<p>I know this isn’t exactly comparable to the last vacation I was able to take – the two weeks my son and I spent in Rome two summers ago to celebrate his high school graduation, the subject of some of my very first posts when I first joined CC. </p>
<p>But given where I was and what I was doing exactly a year ago, I’m very thankful that I’m able to take any kind of vacation at all again. I don’t take anything for granted.</p>
<p>So at the end of July, my son and I are going to be driving up to be in the Berkshires for a few days; I’m not in a position either at work or financially to take a significantly longer or more exotic vacation than that, for reasons I won’t go into. We’ll be staying in the Williamstown area, up north, primarily because we’ll be centering the trip around the Clark Museum (where we haven’t been in 11 years, since he was 9, although he seems to remember the details far better than I), Mass MoCA (where we’ve never been), and the Williams College art museum (ditto). I guess we could go up to Bennington if we wanted to see the Grandma Moses museum, but both of us have been there in the not too distant past, and have no particular interest in going again.</p>
<p>Since we’ll be there for only three or four days, there won’t be time for much other than going to museums, visiting antiques centers and used bookstores (I love to browse at places like that – I’ve had dreams about making exciting finds at wonderful used bookstores; I’m strange that way! – and he enjoys it too, although his patience is far more limited than mine), taking scenic drives, and going for walks and perhaps some not-too-strenuous hikes (my days of taking vacations where all I did was hike, whether it was in the White Mountains, the Canadian Rockies, or the Alps around Grindelwald, are 25-35 years in the past and unlikely ever to return). </p>
<p>One thing I haven’t really done (yet, anyway) is do any research on decent places to eat up there. Does anyone know of any restaurants in that general area that they’d recommend? Thanks!</p>
<p>Donna: S goes to Williams. Recommendations for nicest places for dinner: Mezze in Williamstown, Mill on the Floss in Lanesboro, and Chez Something (can’t recall) in Lee.</p>
<p>Chocolate Springs in Lenox is fun for a chocolate or ice cream snack.</p>
<p>Orchards has a good breakfast.</p>
<p>Williamstown Inn has a big Sunday brunch.</p>
<p>1896 House has a cute pub type restaurant specializing in apricot chicken wings. </p>
<p>Feel free to PM if you want to know more.</p>
<p>Go over to the Williamstown Theater Festival because the building is divine even if you don’t want to pay for tickets. The Clark Museum has a very credible collection and a little further, The Great Barrington Pottery is my favorite place.</p>
<p>Donna, I second the recommendations of mythmom and will add one more. If you want a truly special dinner, and are willing to pay a little more for it!, go to the Wheatleigh in Lenox. The food is spectacular and the service is close to the best I’ve ever experienced. It’s small, though, and the people staying there eat most meals there so you’ll need to make a reservation. It’s an exquisite place and I’d love to go back some day.</p>
<p>Have fun in Williamstown. It’s one of my favorite spots! I love the Clark and also visiting to see shows. I have a few friends performing there this summer and there are several excellent productions on the schedule.</p>
<p>I don’t have a restaurant recommendation as I haven’t been to that area in years. If you are looking for something more to do I would suggest stopping in Stockbridge. It’s quaint and I love the Norman Rockwell museum. It’s probably somewhere around an hour from Williamstown, maybe a little less.</p>
<p>Sounds like your card is full with museums…but…any thoughts of Tanglewood? Saturday morning rehersals are not as expensive as the concerts…and it’s often the Sunday program…with the soloists…that’s performed. They do occasionally stop the music…but hearing the comments is actually quite interesting.</p>
<p>Sorry I can’t help with restaurants. There are a couple we go to in Lenox…but it’s been a few years and we usually choose by location and number of people in the restaurant!</p>
<p>If you get a chance, check out the Bang on a Can festival at MassMoca - new music amongst the Sol Lewitts.
If you make it to Northhampton, where the Smith College art museum is also well worth a visit, try Green Street Cafe for dinner.</p>
<p>Another vote for Mezze in Williamstown. We like Bistro Zinc in Lenox. While in Lenox - check out the schedule for Tanglewood. Great Barrington a little further south has several good restaurants (Baba Louie’s for pizza on the more casual end).</p>
<p>If you are looking for hikes in the Williamstown area, stop by the book store on Water Street in Williamstown. I bought a small paperback book there with maps of recommended hikes in the Berkshires that was really helpful. I recommend hiking up Pine Cobble in Williamstown - there’s one very short piece where the trail is a little steep but otherwise this is a very doable hike - my younger son had no problem with this when he was around 6 or so. Great views of the Purple Valley from the top!</p>
<p>Wow! Thanks so much for all the helpful suggestions. I will promptly turn them over to J. for further research, since it’s exactly the sort of thing he loves to do.</p>