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 The Art of Relaxation
Everyone has their own way of unwinding - whether it's racing down a ski slope, enjoying our heated outdoor pool and hot tub, or reading a book by the fire. We've put together deals with excellent value that will get you to a warm, cozy and beautiful place at a very competitive rate and a list of fun things to do - it's up to you to decide how to unwind! Our January special, Date Night, is a classic meal-and-a-movie offer starting at just $170 per night, inclusive. Please click here for more information on our specials... |
 Inauguration Special: Celebrate Change!
No matter what your political affiliation is, we think we'll get your vote for this great special... Enjoy a spacious suite in the Main Inn or a guest house with a bottle of red wine for just $120.09 from January 19-22! Please call 413.298.1690 to take advantage of this special offer. |
A Chance to Win a Free Stay in Honor of Valentine's Day... The Red Lion Inn will give the lucky couple who finds the "Queen of Hearts" card under their pillow their 1-night Queen of Hearts Valentine's package completely free. The package includes dinner for two, Champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, and flowers presented in the couple's elegant guestroom. The package is offered Sunday through Thursday during the month of February from $320 and Fridays from $360, including all taxes and meal gratuities (please note: this package is not available on Feb 13, 14 or 15). Please call 413.298.1690 to reserve the Queen of Hearts package.
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Plan Ahead for School Vacation Week 
The Berkshire area is full of fun things to do during School Vacation Week and ski conditions are just perfect - make The Red Lion your home base and enjoy a kids' party on Vacation Week's Saturday evenings (February 14 & 21) at the Inn, complete with munchies and games for kids ages 8 and older. Please call 413.298.1656 to let us know your kids will attend and to inquire about any details.
We include a number of suggestions for activities below, but also encourage you to check out the Berkshire Visitors Bureau's website for even more information and ideas. If you decide that you'd like to hunker down at the Inn for a few days, we're sure you'll find plenty to do. Our heated outdoor pool and hot tub is a favorite for families. We also have a full sized chess set near our lobby and board games and an extensive library of DVDs available for your family to use at no charge. WiFi is always free and available throughout the property for your kids who have to stay "connected" with their pals - there's also a computer available for guest use in our third floor Library (books & magazines too!). Make up your own scavenger hunt for your family using the Inn's eclectic art and antiques collection as items on your search list. |
 IN THE NEWS
Congratulations are in order for our neighbors at the Norman Rockwell Museum. On November 17, 2008, Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffat received the National Humanities Medal on behalf of the museum. The medal is America's highest recognition of work by individuals and institutions in the field of the humanities and the NRM is one of nine recipients nationwide and the only museum among the winners. In his citation, President Bush noted, "Norman Rockwell Museum is being recognized for studying and honoring the life, work, and ideals of an icon of American art. The museum has been the careful curator of the archives, illustrations, and benevolent spirit Norman Rockwell bequeathed to the nation."
From an early review in Travel+Leisure to full-length write-ups in The New York Times and The Boston Globe, MASS MoCA's Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective is getting glowing reviews in publications nationwide. Time magazine called it one of the Top Ten museum shows in 2008 ( Wall Drawings opened last November). The exhibition is truly dazzling - be among the first to see it! For more information, please go to MASS MoCA's website. |
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Arty Activities in our Neighborhood...
BAD DATES - THE BARD IS AT IT AGAIN! Shakespeare & Company
70 Kemble Street
Lenox, MA 01240
Box Office (413) 637-3353
www.shakespeare.org
This winter, Elizabeth Aspenlieder (called "one of the funniest actresses on the East Coast by The Wall Street Journal) stars in Bad Dates. Haley Walker is a brassy divorced mom with a teenage daughter, a willing spirit and contagious if incorrigible point of view. Originally from Texas, now a successful New York restaurateur, she's determined to fall in love again-if she can first find just the right pair of Moschino heels, and just the perfect man, and after she deals with the Romanian mob, a shoebox of laundered cash and an FBI investigation. But those are minor kinks in life compared to the men she meets. Wear the right shoes, add a splash of Zen to the dating game and you're bound to fall in love! The Red Lion is offering a Bad Dates package - please see our lodging specials page for more info, grab your BFF and head to the Berkshires for some bonding! To get a taste of the hilarity, check out the Bad Dates blog here. BEAT THE WINTER BLUES - ENGAGE YOUR INNER FRESHMAN
Bard College at Simon's Rock
(413) 644-4400
84 Alford Road, Great Barrington, MA
This exceptional college offers a number of interesting programs for the community, many of them free. Piano concerts, voice recitals, lectures, seminars and art exhibits engage and provoke - please visit the Simon's Rock website for more information.
