Indulge in a Romantic Berkshires Getaway this winter.

The Applegate Inn is one of the “best places to kiss in the Berkshires.” Our grounds have many secluded spots where couples may steal a kiss during outdoor strolls. The parlor has a grand piano, for folks who like to woo their sweetheart with a song. Our fireplace rooms kindle romance.

The Romance Package of our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast is a fine way to enhance a romantic Berkshires getaway. It includes two nights in one of our fireplace rooms, chocolate, and a split of champagne. We have a room with a steam shower and a room with a two person whirlpool tub – you’re choice.

Plan a Romantic Berkshires Getaway this winter. Squeeze one in before the holidays, or offer one as a gift to the person you love most in the world.

Need a gift idea? Try a gift certificate for Applegate Inn.

Western Massachusetts is known for its natural beauty and its strong arts communities. People travel here from Boston, Hartford, and New York City to admire fall foliage, hike, and ski. They come to watch world-class performances at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Tanglewood in a stunning natural venue. They come to breathe in fresh air and visit museums like The Clark and the Norman Rockwell Museum.

At this time of year, they also come to shop. It’s hard to find more aesthetically pleasing places to shop than the picturesque New England towns surrounding our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast. And it’s hard to beat the convenience of shopping at nearby Prime Outlet Village. We’ll even supply Prime Outlet coupons to guests here for a Shopping Getaway.

Downtown Lenox is filled with interesting shops and art galleries. Wit Gallery, Lenox Gallery of Fine Arts, Church Street Art Gallery, Sienna Gallery, and Concepts Art feature fine art, hand-crafted jewelry, sculpture, paintings, Judaica, and more. Shops such as Berkshire Classic Leather & Silver and B. Mango & Bird are also full of fun items.

Many galleries and shops line the streets of Stockbridge and West Stockbridge. Visit An American Craftsman Gallery, Schantz Galleries, and Hoffman Pottery. Browse an eclectic mix of fine antiques and jewelry at Heirlooms Jewelry, and a stunning variety of CD’s, Wee Forest Folk, and Norman Rockwell items at Seven Arts. Admire unique items at Hotchkiss Mobiles and Inner Vision Studio, and load up on delicious maple syrup and miscellaneous sundries at Charles H. Baldwin & Sons

Shopping can spark an appetite; fortunately, there are excellent restaurants close to our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast. In Lenox, try Alta, where fresh, simple dishes are enhanced by fantastic wines. Church Street Cafe is a good spot for lunch or dinner enjoyed with a local beer. Firefly features tasty tapas, late night dining, and a full bar. In Stockbridge, try Michael’s Restaurant, Once Upon a Table (a cozy bistro), and the always-tasty Red Lion Inn.

Shopping can be fun when incorporated into a Berkshires getaway.

Bartholomew's Cobble.

The best antidote to a day of feasting is fresh air and exercise. Both can be found in spades in Western Massachusetts. After spending Thursday in the kitchen and around the table, head to our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast with hiking boots in hand.

Snow accumulation from the amazing October blizzard has melted, meaning that hiking trails across Western Massachusetts are open. The forecast promises a sunny Thanksgiving weekend. In short, hiking conditions will be perfect.

Favorite Hikes Near Our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast:

• Beartown State Forest. Hike the easy Benedict Pond Loop Trail; follow a stretch of the Appalachian Trail for a  hike of moderate difficulty; explore one of the forest trails for a more difficult hike.

• Brace Mountain. The views from the top of Brace Mountain are glorious on a clear day. Bring a picnic, for you’ll want time to rest after this invigorating hike.

• Bartholomew’s Cobble. Explore five miles of trails and stand atop Hurlbut’s Hill. Visit the natural history museum to learn about the area’s fascinating geography,  and historic Ashley House to learn about its history.

• Sages Ravine. The waterfalls should be roaring at this time of year. For a moderate hike, drive to the top of Mount Washington Reservation and then follow the trail down tot he ravine. A more strenuous trail leads from the Undermountain Trail.

To make a reservation at our Bed and Breakfast in the Berkshires, please call 1.800.691.9012 or visit our reservation page.

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.

The beauty of the Berkshires.

We’re enjoying the view while it’s here. The sun is expected to be with us for most of the week and temperatures are climbing. Already the snow is beginning to recede.

Nonetheless, this little taste of winter has invigorated everyone. Children and adults have been out in force with their sleds. People are lining up at ski areas such as Jiminy Peak, Catamount Ski Area, and Canterbury Farms Nordic Center. None of the ski areas are open yet (in spite of having received 12 to 18 inches of snow over the weekend) because ground temperatures are too warm, but we don’t think skiers will have to wait long.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy the wild mood swings of Mother Nature while we can. We encourage folks to take advantage of our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast Spur of the Moment Special. Arrive here within 24 hours of booking your 2 night stay and you’ll receive 15% off your entire stay. If you’re office is still closed due to lack of electricity or your home is cold and dark, hop in your car and find warmth at the Applegate Inn.

Sit by the grand fireplace in our parlor, where in the evening we serve a selection of wine and cheeses. Remember the best part of winter – cozy evenings by the fire after days of brisk outdoor activity. You’ll find yourself looking forward to the next snow fall.

Spend an afternoon walking among robots on the grounds of the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Autumn in the Berkshires is living art. The landscape is a canvas of colors – red, russet, orange, yellow, green, blue… It is interactive art at its finest.

The Norman Rockwell Museum has integrated this natural art into one of its exhibits. “An Outdoor Installation for the 21st Century” has been at the museum all summer and it lingers to stand against a backdrop of fall foliage. It will close October 31, 2011.

Have you seen the 2005 film Robots? If so, you have some idea of what you’ll find on the grounds of the Norman Rockwell Museum. Artists and craftspeople from all media were invited to submit sculptural robots inspired by the the film. The robots stand in stark contrast to the traditional paintings inside the museum, and the pastoral landscape surrounding it.

It’s worth a look.

Come spend a few days at our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast. The Applegate Inn is located in Lee Massachusetts, just a few miles from Stockbridge and the Norman Rockwell Museum. It takes about fifteen minutes to drive to the museum from here, and less than 45 minutes to bike there.

For more information about “An Outdoor Installation for the 21st Century”, please visit the Norman Rockwell Museum.

To book a room, please see our Berkshires Bed and Breakfast reservation page.

Rembrandt: Self-Portrait in a Fur Hat.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn lived from 1606 to 1669. He was drawn to art at a young age and quickly mastered all he was taught. By the time he was 22 years of age, he had developed a reputation as an excellent artist. Students flocked to him from that point on.

Edgar Degas lived from 1834 to 1917. He left school at a young age in order to study art. Degas spent years copying the works of Renaissance Masters, and had drawn and painted over 700 such copies by the time he was 13. Rembrandt, who made self-portraits throughout his life, was one of the masters studied closely by Degas.

Guests of our Bed and Breakfast in the Berkshires will soon have the opportunity to see many of the early works of Rembrandt and Degas at The Clark Art Institute.  Rembrandt and Degas: Two Young Artists opens November 13, 2011. The exhibit runs through February 5, 2012, when it moves to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The Clark is the first United States stop of the tour of Rembrandt and Degas: Two Young Artists. The exhibit comes to the Massachusetts Berkshires directly from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it originated. It is a collaboration of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Clark Art Institute, and the Rijksmuseum.

If you can’t make it to our Lenox Bed and Breakfast this October to see magnificent fall foliage, head here this winter to see magnificent art.

More information about the exhibit may be found at The Clark.

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.

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.