This started almost 30 years ago when Susan and I were married…..an over-the-top Christmas season.   As a little girl, Susan spent two years in Germany where her father was stationed with the Army.   Even last week, she came home with a magazine showing pictures of Christmas scenes in Munich….the same scenes she remembered from her childhood.   So ingrained in her background is this, it has been her goal each year to make our four children consider the season to be as magical as she remembers.

Each year, her collection of holiday decorations grows.   It has been my tradition to give her a water globe every year, and of course there are annual additions to the Christmas tree, but more importantly, she has always found creative ways to adorn the staircase banisters, windows, tables, mantles…It is like a kudzu that has taken hold of the house and finds new negative spaces each year.    A Nativity scene on the sideboard, a snow village on the closed lid of the Steinway, fairy lights, live garland, bows and even our 1940s carousel horse is dressed for the holidays…

The hallmark of this activity though is her taste.   There are no inflatable lawn Santas, no plastic statues and nothing "commercial," just classic holiday decorations that augment and complement.

Which brings us to Hampton Terrace.   Of course, as this collection grew over the first 20 years of our marriage, we could not have imagined that we would end up buying one of the authentic Gilded Age mansion inns in 1999, and that dressing it up for the holidays would go beyond our original goal of creating a magical holiday season for ourselves.   Now we do it for our guests as well, and we know that we do not disappoint.   As a stop on the Lenox Holiday Tour each year, the positive feedback we have always gotten from those who tour more than a dozen Lenox inns has been gratifying.

We welcome those of you who want to spend the holiday season with us.   The decorations are always up the weekend after Thanksgiving (see the next blog to see what she has done for the month of November) and stay up through middle January, although we do take the tree down after New Year's weekend, lest we burn down our house.   Please note, however, that we do close from December 19th until the 29th for family time.   We'll be open the weekend after Christmas and for this entire period we will be using our off-season rates (except for New Year's Eve only).

Hampton Terrace is rated #1 in Lenox by Trip Advisor and has been recommended by BedandBreakfast.com, The Michelin Green Guide and others.    For a more comprehensive list, please visit our home page and our guest comments section.

Internationally celebrated director Irina Brook and her company of talented Shakespeare & Company artists have freely adapted Oscar Wilde's story about a very American family that blusters its way into a haunted English manor, thoroughly annoying the stuffy old ghost who can't seem to scare them a whit. In this roaringly original adaptation, Sir Simon the Canterville Ghost is re-imagined as an over-the-hill illusionist reliving his glory days in the 1940's. Beneath the outrageous veneer of Wilde's achingly funny story is a depth of emotion, as the old ghost's long-delayed salvation rests upon a family's ability to trust, and a young girl's desire to believe.

This show runs from now through November 9th and tickets can be purchased by e-mailing boxoffice@shakespeare.org, going to their website and buying on-line, or calling 413-637-1199.

Hampton Terrace is located a block from Shakespeare & Company and frequently serves as a place the company houses its special guests and actors.   We are ranked #1 by Trip Advisor from among 30 Lenox inns, and recommended by BedandBreakfast.com as one of the top places in the country to stay while viewing fall foliage.

So pick a beautiful fall foliage weekend, choose a fireplace/Jacuzzi room at Hampton Terrace, one of the premier Berkshire inns, and prepare for Halloween with The Canterville Ghost at Shakespeare & Company.

As they say, the leaves are no redder on Saturday.   Or at least, I say that.

So considering that you have the same access to the Fall Foliage, the historic house tours, the museums, restaurants, shops and galleries, why pay 30% more for lodging?

Take advantage of our Mid-Week Discount…when every room in our Main House or Carriage House is $190/night, down from $260-$275.   And our King Suites are $250/night, reduced from $345.    And breakfast is as good on Wednesday morning as it is on Sunday.

Actually, I will go one step further….   On the weekends you'll run into lines at the restaurants and shops.   It will be harder to park in downtown Lenox or Stockbridge.  You can't be as spontaneous picking an evening activity.   Sunday through Thursday stay at Hampton Terrace.  

Better experience….pay less…any questions?