TO BE OR NOT TO BE? IS THAT STILL THE QUESTION?
Stockbridge Library
Main St, Stockbridge, MA
413.298.5501
Actor Jason Asprey and Shakespeare scholar/director Clare Reidy will discuss Hamlet at the Stockbridge Library on Sunday, January 18 at 4 p.m. This discussion is part of the Stockbridge Library's Winter Reads series-members of the public are invited to read Hamlet and join the discussion, or simply come to listen and to enjoy refreshments and literary companionship. Mark your literary calendar for Sunday, February 22 when Author Roy Blount, Jr., will discuss his latest book, Alphabet Juice, published in October 2008. LET THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR BRAIN OUT TO PLAY...
IS183 Art School of the Berkshires
13 Willard Hill Road, Stockbridge, MA
413.298.5252
www.IS183.orgIS183, just a few minutes from the Inn, offers year-round programs in ceramics, painting, drawing, fiber arts, sculpture and mixed media for children, teens and adults. Check out the latest of their programs, including a collaboration with the Norman Rockwell Museum - please go to the IS183 website for more information. LAST CHANGE TO SEE "OVER THE TOP!"
Norman Rockwell Museum
Route 183, Stockbridge, MA
413.298.4100Be sure the catch Over the Top: American Posters from World War I before it closes (last day is January 25th) - you'll see the dynamic imagery created by an impressive roster of illustrators including J.C. Leyendecker, James Montgomery Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy, and Jessie Willcox Smith, among others. The exhibit offers compelling perspectives on the American experience during this dramatic time in our nation's history. The NRM also has an impressive roster of events and activities, from creative writing workshops to family art-making programs. Click here for more information. JOHHNY WINTER TO ROCK THE MAHAIWE 
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA
413.528.0100This year-round arts center and restored historic theater presents weekly classic films & dynamic live events: music, theater, dance, family programs. The legendary Johnny Winter Band lights up the stage (and amplifiers!) on Friday, January 23rd with the guitar hero's broad-ranging and masterful blues-rock style. BerkShares accepted. Click here for more info...
BLUES GUITAR EXTRAVAGANZA!
The Colonial Theatre
111 South Street, Pittsfield, MA
413.997.4444
This year-round Gilded Age theatre presents Broadway, live music, comedy, dance, family programming and more in the heart of downtown Pittsfield. On Friday, January 30th, the Colonial presents Guitar Blues-join Hot Tuna's Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jorma Kaukonen, the legendary Robben Ford and the phenomenal rising star Ruthie Foster for a very special evening of blues, featuring the wonderful six-stringed instrument that is the heart and soul of the genre. Click here for info... MAKE YOUR OWN MOVIE
Animagic - Museum of Animation Special Effects/Art
77 Main Street, Lee, MA
413.243.2051 or 413.841.6679
View exciting technologies from movies like The Matrix, X-Men, Predator & Chicken Run. See a real Academy Award. Make your own animation movie! Great for families. By appointment only, so please call ahead! Visit their website for info... A BLAST FROM THE PAST (break out your bellbottoms!)Berkshire Museum
39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA
413.443.7171
Berkshire Museum's new exhibition, That '70s Show, on view from January 17through May 17, 2009, is a blast from the past and a sure cure for the winter doldrums. It features more than 20 artworks from the era coined the "me decade" by novelist Tom Wolfe in New York magazine in August 1976. The exhibition is composed of diverse art and objects from Berkshire Museum's permanent collection and includes some hidden treasures that had been safely tucked away in storage since the days of platform shoes and pet rocks. The exhibit provides context with a list of quintessentially seventies phenomena-from disco, mood rings, and smiley faces to Earth Day, environmental art, and affirmative action, along with noting interesting facts about the decade. Please visit the museum's website for info on exhibits and programs...
