Idyllic winter scene: the covered bridge in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

Humans have constructed bridges – and covered them – for thousands of years. As bridge engineering and materials have changed, the need to take the time and expense to cover bridges has been reduced. Most of the old covered bridges that were used in the United States have long since been replaced with modern, uncovered varieties. The result is that there are now fewer than 800 covered bridges in the country, where once they numbered in the tens of thousands.

It’s worth taking a little side trip to see a covered bridge, if you happen to be anywhere near one. As it happens, our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast is near a covered bridge – the Upper Sheffield Bridge over the Housatonic River. It’s about fifteen miles south of our Lee Massachusetts Bed and Breakfast.

Vehicular traffic is not permitted on the bridge, but visitors are allowed to walk across it. It’s fun to stand in the middle of the bridge on rainy days, safely dry as you listen to the river under your feet and the rain above your head. It’s also quite an experience to walk across the bridge on wintery days, when the shelter is both needed and appreciated.

Covered bridges are part art, part architecture, and part historical artifact. If any of these areas interest you, check out the Upper Sheffield Bridge when next you stay at our Bed and Breakfast in the Massachusetts Berkshires.

Please see Sheffield Covered Bridge for directions.

Spend some time at Hancock Shaker Village while at our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast.

Hancock Shaker Village is always an interesting place to visit.

Shaker communities are uniquely American, though their origins can be traced back to French and English groups in the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1774, a small group of Shaking Quakers led by Mother Ann (Ann Lee) traveled to the New World to establish a communal utopian society based on purity, pacifism, tolerance and gender equality. Many people at the time were interested in creating such utopian societies, but the Shakers were by far the most successful. By the early 19th century, there were approximately 6,000 Shakers in America.

There are no Shakers today, but their legacy remains in the beautiful architecture and furniture they created. Shaker Villages in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Ohio, and Kentucky reveal much about what the Shakers valued. They embraced simplicity, but they valued inventiveness. They believed in hard work, but they appreciated tools that facilitated that work. Their buildings and furniture were functional, but they were also beautiful. They still are.

It is worth noting several upcoming events at Hancock Shaker Village, which is close to our Bed and Breakfast in the Berkshires.

• Country Fair, September 24 & 25, 2011. Celebrate the bounty of the harvest. Enjoy wagon rides, a Farmers Market, and agricultural demonstrations. Many local and regional craftspeople and artisans will be on hand, demonstrating their skills and selling their products. Live music, a pie contest, and a quilt show round out the event. Please see Country Fair for details.

• Shaker Suppers, October 22 & 29, November 5 & 26. Enjoy a guided tour of Hancock Shaker Village, led by interpreters in period attire. A cider and cheese reception in the kitchen of the historic Brick Dwelling (beer and wine available for purchase) will be followed by dinner in the Believers’ Dining Room. Feast by candlelight on dishes inspired by The Best of Shaker Cooking, by Amy Bess Miller. To purchase tickets, please visit Hancock Shaker Village.

• Choose Your Own Shaker Adventure, ongoing. Interested in a specific aspect of Shaker culture, such as Shaker Spirituality or Shaker Inventions and Innovations? You may create your own custom tour. More information is available at Hancock Shaker Village.

We’re happy that Hancock Shaker Village is so close to our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast. We feel like we understand why they settled here, back in the late 1780′s . There is something utopian about the Massachusetts Berkshires.

What does Mount Greylock inspire in you?

Herman Melville had deep ties to the land and deep ties to the sea. He loved the Berkshire Hills, where his uncle had a farm and where he spent many summers during his youth. Yet at the age of 22, Melville did not head to the Berkshires. Instead, he went to sea. Melville shipped out of Massachusetts on board the Acushnet, a whaler bound for the Pacific; he spent three years working his way through the islands, often on his own. The experience had a profound impact on his life and his writing.

Reflections on Melville is an exhibit at Arrowhead, Herman Melville’s home in the Massachusetts Berkshires. It looks at the landscape through the eyes of a seaman, whaler, and artist to uncover “how Melville himself was inspired by his surroundings and memories to create the novel that changed American Literature”.

When Melville gazed at Mount Greylock from his study window at Arrowhead, he saw not only soil, rock, and trees, but a large whale breaching the ocean’s surface. The author lived at Arrowhead for 13 years, writing some of his finest works there, including Moby-Dick. The landscape was his muse.

Through “photography and contemporary art, Moby-Dick and the late Herman Melville are interpreted like they’ve never been before”. Relections on Melville is a fascinating exhibit created by photographer Kay Canavino and artist Arthur Yanoff. It reveals how the Berkshires impacted Herman Melville and his writing.

Arrowhead is less than 10 miles from our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast. It’s open daily from Memorial Day Weekend to Columbus Day, in early October. Reflections on Melville runs until Arrowhead closes in 2011 for the winter.

Guests of our Bed and Breakfast Berkshires have been known to bike to Arrowhead from the inn. The ride is particularly lovely at this time of year.

Additional information abut the author, his home, and the exhibit is available at Arrowhead. All quotes in this post are from that site.

The beauty of the Berkshires, particularly the view of Mount Greylock from the family farm, eventually inspired Melville to move to the region permanently. In 1850, he purchased a neighboring farm that enjoyed the same views of Mount Greylock and moved there with his wife and his young son. They named their homestead Arrowhead after the Native American arrowheads found in the fields, and resided in the 1783 farmhouse for thirteen years. Many of his finest works, including Moby-Dick, were penned in the second-floor library at Arrowhead.

