Berkshire Reopens
What would summer be like in the Berkshires without the cultural wealth we are all used to? COVID-19 has given us a taste of what that wasteland is like but now, happily, some of our museums and other sites are beginning to reopen—at least in part—to the public.
This weekend, the three largest museums in the Berkshires—the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA), the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Clark Art Institute—will reopen. Mass MoCA reopens Saturday, July 11th, at 10AM; while the Rockwell and The Clark reopen Sunday, July 12th, also at 10.
Advance reservations will be required at each museum and admission will be scheduled to provide staggered entry to ensure people in the museum can properly socially distance. Tickets for Mass MoCA are available at massmoca.org; for The Clark at clarkart.edu and for the Rockwell museum at nrm.org.
All three institutions will debut new work in their galleries.
Other public attractions—the Berkshire Botanical Garden and The Mount, both in Lenox, and Naumkeag Historic House and Gardens and Chesterwood in Stockbridge have opened their grounds but indoor spaces remain closed. At the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield some of the larger buildings have been opened but smaller spaces, where it is impossible to social distance, will remain closed.
Naumkeag’s grounds are open in a controlled manner from 10AM to 4PM, Thursday-Sunday. Go to naumkeag.thetrustees.org to get passes. Hancock Shaker Village is also open Thursday-Sunday, 10AM-4PM for self-guided tours. Dining at the Seeds café opens on July 16th. No advance tickets are necessary.
The Mount, former home of author Edith Wharton, will fully reopen for tours next Thursday, July 16th, and will be open each Wednesday through Monday, 10AM-5PM for the remainder of the season. The grounds are open for free public use with social distancing. For more information, email info@edithwharton.org or call 413-551-5111.
Berkshire Botanical Garden is enjoying its 86th season despite the pandemic. The garden is open from 9AM to 5PM daily by prepaid, timed ticketing Tickets can be purchased at berkshirebotanical.org or by calling 413-298-3926. All of its public buildings are closed, and one-way paths through the garden have been established. Guided tours have been suspended.
Chesterwood in Stockbridge, former home of Daniel Chester French, creator of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, is opening its grounds Thursday-Sunday for self-guided tours of the landscape, gardens and its contemporary outdoor sculpture show. Buildings remain closed. Timed, limited parking passes are required and can be purchased and downloaded at www.chesterwood.org.
In Pittsfield, Arrowhead, the former home of Herman Melville, who penned Moby Dick while living there, is reopening tomorrow (July 9th) and will be open weekly Thursdays through Mondays. Visitors should call ahead for reservations and online ticketing. Timed visits will allow the staff to sanitize between tours. Visit www.mobydick.org or call 413-442-1793.
