PITTSFIELD

The Colonial Theatre has become a centerpiece of the city since it was restored to its gilded-age glory several years ago and now offers plays, film and live music, including the fifth annual Pittsfield City Jazz Festival in October (http://berkshiresjazz.org/). There's also the highly acclaimed Barrington Stage Company, and the Berkshire Museum, a combined art, history and the natural world museum, offering everything from antique dolls and Native American artifacts to ancient mummies and a ''Dino Dig'' exhibit, where visitors can dig for replica dinosaur bones.

Be sure to check out: King Cone at 133 Fenn St. Open only during summer months, this legendary ice-cream stand is known for its towering twists.

STOCKBRIDGE

For such a small town, Stockbridge is loaded with cultural offerings, including the Berkshire Botanical Garden and the Berkshire Theatre Festival, where Gene Hackman, Sigourney Weaver, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino have performed. The summertime Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival is nearby, but Stockbridge is probably best known for the Norman Rockwell Museum and the place where the artist lived for the last 25 years of his life. The museum holds the largest and most significant collection of Rockwell's works, including 750 paintings and drawings and 150,000 photographs, letters and other materials.

Be sure to check out: The Red Lion Inn. A Berkshire landmark for more than two centuries, the inn is known for its welcoming front porch and rows of rocking chairs, and more recently, the cuisine of chef Brian J. Alberg, who designs seasonal menus using organic, local produce from the Berkshires.

WILLIAMSTOWN

With Williams College as its backdrop, there's no shortage of imaginative shopping and dining, but what sets this town apart is the Tony Award-winning Williamstown Theatre Festival, which presents more than 200 summer performances annually. Paul Newman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Christopher Reeve, Alec Baldwin and Christopher Walken are just some of the stars who got their start or honed their skills on the stages of Williamstown.

Be sure to check out: The Clark Art Institute is arguably one of the finest small museums in the world and features French Impressionist and American paintings, Remington sculptures and monthly family activities.

Info: Berkshire Visitors Bureau, 800-237-5747; www.berkshires.org.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@