Destination:
The Berkshires
of Western Massachusetts

Williamstown & Windsor

Two roads, rivals in romantic beauty, lead from Lanesborough toward Williamstown. The old stage-road through New Ashford and the lovely valley of South Williamstown was preferred by Samuel Bowles on his annual trip to Commencement at Williams College. The other Old Path to Williamstown is far more rugged; it vaults through Cheshire and along the valley of the Hoosac River byway of Adams to North Adams and passes within view of Fort Massachusetts on the Harrison flats.

"I had a view of Williamstown from Greylock summit," says Hawthorne, "a white village and a steeple in a gradual hollow with huge mountain swells heaving up like immense subsiding, waves far and wide around it." These mountains, which hem in an ideal New England town, are intimately associated by name with the history and traditions of Williams College. The twin peaks of Mount Hopkins -- 2,790 feet high -- are named for President Mark Hopkins and Professor Albert Hopkins. Mount Fitch, Mount Griffin, and Mount Chadbourne are named in honor of three other Presidents of the College.

In the Area:
Williamstown Chamber Conerts on 762 Main Street
Williamstown Theatre Festival at Williams College
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Intstitute
Williams College Museum of Art
Mohawk Trail

Williamstown Tourist Board
Routes 2 & 7, Williamstown
(413) 458-4922 or (413) 458-9077

Windsor is home to several means of outdoor recreation. Notchview Reservation, offering spectacular cross-country skiing, belongs to the Trustees of Reservations, a member-supported conservation organization dedicated to preserving properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value throughout Massachusetts. Windsor Jambs State Forest features the spectacular cascading falls at Windsor Jambs Brook, which plunges through a 25-foot gorge, with 80-foot-high perpendicular granite walls rising on either side. Windsor Pond is yet another scene of idyllic beauty.

In the Area:
Windsor State Forest
Notchview Reservation

Chamber of Commerce of the Berkshires
75 North Street, Suite 360
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 499-4000
Fax: (413) 447-9641

Introduction .... Lodging ..... Restaurants ..... Recreation ..... Attractions ..... Parks
Calendar of Events ..... Museums & Galleries ..... Architectural Wonders ..... Directions