Arrowhead remained in the Melville family until 1927. It was purchased by the Berkshire Historical Society in 1975; restoration of the farm buildings began shortly thereafter, and continues to this day. Arrowhead houses an extensive collection of Melville manuscripts along with other items overseen by the Berkshire Historical Society.

Arrowhead is open to the public daily between Memorial Day and October, and for several special events throughout the year. One such event takes place this weekend and next weekend, February 12, 13 and February 18 – 20, 2011: the Candlelight and Chocolate Tours. This is a wonderful activity for guests of our luxury Berkshires Bed and Breakfast.

Tour Melville’s old farmhouse by candlelight, seeing the home at night as Melville would have seen it when he lived there. After the flickering tour, visit with the knowledgeable and friendly tour guide while tasting hand crafted chocolates. Then return to our nearby Berkshires Bed and Breakfast for a sniffer of brandy before bed.

The Candlelight and Chocolate Tour begins at 6:00 pm. For additional information, please see the Arrowhead website. To book a room at our Massachusetts Bed and Breakfast, please see our reservations page.

Chesterwood. Photo compliments of Chesterwood.

These days, Chesterwood is open to visitation from the end of May through Mid October. Visitors may stroll through the gardens, visit the studio and villa, and learn about the life and work of French in an on-going exhibition. In addition, Chesterwood offers art classes to the public – everything from weekly classes to weekend workshops.

Two up-coming activities at Chesterwood may be of interest to guests of our bed and breakfast Lenox.

• September 18: free admission and tour to participants of the Heritage Walk.
• September 25: Cider Mash Bash (6:30 pm – 11:30 pm). A “down-home hoe-down” with music, dancing, local spiked cider, Berkshire brews, and other tasty treats.
  

  Good old fashion fun at Chesterwood.

Chesterwood is located in Stockbridge, just a few miles from our Berkshires bed and breakfast. Several upcoming act

Hancock Shaker Village

Less than twenty miles from our Western MA bed and breakfast is a special place known as Hancock Shaker Village. The third village created by the Shakers after their arrival in the New World in 1774, Hancock is a testament to the Shaker commitment to beauty, simplicity and hard work. The architecture of the twenty historic buildings is not fancy, but the symmetry and craftsmanship are awe-inspiring. One look at the round barn, and it is clear that these humble people had something special.

Take time to visit Hancock Shaker Village while staying with us at our Berkshires inn. Learn about the handful of Christians who left Manchester, England, in order to settle where they would be allowed to practice their religion and celibate lifestyle in peace. Witness the many contributions the innovative Shakers made to the greater community thanks to their creativity and industriousness. Eat Shaker inspired food at the cafe. Walk among those glorious buildings.

The Hancock Shaker Village is open for self-guided tours until the first of November. After that, through the month of November the village is open for guided tours only.

Those of you who feel energetic would find this a delightful destination for a bicycle outing along colorful New England country roads. Be sure to stop for refreshment at the Monterey General Store, which has been operating since 1780. The Bidwell House Museum is open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day, just a few days away. Be spontaneous, give us a call, throw your bags in the car, and take advantage of our “Fill Our Openings Package” .

Even if the museum itself is closed, the Bidwell House sits on almost 200 glorious acres. Stroll through well-tended gardens and untamed woodlands. Indeed, the land in and around Monterey is well-suited for outdoor recreation, with miles of trails – both gentle and strenuous – easily accessible. The Appalachian Trail passes through here, and the Berkshire Fish Hatchery has wonderfully maintained hiking trails.

This is just one of the innumerable local treasures that help make a stay at our Berkshires inn memorable.

The Mount, Edith Wharton’s estate in Lenox, makes a pleasant day trip from our Berkshires lodging. The restored estate and lovely gardens open for the season in May, but there are a few special events this April for those who cannot wait. Edith Wharton and her husband Teddy had the house built in 1902, and the design was strongly influenced by Wharton’s 1897 book, The Decoration of Houses. Although the couple spent most of their time abroad, The Mount remains an important monument to an influential American author.
Berkshire Botanical Garden Photo—
Originally uploaded by panoramicviewer

Sculpture by Daniel Chester French

Chesterwood is the country home, studio and gardens of Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Memorial in Washington, DC, and The Minute Man, Concord, MA. The buildings are furnished with decorative arts and paintings collected by the sculptor. Woodland walks featuring mountain vistas and perennial gardens of French’s own design. The Studio is a fascinating space. It contains a standard-gauge railroad track used to roll large sculpture outdoors for viewing in natural light. The museum holds what is probably the largest single collection of work by any American sculptor.

The homes and gardens are exquisite, and the collections of his sculpture are impressive. Make sure to consider visiting Chesterwood during your stay at our Massachusetts Bed and Breakfast!

Her home is a work of art, worthy of the seven-minute drive from our Bed and Breakfast Lenox. The house is currently closed, and will re-open on the first of May. The house recently went through a struggle to stay open; their primary bank was about to foreclose on them. However, there was overwhelming support to keep the beautiful turn-of-the-century home open, and the folks over at The Mount managed to raise 1.3 million dollars!

The home will be opening for an event in March as part of the Berkshires Festival of Women in the Arts. Author Julie Wosk will be presenting a lecture entitled “Alluring Androids, Robot Women and Electronic Eves: Artificial Women through the Ages”. Sounds fascinating! Held on March 28 in the drawing room of the estate, it should be a intriguing lecture in one of the most interesting historical homes in the Berkshires.

The gardens at The Mount. Photo by David Dashell

We hope you can join us this spring Lenox Bed and Breakfast for some art & culture!