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. More on Music in the Berkshires: The Red Lion Inn

I believe I mentioned that theatre in the Berkshires is not limited to Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Shakespeare & Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the stages of the Colonial and Mahaiwe Theaters.  When a guest at Hampton Terrace asks "what is there to do once I get there?" I  find myself almost speechless.   Where do I start?    Or, more often, a guest will start by announcing that they plan to go to Tanglewood on Saturday night and they were wondering if there is something to do on the other two nights of their stay.   This is why everyone who stays at our Lenox inn gets several attachments on their confirmation:   a list of dining options and a list of other activities to consider, including spas, museums, hikes, theater, music, night life, etc.   We also provide links to the Berkshire Visitors Bureau website, the Berkshire Eagle website, the Lenox Chamber of Commerce and other resources to help our guests plan their stay. More on Theatre in the Berkshires: Berkshire Fringe, Capital Steps, Chester Theatre Company, Mac-Hayden Theatre, Mass Moca, The Theater Barn, Ventfort Hall

Is this theater?   You betcha.   One thing you have to understand about the Berkshires:   museums present theater, restaurants present theater, historic house museums present theater (tomorrow's blog) and Tanglewood presents theater. 

Nine years ago, Garrison Keillor hosted his first "Prairie Home Companion" at Tanglewood  - a show stuffed with local references and talent.   I guess it went over well because Keillor has now made Tanglewood the traditional closing show of each radio season.   No lack of local color to fill the annual bill.   Last year featured Lenoxite (or is it Lenoxonian) James Taylor.   This is a great opportunity to load up the picnic basket, pick out your favorite wine, and relax in a lawn chair with your eyes closed.   Of course, you could do that in your living room with the radio on…but there is something special about participating in a group "listen."   And though there will be 10,000 people at the show, you will be able to hear a pin drop as Keillor unwinds his tales.

Tanglewood is less than a one minute drive from Hampton Terrace, a top rated bed and breakfast in Lenox.   We happen to have a couple rooms still left for the June 28th weekend:  one for just Saturday night the 28th and another for two nights.   Unlike most Berkshire lodging, we feature an outdoor heated pool and a full breakfast buffet.   So if you plan to attend "A Prairie Home Companion" at Tanglewood, and need a Berkshire bed and breakfast, call 800-203-0656.

Recently having earned a Tony Award for the best regional theater in the country, Williamstown Theater Festival in 2008 is again presenting an impressive array of classic and new plays on its Main, Nikos and Center Stages, Free Theatre, Late-Night Cabaret, and readings, workshops, and other special events.  

WTF has historically wowed Berkshire audiences, and guests of Hampton Terrace, with notable names, most recently Emmy Rossum (pictured), Elizabeth Banks, Dianne Weist, Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Burton, James Naughton, Jean Smart, Olympia Dukakis and Bebe Neuwirth.  This year's performances include "Beyond Therapy," "The Athiest," "She Loves Me," "Broke-ology," "Three Sisters," "The Understudy," "A Flea in Her Ear," " Not Waiving," and "Home."  

Combine a romantic getaway to one of the highest rated bed and breakfasts in Lenox by visiting Hampton Terrace and seeing a show at Williamstown Theater Festival.   Hampton Terrace is uniquely positioned compared to much Berkshire lodging, by being centrally located in Lenox.   We are just 5 minutes north of the Mass Pike…but 20 minutes from Great Barrington, 10 minutes from Stockbridge, 15 minutes from Pittsfield and about 30 minutes from Williamstown.   All Lenox shops and restaurants are less than a 2 block walk from us, and Tanglewood is one mile.  When considering a romantic b&b and a New England getaway, click here:   www.hamptonterrace.com.

Many people remember the Barrington Stage Company bravely mounting their seasons at a local high school in South County.   Julianne Boyd had a pedigree, and all knew it was just a matter of time before this theatre company earned its break….

And the break came from an unlikely place…an improvisational theater lab that quickly moved from Barrington Stage to Broadway and now to leading cities of the world, while picking up two Tony Awards along the way.  The success of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" led to Barrington Stage's purchase and renovation of a 1912 playhouse in downtown Pittsfield.  Julie Boyd's vision of having a stage capable of handling the large productions she loved was fulfilled.   This year marks a return of "Spelling Bee" to its creator, and other offerings include "The Violet Hour", "Private Lives" and "To Kill a Mockingbird."   And that is just the Main Stage.   There are a dozen other options through the summer, including the very workshops that might spawn the next Tony Award- winning play or musical.  

Barrington Stage Company joins Shakespeare & Company, Williamstown Theater Festival, Berkshire Theatre Festival and other important theater companies within minutes of Hampton Terrace, a well-reviewed bed and breakfast in Lenox.  Top rated among Berkshire lodging, Hampton Terrace features 14 rooms with private baths and is located within steps of Lenox's heralded shops and restaurants.  When considering a Lenox inn while visiting theater in the Berkshires, check out www.hamptonterrace.com.