A happy couple gets back to nature while riding horses in the Berkshires.

Horseback riding season opens mid-May near our Lenox bed and breakfast, so make your plans to escape from NYC, Hartford or Boston today. Berkshire Horseback Adventures offers trail rides that last an hour, an afternoon, or overnight. You may arrange a private ride, or join a small group. Whether you are an accomplished rider or a novice, you’ll find yourself safely negotiating scenic trails through tranquil Kennedy Park, in Lenox.

After a few hours in the saddle, you are sure to be ready for a little luxury. Return to our bed and breakfast Lenox MA and enjoy a hot soak. If the pool is open, stretch out your sore muscles with a swim and a nap on a lounge chair. Once refreshed, stop by the parlor for a glass of wine and appetizers before heading out to dine at one of the many excellent restaurants in nearby Lenox, Lee or Stockbridge. You will certainly have a good appetite.

Garrison Keillor at Tanglewood on June 26, 2010

Opening Night at Tanglewood is July 9, 2010, yet there are events almost every night starting June 26, when Garrison Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion take the stage. This live broadcast is sure to be full of beautiful music, poignant tales, and silliness.

11am Sunday, June 27, marks the start of the String Quartet Marathon at Tanglewood. Fourteen string quartets will perform music by Mozart and Schumann among others. Later that night, the Mark Morris Dance Group takes the stage to perform a Grand Duo, and a new piece set to Beethoven arrangements of traditional folksongs. The Mark Morris Dance Group are currently Tanglewood Music Center Fellows.

Now is the time to peruse the Tanglewood 2010 Schedule and make your picks. Once you do that, you are ready to plan your stay at our Tanglewood Bed and Breakfast, minutes from Lenox, Massachusetts. We’ll make you comfortable, feed you well, and share our shortcut to Tanglewood. It’s time to listen to the music.

If you enjoy antiquing, we’ll happily share some of our favorite shops with you. The heart of Lenox has several good antique shops, as does downtown Lee; those of you willing to spend a day driving around Western Massachusetts will discover many fantastic shops.

The area around our Berkshires bed and breakfast draws artists and craftspeople, and as a result, there is an abundance of local art and crafts. From the shop in our inn to any number of stores on any Main Street, you’ll find unique jewelry, pottery, textiles and paintings. Bring a little bit of the Berkshires home with you, or to someone you love.

There is also a terrific outlet village near here, so if you realize after browsing through dozens of smaller stores that you’d rather shop for bargains, you’ll find them here too.

We’ll be sure to feed you well before you head out for a day of shopping, and when your feet are sore, come back to the inn, enjoy a glass of wine and a soak in the tub. We offer a Shoppers Special for the shoppers among you, complete with coupons to the aforementioned outlet stores.

The Tanglewood Festival is an annual celebration of music held at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox. It is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and setting for a variety of musical performances and events. One of the best ways to spend a summer evening in the Berkshires is to grab a blanket, some fixin’s for a picnic & head to Tanglewood for a night of music as the sun sets and the stars come out.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is currently running a Clark/Tanglewood ticket offer: Buy now and pay only $45 for two tickets to The Clark and two Tanglewood lawn tickets. I had to read that three times before I believed my eyes; four tickets to world-renowned art and mucis venues for only $45?!? It is an amazing deal and one you should take advantage of right away!

The Lawn at Tanglewood

The Clark is located in Williamstown, about a 45 minute drive from both the Tanglewood Music Center and our Massachusetts Bed and Breakfast. Of course, the drive through our pastoral landscape in the summer with a warm breeze in your hair is not much of a chore. Plus, The Clark is not to be missed.

The Clark features an outstanding collection of Impressionist, American, and Old Master paintings, set among 140 scenic acres with hiking and walking trails. On view this summer, Dove/O’Keeffe: Circles of Influence and Through the Seasons: Japanese Art in Nature.

Look for more information on Tanglewood from our Lenox Bed and Breakfast soon!

to strap on our boots and warm jackets and get ready!

The first thing I would recommend to do is get out for some cross-country or downhill skiing! The nearby Cranwell Resort in Lenox has 10 kilometers of groomed cross-country trails, which are also great for snowshoeing. The resort offers snacks and drinks as well as a complete line of rental equipment. They also

Bed and Breakfast Lenox for Winter Activities!

have professional instructors there to help you through your first day back on the snow!

Don’t let a little weather dissuade you from a relaxing stay at our Stockbridge Bed and Breakfast!

About the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio in Lenox

George L. K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen were prolific abstract artists who began their careers in the late 1930s. A remarkably modern and contemporary couple, they were at the leading edge of national and international art scenes. As collectors and intellectuals, they created a Berkshire home close to our Stockbridge Bed and Breakfast that reflected their aesthetic tastes and styles. Frelinghuysen and Morris are today being widely rediscovered and evaluated as significant figures in the history of American art.