"TRAVEL" TO IRELAND AT THIS VICTORIAN TEA
Ventfort Hall - Museum of the Gilded Age
104 Walker St, Lenox, MA
413.637.3206
Bask in Gilded Age opulence as you enjoy a visual trip to great Irish homes, followed by a traditional Victorian tea. "Great Country Houses and Gardens of Ireland" is the subject of a visual presentation by photographer Tjasa Sprague and travel expert Lani Sternerup. The lecture will take place at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum in Lenox on Saturday, January 24, at 3 pm. The Victorian Tea will follow the lecture. Admission to the lecture and Victorian Tea is $12 for members of Ventfort Hall and $15 for nonmembers. Please call to make a reservation. |
Mother Nature is Calling...
 Here's a list of nearby ski areas, places to cross-country ski, and a few other ideas. Bring your binoculars and you might spot a pileated woodpecker or a red-tailed hawk - the scenery is amazing, especially with our lovely blanket of snow, padded by last weekend's snowfall.
Ski Notchview
The largest XC ski area in the Berkshires, Notchview's 3,108 acres contain 40 km of trails (27 km groomed) through woods and open fields. Head out to the pristine wilds or explore the spruce forests and old farm trails near the visitor center. This idyllic property is owned by The Trustees of Reservations and is open from dawn till dusk. Call 413.684.0148, visit their webpage or e-mail Notchview@ttor.org for more info.
Canterbury Farm Cross Country Skiing
Fred Snow Rd, Becket, MA
413.623.0100
Canterbury Farm offers 22 Kilometers of groomed and tracked ski trails situated alongside beautiful brooks, beaver ponds, stone walls, lakes, fields and old woods that give the feeling of being in complete wilderness. Click here for info.
HillTop Orchards
Rt. 295/508 Canaan Rd., Richmond, MA
413.698.3301 or 800.833.6274
Ever wanted to try snowshoeing? Hilltop Orchards is a great place to start, offering snowshoe rentals on its sprawling x-acre property with its spectacular views of rolling south county hills. Cross-country skiing also available - please visit their website or call for info on pricing and rentals.
image courtesy of Ski Butternut
Ski Butternut Ski Area
380 State Road (Route 23), Great Barrington, MA
413.528.2000
www.skibutternut.com
Ski Butternut is just a few miles south of the Inn and is the perfect way to spend an active day with the family. We offer a ski package with 2 lift tickets to Ski Butternut - please click here for more information. Ski Butternut offers 100% Snowmaking, 22 Trails, 10 Lifts, and Tubing, along with $20 Lift Tickets Monday through Thursday.
Catamount Ski Area
Route 23, Hillsdale, NY (just over the state line!)
518-325-3200
www.catamountski.com
With 119 skiable acres, a vertical descent of 1000 feet, and the longest run in the Berkshires (2.5 miles), Catamount is one of the winter gems of our area. Catamount is also a partner in our Ski Break package.
Bousquet Ski Resort
101 Dan Fox Drive, Pittsfield, MA
413.442.8316
One of the oldest ski resorts in the US, Bousquet is about 20 minutes north of the Inn and offers a combination of downhill skiing, snow tubing, and family fun.
Visit the website...
Berkshire Equestrian Center
40 Perry's Peak Road, Richmond, MA 01254
413.698.3200
Ever wanted to try horsebackriding? This full service boarding & training center offers lessons in hunter/jumper, dressage, equitation & pleasure riding in its new heated indoor state of the art facility. Please visit their website for more info. | |
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Art Galleries a-Plenty There are plenty of art galleries featuring the work of our local Berkshire talent. Take a look at this list for a selection of South County's artful spaces!
Lenox
Art & Chocolate
Church Street Art Gallery
DeVries Fine Art
Lenox Gallery of Fine Art
WIT Gallery
Stockbridge
Holsten Galleries
Origins Gallery
Great Barrington Berkshire Art Gallery
Geoffrey Young Gallery
Godwin & Lundquist Fine Art
Lauren Clark Fine Art, Route 183, Housatonic (near the mills in town) Sanford Smith Fine Art
The Vault Gallery
Pittsfield
In this city just 20 minutes north of the Inn, you'll find a vibrant arts community with a number of galleries with compelling work, many by the youngest of our region's up-and-coming artists. Click here to view Cultural Pittsfield's blog and follow this link to check out the Berkshire Creative Economy Council's comprehensive guide to all the galleries in Berkshire County. |
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