Laura and I recently decided to head up to the Berkshires for some apple picking. Every year, we end up going too late and are rushed by the end of the season. Of course there are still apples to pick, but many of the varieties we like are already gone. This year, we thought it would be a good idea to go apple picking not too early, but not too late.
I think we’ll stick with going at the end of the season from now on. There’s one reason for this – the Honeycrisps are ripe. I guess the Honeycrisp is a late season apple because there were “Not Ripe” signs all over the place near these particular trees. It’s funny because I tasted a few and they seemed fine to me. Unbeknownst to anyone else, I picked and hid about 15 of them in my bag. I have a feeling they will ripen up just fine. Just so you know, the Honeycrisp is the biggest and best apple there is. They’re huge.
Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lenox, & Lee, Massachusetts
We go apple picking at an establishment named “Windy Hill Farm Nursery Orchards & Garden Center.” I think that’s the official name. We just call it Windy Hill. It’s located on 686 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and really is a great orchard. They have hot cider inside and plenty of apples and pumpkins to choose from. I’m guessing when I say this: there are about 15 different types of apples to pick. We’ve been visiting this orchard during autumn for about five years now.
The only problem is, it’s a little far away. I was thinking out loud on the way back from our exciting day when I said, “I think this is the last year for Windy Hill.” I got a funny look. I continued, “It’s just too far away. I can’t see driving for almost two hours to head up to the Berkshires when there have to be plenty of good orchards around our area.” It’s true, there are tons of orchards around our house, but we really like to make a day out of it. We don’t want to just run over to Glastonbury quickly, grab some apples, and leave. That seems more like a chore. I’d say that 45 minutes away is a good distance for an apple orchard. That way, we get to visit some town that we hardly ever go and it makes the whole thing more fun. I like that. So, next year, I think we’ll head up to the “Quiet Corner” somewhere. I’m sure Pomfret has an apple orchard in its midst. After all, Pomfret is an area full of beautiful rolling hills; a perfect place for apples to grow.
Thursday was fun. Not only did we visit Windy Hill, we also visited Yankee Candle in Stockbridge to gather a nice assortment of Autumn smelling candles and tarts. It wasn’t my idea to go there, but being the accommodating companion I am, I agreed that it was a good idea. Now, every time I go downstairs, I think there’s an apple pie or pumpkin bread in the oven. Wonderful scents.
Besides apple picking, another goal that I had for Thursday’s trip was to head up to Lenox to check out a really nice country house/hotel called Blantyre. I’ve heard great things about this place and wanted to see it first hand. I’m always on the hunt for our next marvelous Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Our visit was supposed to be a surprise for Laura. I wanted to drive to Lenox in stealth mode and quickly turn into the Blantyre driveway. My plan was foiled when I got lost, again. For some reason, Lenox is in something of a spiderweb vortex. It seems like every road going into the town is identical and has the same left turn. Each time I go there, I find myself making the same mistakes, over and over. This time, it took a confession and the use of my GPS to find our destination. It wasn’t really any big deal because I’m used to my surprises being ruined due to lack of preparation.
When we finally arrived at Blantyre, we were very pleased with what we found. There’s a long driveway that leads to a large English styled manor house. It’s secluded and it absolutely feels like another land. I can’t compare it to Europe, because I’ve never been there, but if I had been, I’m sure Blantyre would feel just like it.
We walked through the front door and found an upscale and formal cluster of rooms. We visited the main room, the music room, and the dining room. I also peeked out to the terrace and the front lawn and gardens. It was better than I had imagined.
A woman greeted us and kindly answered my questions regarding their holiday dining arrangements. We left the gentleman at the front desk my name for a return call after they had the menu prepared. After that, we left the building and strolled around for a while. We also took some photos.
After we left Blantyre, we decided to head down to the Prime Outlets in Lee. For an odd reason, I had an overwhelming desire to purchase slippers. Warm slippers are perfect for chilly winter days.
We arrived at Prime Outlets and were disappointed by their lack of slipper selection. The slippers we found were, unfortunately, far too expensive for my budget. I also failed to find a few other items I had my heart set on.
Lastly, we headed to the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge for some lunch. This is quite the tradition we’ve established years previous. It settles us down after our apple picking. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and were delighted to see that our Guinness was served with the traditional clover leaf on top.
Please browse through the photos below. We had an exciting day in the Berkshires and I’m hopeful what’s below will inspire you to visit the area yourself. The weather was good when we arrived, sprinkled a little bit while we were picking apples, and then cleared up later on. All in all, it was a good day – minus the slipper thing.
Windy Hill Orchard
Red Lion Inn
Blantyre
I’m from Boston and I’ve had friends tell me a lot about the Berkshires. I plan on visiting maybe next year. What’s so special about the Berkshires? What does the area have to offer?
The area is excellent if you’re a hiker and enjoy the outdoors. It fits well with northwestern Connecticut in that it’s a wealthier part of the country which is well kept. There are beautiful rivers, streams, and lakes just about everywhere. And there are mountains you can hike to the top of. But really, the Berkshires is best known for its cultural aspects. I generally go to Tanglewood and the Red Lion Inn, but there are many other things you may want to try out. Here are a few of them: Jacob’s Pillow, Monument Mountain, Mount Greylock, Clark Art Institute, The Mount, Jiminy Peak Ski mountain, Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Herman Melville’s Arrowhead Museum, Ramblewild Adventure Park, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA), Norman Rockwell Museum, and Naumkeag. And of course, I already mentioned Tanglewood. That’s a must visit for the orchestra. There are also many great and historic hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts, so there’s tons to do.
I live locally in the Berkshires and I can tell you that while most of the towns are well to do, there are some parts you want to avoid if you visit. Parts of Pittsfield and North Adams. The crime rates in these towns are very high. The chances of you becoming a victim of a crime in Pittsfield is 1 in 38 and the chances of you becoming the victim of a crime in North Adams is 1 in 26. That’s not good and it’s much higher than many other parts of the country. So yes, while Stockbridge is beautiful and safe and so is Lenox, it’s because those areas have older residents and a lot more money.