionary Moments, a collection of vignettes that divulge Shakespeare’s influence “on some of history’s most fascinating figures.” The afternoon concludes with a community barbecue. More information is available at Shakespeare & Co.

Learn the Samba at Jacob's Pillow on July 2, 2011.

There will be many free events and classes offered at Jacob’s Pillow throughout the weekend. More information is available at Jacob’s Pillow.

The 2011 4th of July Pittsfield Parade will feature almost 140 marching units. It feels historically significant. More information is available at Pittsfield Parade.

We look forward to welcoming guests to our Berkshires lodging for the 4th of July, 2011.

Blake Barn, at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.

Internationally renowned dancers and musicians travel to the region to perform in several different venues. Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, also showcases such artists as the Mark O’Connor String Quartet and master story-teller Garrison Keillor. MASS MoCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) sponsors Bartleby’s Pen, a Friday night series of lively discussions lead by prominent literary figures, and The Clark Art Institute periodically screens Broadway performances.

One of the most thrilling opportunities for both residents and travelers to our Berkshires Inn is Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, which takes place each summer. Many of the artists featured at Jacob’s Pillow make only a handful of appearances in the United States, and most of those performances take place in large metropolitan areas. Yet they travel to the Massachusetts Berkshires to participate in Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, which The New York Times has called “the dance center of the nation and possibly the world.”

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2011 runs June 18 through August 28. During the course of the festival, there will be performances by more than 50 dance companies and more than 200 free performances, talks, and special events. Spectators will be treated to:

• the U.S. debut of 3e Etage: Soloists and Dancers of the Paris Opera.

• a 30th anniversary performance by the Mark Morris Dance Group

• the U.S. premiere of Supernatural Wife by Big Dance Theater

• Argentinean tango by dancers and musicians of Tangueros del Sol

The list goes on and on, for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is all about bringing world-class dance performances to viewers.

Check out the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2011 calendar, and then book a room at our Bed and Breakfast in the Massachusetts Berkshires. We’re located less than 10 miles from world class dance.

The Williamstown Theatre Festival, founded in 1955, is just one example of the superlative arts found in the Massachusetts Berkshires. The festival runs from June 22 to August 28, 2011.

Williamstown Theatre Festival2011 Summer Schedule:

• Three Hotels, by Jon Robin Baitz (June 19 – July 24)
• A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennesee Williams (June 22 – July 3)
• She Stoops to Conquer, by Oliver Goldsmith (July 27 – August 7)
• One Slight Hitch, by Lewis Black (July 6 – 17)
• Ten Cents a Dance, by John Doyle (August 11 – 28)
• A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen (July 20 – 31)
• Touch(ed), by Bess Wohl (August 3 – 14)
• You Better Sit Down: tales from my parents’ divorce, directed by Anne Kauffman (August 16 – 21)

The Williamstown Theatre Festival is located in Williamstown, approximately one hour from our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast. Spend the afternoon lounging by the pool before your night at the theatre.

Find the complete festival schedule at Williamstown Theatre Festival.