If it is nice place to visit, isn’t it also a nice place to live?    Not necessarily, as I love to visit Orlando, but I would never consider it a place to call home.

Lenox, and by extension, the Berkshires, has again been singled out for its quality of life.   By extension, I mean that without the amenities, attractions and assets offered up by our neighbors….including Stockbridge, Lee, Great Barrington, Pittsfield and other contiguous communities, there is no way that Lenox could be ranked in a survey such as this.    National Geographic Traveler just rated our area the #7 destination in the world…and now AOL’s consumer and personal finance website, "WalletPop," has singled out Lenox as a top 20 dream home for retirees.

The town received plaudits for its culture, solitude and natural surroundings.    In addition to the obvious accollades involving "Currier & Ives lovely" and Tanglewood…the website goes on to say, "Sophisticated, funky and quiet, Lenox is a special place."   

With every point in the village less than a two block walk from our front door, we concur.   We have always marveled at, and always been very profoundly appreciative of what we have here.   That is partly what makes us succesfull innkeepers.    Although we have been in Lenox for almost 15 years, we still are "tourists in our own home town."      Trip Advisor feedback reminds us often that our guests recognize and appreciate our enthusiasm for things down our sidewalk.   

But back to living here.    In partnership with the website, "NeighborhoodScout.com," the AOL site considered factors such as housing options, surroundings, a vibrant mix of educated seniors and other age groups, very low crime, peace and quiet, and choice of amenities of every taste.

Once again, I DO believe you have to consider the greater Lenox area for all of these…..and if they did not…..and had……Lenox might have been #1 instead of just a Top 20!    That would be an interesting thing to know.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.    Before moving here…visit.    And while visiting, check out Hampton Terrace.   It is already part of our routine to help you plan your visit intelligently to maximize your experience.    And like many of our guests, you will probably come back to see some of what you missed.   And then again.

Those following news about the Berkshires know that National Geographic Traveler recently rated us one of the Top Ten Destinations in the world!   Of course, having a world-class summer season of theater, dance and music is part of the package.    But if the place completely dried up the rest of the year, I do not believe we would have received this recognition.

Thanks to recent renovations of the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield and the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington, great performances are available to local audiences, and off-season visitors all year.    Just over the next several weeks, the Mahaiwe is featuring a showing of Paul Newman’s Cool Hand Luke, the Metropolitan Opera presents an HD broadcast of "Hamlet," David Bromberg is in town to showcase his folk, blues and bluegrass innovations.   Finally, local favorite Shawn Colvin is here April 16th.

The Colonial Theatre has Roger McGuinn and Tom Rush this weekend, as well as nine other presentations in the next 30 days.    And this is April!   The offerings include speakers, lecturers, music, and even Beatlemania.

Hampton Terrace is located about 15 minutes from each venue.    Let us help you plan a great Berkshire weekend, including an experience at one of our beautifully renovated venues.

At Hampton Terrace we want to make sure that our guests have the best possible dining experience.   Most are here just a couple of nights, and considering the hundreds of choices in the Berkshires, the chance of accidently making the perfect choice is small.   So we help the process along.

We have hosted over 35,000 guest nights here at the inn.   The #1  topic at breakfast among our guests is a comparison of their dinners during their stay.   So we hear a lot.   And we have personally experienced most of the restaurants ourselves.    The list of preferred places has always included Bistro Zinc, Pearl’s in Great Barrington, Fin and Betty’s Pizza in Lenox.   All were created by the same ownership group over the past ten years, so it is safe to say they know what they are doing.    We send a list of our "preferred" restaurants to our guests prior to their arrival, so that if they want to make reservations somewhere they can.   Or if not, at least they arrive in the area with some ideas, and then they can look at the menu book in our front hall.

Last summer this group opened Frankie’s.  It debuted right as the summer rush began, and we tried them twice, several months apart.  Our experiences were not memorable.   Plus, some of the guest feedback was pretty negative.   So they did not make our list.   There really ARE a lot of good Italian restaurants in the area.

But we saw positive reviews showing up on Trip Advisor recently.   Occasionally some guests would end up there and report back that they liked the place.   And then finally, we saw an ad that Frankie’s was running a winter 3-course price fix at $20.   Remarkable enough for us to give it another try.

And I am glad we did.   The special (Sunday-Thursday) includes soup or salad, a choice from about 10 entres, and either canolli or Tiramisu.    I had the mushroom soup.   Great.   Susan had the Chicken Picata…and said it was the best she had ever eaten.   Large, soft chicken chunks instead of tough hammered flat pieces…and a lemon/caper sauce that we mopped up with our bread to keep from losing any.   I had the Spaghetti alla Carbonara.   Perfect.   We had to take our deserts to go….as the entres were normal size.    You know how it is sometimes on these "teaser" price fix promotions….choice of 3 entres’ that are 40% smaller than a full price serving.   Not this.

And we are normally VERY picky about wine choices.   In this case, we had had some before leaving our house so a glass each was all we needed.   And usually when we have to settle for wine-by-the-glass, we are not overwhelmed.  In this case, I had a fine glass of house Chianti for $5,  and Susan was happy with her white at $6.

So as of now, Frankie’s is on our list and we appreciate their giving us an "introductory" opportunity to come in on the cheap and give it another whirl.   So for those of you coming to Hampton Terrace mid-week this winter, go check this out.   And even if you are visiting us on a weekend, the normal menu prices should not deter you.

You can find classical music of some variety just about every night at Tanglewood from mid-June until late August every year.   But on any given night in the Berkshires there are thousands of visitors and second homeowners who are willing to support music at other venues up and down the county.

The Concerts at Tannery Pond is a series of six or seven chamber music evenings held in an 1834 Shaker building in New Lebanon, New York from May through October.   Established in 1991 by photographer/pianist Christian Steiner, the annual series combines music with a serene setting that would be hard to beat anywhere.

Continuing in the chamber music genre, there is the South Mountain Concert Series, held on weekends in September each year.   Located just north of Lenox, the series has been presented since 1918 and is held in a hall built that specifically for chamber music.   Performers over the years have included Leonard Bernstein, Gary Graffman, Leontyne Price and Peter Serkin, and quartets have included the Borromeo, the Emerson, The Guarneri, the Tokyo, the Julliard, the Orion and the Vermeer. (more…)

Of course, Tanglewood created the reason people began coming to the Berkshires annually to hear classical music.   But under the rationale of "critical mass," numerous arts presenters have sprung up over the years to give concert-goers multiple nightly options.

The Berkshire Choral Festival began in 1982 and performs weekends from mid-July to early August at the Berkshire School in Southern Berkshire County.   The Springfield Symphony provides the musical accompaniment.   If you are an experienced choral singer, and you would like to spend a week in the Berkshires, it is possible to sing with the Berkshire Choral Festival.   They also offer opportunities to sing with the Chorus in England, Canada and Austria.

The Berkshire Opera presents fully staged performances, featuring internationally known opera stars, on multiple venues throughout the Berkshires.  

The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield and the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington also present an annual slate of classical music.   Their websites offer calendars and the opportunity to purchase tickets.

Hampton Terrace in Lenox also offers classical music…much more ambiantly.   We have hidden speakers in our common area rooms that play classical background music during the day and jazz at night.   We also have a 1929 Steinway L Grand piano which is in great shape, is always in tune, and is frequently played by guests.   So for a great Berkshire bed and breakfast experience, stay at Hampton Terrace, one of the best reviewed Lenox inns.

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…)

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…)