George L. K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen, prolific abstract artists since the late 1930s, were a remarkable couple at the leading edge of the national and international art scene. Collectors and intellectuals, they created a Berkshire home that reflected their aesthetic worlds. Frelinghuysen and Morris are today being

Suzy Frelinghuysen and her husband George L.K. Morris on the marble stairway of their newly finished house in Lenox, MA, circa 1941.

widely rediscovered and evaluated as significant figures in the history of American art. Now you can tour their world, preserved just as it was when they created it.

In 1929, George L.K. Morris traveled to Paris and studied with Fernand Leger and Amedee Ozenfant. Upon his return to America, Morris wanted to duplicate the white-stucco walled, notched roof, open-spaced studio. In 1930, with the help of Boston architect and Yale classmate George Sanderson, he designed and built his studio on a portion of his parents’ Lenox, Massachusetts estate, “Brookhurst.” It was the first Modern structure to be built in New England.

The following is from the Frelinghuysen web site:

“In 1941, now married to artist and singer Suzy Frelinghuysen, Morris chose a local architect, John Butler Swann to design a house which would be integrated into the existing studio. Swann admired Modernism and had spent time in the indigenous buildings of Arizona and New Mexico. A two story stucco and glass block house with a colorful mural by Morris connecting the house and garage was built. Cost overruns forced Morris to consign a Picasso, “The Poet”, for sale. Peggy Guggenheim bought it for $4,500 and jump-started her museum in Venice.

Local Lee marble was used in the foyer; an Argentinean leather floor was placed in the living room. Frelinghuysen and Morris enrolled in the Art Students League in New York City to learn the ancient art of fresco. Morris executed the frescoes in the living room; Frelinghuysen created her designs in the dining room. Frelinghuysen and Morris chose furniture by Modern masters Frankl, Deskey, and Aalto to complete the harmony of art, architecture and design.

Upon her death in 1988, Suzy Frelinghuysen left instructions that the House & Studio and art collection be used for an educational purpose and the co-trustees, nephew T. Kinney Frelinghuysen and Christine Beshar, established a 501C3 charitable foundation. After receiving approval from the two towns of Stockbridge and Lenox, on which the 46 acre estate lies, the House & Studio opened for visitation in 1998.”

Now, when one visits the Frelinghuysen Morris Home, you traverse the home with all of its original furnishings. You can view the works of Morris and Frelinghuysen throughout, but also walk right up to the works of some of their more famous colleagues and contemporaries including Picasso, Braque, Leger and Gris. As Director Kinney Frelinghuysen notes, “The integration of living quarters with the immediacy of a concentration of works of art is a pleasurable and unexpected way to propel visitors into early 20th century art.”

We encourage you, if you are a modern and contemporary art buff, to visit the Frelinghuysen Morris Home while staying with us at our Lenox Bed and Breakfast!

I thought I would just take a minute to talk about some of the most popular eateries in the region.

The Cranwell Golf Resort has some very nice high-end dining, if you are looking for that experience. They have a buy locally policy, and are a member of “Berkshire Grown”, which supports neighborhood family farms and helps to preserve the open spaces in the community.

The Wyndhurst and the Music Room restaurants at the golf course have long been known for great cuisine. They are also popular because they have breath-taking mountain views and a decor almost as nice as our Lenox Bed and Breakfast! They serve a creative and award-winning American Style cuisine. Dinner in the Music Room and Wyndhurst provides a meal with great presentation in a fine dining environment. This is a good place for a fancy anniversary dinner or something special before going to the theater.

Another popular place, also very nice, but very different stylistically, is the Bizen Kaiseki Restaurant & Sushi Bar in Great Barrington, not far from our Bed and Breakfast in Lenox. Japanese cuisine has been becoming more and more popular state-side. This restaurant has wonderful Japanese decor, and a very handy sushi chef behind the bar! Some people rave about their sushi and say it’s the best East of the Mississippi and others say there are better rolls elsewhere, but it is popular nonetheless. Bring a little patience with you, however, the place is usually busy and service can drag sometimes.

Of course, these are just suggestions for dinner. Our Bed and Breakfast Massachusetts has delicious gourmet breakfasts every morning! We also support local farms and buy local produce whenever possible. Applegate Inn also grows our own veggies and herbs in the summertime! Can’t wait to see you in the morning!

Yesterday, we visited the Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield.
It is a beautiful space.
It had a wonderful ceramics collection on display.
We than made our way to the Hoadley Gallery in Lenox.
It too had some exciting ceramics among other things on display.
We didn’t make any purchases this day.
On the street, we ran into Linda Novik.
She is a painter who we purchased several paintings from through the years.
She has a multi-media approach to her work.
We chatted for a while to find out that she is moving here full time and more excitement she is now making jewelry.
I love hand crafted items and she may twist my arm into buying one of her new creations.