Music in the Berkshires: The Red Lion Inn

What is he doing?   Promoting another Berkshire lodging option?   I guess that could be the end result of this entry, because I do really like everyone I know at the Red Lion Inn, including Nancy Fitzpatrick and Brian Butterworth.   But I am really just trying to promote their nightly music, and if I lose a few potential guests along the way, so be it.

Because there are the large music presenting groups, like Tanglewood, The Berkshire Opera, The Berkshire Choral Festival, etc….and there are night spots that feature music.   For free nightly entertainment, in a very cool low-ceilinged basement environment, try The Lion's Den.   The walls and ceiling are dark red, the fireplace is usually roaring , and you can get Guiness on tap and order food from several menus, ranging from the burgers and clam chowder on the Lion's Den menu to more upscale dinner offerings from the Tavern menu.  The music is usually solo or duo accoustic…although we saw an amplified quartet last weekend that brought the house down.

Down in Great Barrington, the Castle Street Cafe has a jazz bar that features jazz on the weekends.    They showcase Nat King Cole's piano, and the light fixtures are blown glass that look like planets hanging from the ceiling.   On the next block you can experience The Helsinki Cafe, a live music venue that is very small and Bohemian.    They attract the kinds of acts that play the larger Iron Horse in North Hampton.

Because the of seasonality of the Berkshires, there are not a lot of year-round music venues or night clubs featuring music.   But from Spring through October, music springs up in unlikely places:   museums (you can count on MassMoca to offer a lot of music programming, but we'll cover that in a series of museum blogs), restaurants (Asters, Spice, Prime, and many others), even book stores, ski resorts,and public lake beaches are planning music throughout the "season."   For a weekly listing, check out the Berkshire Eagle on-line edition.   They publish a Berkshire Week every Thursday with calendar listings for the next seven days.

So obviously, after a night of enjoying a great meal, a bottle of wine and some live music, you will want to stay in a romantic Berkshires b&b.  Hampton Terrace in Lenox is centrally located to all corners of Berkshire County and is considered one of the top-rated Lenox inns.    About 40 weekends per year are considered "off-season" and many people find our rates to be quite affordable.    Or you could stay with our friends at the Red Lion Inn.   It's okay.