Page 161 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

M ASSA CHUSE T T S  159

8 The Berkshires
k £ Pittsfield. n 66 Allen St,
Pittsfield, (413) 743-4500.
∑ berkshires.org
Wooded hills, green valleys,
rippling rivers, and waterfalls
have long attracted visitors
to this western corner of
Massachusetts, which is rich
in opportunities for outdoor as
Fishing boat moored outside a fishing shack, Martha’s Vineyard well as cultural activity. The area
is speckled with scenic small
with the charms of a beach P Cape Cod National Seashore towns and villages. Pittsfield,
resort and abounds in oppor- Rte 6, Cape Cod. n Salt Pond Visitor in the shadow of Mount
tunities for outdoor activities. Center, Rte 6, Eastham, (508) 255-3421. Greylock, is famous as the home
Each town has its own Open year-round. & late Jun–early of Herman Melville (1819–91),
distinctive atmo sphere and Sep only. ∑ nps.gov/caco where he wrote his masterpiece,
architectural style. E John F. Kennedy Moby Dick. Lenox has the grand
Most visitors arrive by ferry at Hyannis Museum estates of Edith Wharton and
the island’s commercial hub, 397 Main St, Hyannis. Tel (508) 970- other prominent figures. Each
Vineyard Haven. On the eastern 3077. Open mid-Apr–May & Nov: summer, it also hosts the
shore is Edgartown, with the 10am–4pm Mon–Sat, noon–4pm Sun; prestigious Tanglewood Musical
gracious 19th-century homes of Jun–Oct: 9am–5pm Mon–Sat, noon– Festival, featuring performances
the town’s wealthy sea captains 5pm Sun. & 7 ∑ jfkhyannis from a wide variety of musical
and merchants. The Martha’s museum.org genres. The main street of
Vineyard Museum is housed in E Heritage Museums & Gardens Stockbridge has been immorta-
one of them – the Thomas 67 Grove St, Sandwich. Tel (508) 888- lized in the paintings of one of
Cooke House (c.1730), filled with 3300. Open mid–Apr–Oct: 10am– America’s most beloved illustrators,
family possessions and other 5pm daily. & 7 ∑ heritage Norman Rockwell (1894–1978),
exhibits. From here, a short ferry museumsandgardens.org who lived here for 25 years. His
ride goes to Chappaquiddick E Martha’s Vineyard Museum works can be seen in the town’s
Island, where, in 1969, a car driven 59 School St, Edgartown. Tel (508) Norman Rockwell Museum.
by Senator Edward Kennedy 627-4441. Open mid-May–mid-Oct: Especially attractive to
(1932–2009) went off the bridge, 10am–5pm Mon–Sat, noon–5pm Sun. nature lovers is the Mount
killing a woman passenger. & 7 = ∑ mvmuseum.org Washington State Forest and
North of Edgartown is Oak the nearby Bash Bish State Park.
Bluffs, with its gingerbread P Nantucket Historical
cottages, while the western Association (NHA) E Norman Rockwell Museum
Shoreline is tranquil and rural 15 Broad St, Nantucket Island. Rte 183. Tel (413) 298-4100.
Tel (508) 228-1894. Historic buildings:
with pristine beaches. Open call for hours. & 8 7 Open May–Oct: 10am–5pm daily;
Nantucket Island, a 14-mile- Whaling Museum only. ∑ nha.org Nov–Apr: 10am–4pm Mon–Fri,
(22-km-) long enclave of 10am–5pm Sat & Sun. Closed Jan 1,
tranquillity with only one town, Thanksgiving, Dec 25. & 8 7 =
∑ nrm.org
remains a largely untamed
world of kettle ponds, quiet 7 Sturbridge
beaches, cranberry bogs, and Old Sturbridge Village: Rte 20,
fields of wild grapes and Sturbridge. Tel (508) 347-3362.
blueberries, punctuated by Open early Apr–late Oct: 9:30am–
occasional houses. Nantucket 5pm daily; late Oct–early Apr: call for
was a prosperous center of the hours. Closed Dec. & 8 7
whaling industry in the early ∑ osv.org
1800s, and the mansions of sea
captains and merchants reflect This small town is home to Old
those glory days. The Nantucket Sturbridge Village, an open-air
Historical Association (NHA) museum in the form of an early
operates 11 historical buildings 19th-century village. At the
in the town, one of which heart of the museum are about
houses a fascinating Whaling 40 vintage buildings that have
Museum. A popular spot, been restored and relocated
8 miles (13 km) from town, from all over New England.
is Siasconset village, famous They include the Federal-style
for its rose-colored bluffs and Towne House, a meetinghouse, Bash Bish Falls, near Mount Washington
lanes with tiny cottages. a tavern, and a store. State Forest in the Berkshires

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