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Lenox is a small town with a big reputation as the home of the famous Tanglewood estate, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Nestled in the beautiful Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, visitors have been coming here for many years to enjoy not only the stunning views but also the cultural atmosphere that includes dance at Jacob's Pillow, Shakespearean plays at the Mount and musical comedies at the Berkshire Theatre Festival.

Lenox Attractions

Tanglewood
West Street, Lenox, MA
Tel: +1 413 637 1600

Just outside Lenox, Tanglewood is the summer home of the world's largest orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Thousands of visitors travel to this renowned 200-acre estate every summer to enjoy the orchestra and other world famous performers. Tanglewood also hosts recitals, chamber music, opera, performances by folk and popular artists, a weekend of jazz, and the annual Festival of Contemporary Music. A popular way to enjoy the performances is to buy a lawn ticket and take a picnic.

Hancock Shaker Village
Route 20, 5 miles west of Pittsfield, MA 01201
Tel: +1 413 443 0188

Members of a communal, religious society known as Shakers lived here from 1790 to 1960. The village inhabitants were very prosperous, as they made their living farming, selling seeds and herbs, making medicines, and producing crafts. Today the museum contains twenty of the original buildings, gardens, and an historic working farm. The museum cleverly reflects the Shakers philosophy of life - "the virtues of simplicity, purity and perfection".

Norman Rockwell Museum
Route 183, 2 miles from Stockbridge, MA 01262
Tel: +1 413 298 4100

This museum's collection includes 504 original works by Norman Rockwell, the world's largest collection of Rockwell originals. As well as his original paintings and drawings, the extensive collection includes his personal art library, materials, letters, and calendars. The museum's exhibits clearly reflect Rockwell's significant role as an American artist and illustrator.

Shakespeare and Company
2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, MA 01240
Tel: +1 413 637 1197

With a core of over one hundred artists, Shakespeare and Company give performances that convey their deep love for poetry and mystery. The theater offers both classical and contemporary plays, as the artists explore the works of William Shakespeare and produce their own socially and politically orientated plays. Also, the company offers an impressive education program reaching more than 35,000 students each year, and as a result of its great success will be moving to larger premises in Lenox in 2003.

The Berkshire Museum
Route 7, 39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
Tel: +1 413 443 7171

This is one of the finest small museums in the nation containing a variety of exhibits including historical relics, works of art, and scientific discoveries. A 26-foot long and ten-foot high stegosaurus welcomes visitors to the three-floored museum that contains eighteen galleries of exhibits. One of the museum's most popular attractions is the world-class film screenings of current foreign and independent films, presented in a splendid Art Deco theater.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
George Cantor Road at Route 20, Becket, Lee, MA 01223

The first theater in the United States designed specifically for dance. Over ten weeks each summer, performers and audiences travel great distances to see the diversity of dance forms; from classical ballet to Native American dance.

Berkshire Theater Festival
Main Street, PO Box 797, Stockbridge, MA 01262
Tel: +1 413 298 5536

The Berkshire Playhouse is reputed to be the best summer repertory theater in the United States. Over the past 70 years it has attracted such stars as Katherine Hepburn, James Cagney, Dustin Hoffman and Joanne Woodward, to name just a few. Eager to create new opportunities for emerging directors, actors, playwrights and students, the Berkshire Theatre Festival provides a venue for up-and-coming talent to demonstrate their worth.