WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
Greenfield
The Brandt House
The Brandt House, a colonial revival estate on three and a half acres in Greenfield , attracts guests with its antiques, feather beds, gracious sitting rooms and nine airy guest rooms, including the penthouse. This suite brings a back-to-nature experience indoors, thanks to its 640 square feet of skylights. But according to Brandt House manager Kathy Reipold, what makes Greenfield truly special is its proximity to so many other places.
Many guests stay at the Brandt House to be near Deerfield , worth a trip for its ample reservoir of well-preserved 18th- and 19th-century homes. South Deerfield is home to Yankee Candle, a high- and low-tech extravaganza where costumed characters and animatronic figures commingle amid the scent of wax.
Outdoor enthusiasts will come for the 25 miles of groomed trails at Northfield Mountain , or the humbler path right on the Brandt House property. About 15 minutes away from Greenfield , Shelburne Falls is a natural marvel where water cascades over rocky cliffs. The falls are even more stunning in the icy cold. The shops in the tiny village of Shelburne Falls showcase blown glass, pottery and antiques.
A longer drive brings you to North Adams , home of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). This repository of the avant-garde displays some gargantuan pieces in its 300-foot-long gallery. MASS MoCA offers a full calendar of art performances too, many as offbeat as the exhibitions. Closer to the Brandt House, the Shea Theater in Turners Falls stages pro ductions this winter that include Annie (February 17, 18, 24, 25 and 26), Women in Jazz (March 4) and the Second Annual New Work Festival (March 18).
South Egremont
The Egremont Inn
The Egremont Inn has been open year-round for more than 200 years, long before skiers began packing up their SUVs for a trip to Great Barrington's Butternut Mountain . So it's no surprise that, while the inn is historic and its restaurant boasts a Wine Spectator award (for six years running), the Egremont caters to families. Small and antsy guests can order from a children's menu and then take their dessert and watch a movie in the TV room while mom and dad finish in peace. The 20-room inn features live jazz on Thursdays and Saturdays and offers plenty of common space for hanging around. “Doing nothing is a very underrated activity,” says innkeeper Steve Waller, who runs the Egremont with his wife, Karen.
When skiing and hanging by the fireplace get old, the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge is about 15 minutes away. Less than an hour away, in Williamstown, the Chapin Library at Williams College excites history buffs with original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute at Williams houses an impressive collection of 19th-century European and American paintings, including works by the French impressionists Renoir, Monet and Gauguin.
Antiquers, however, will head straight for Sheffield, five minutes from South Egremont . The small town (population 2,000) has about 20 antique shops — staffed mostly by the town's residents. While Sheffield has the heaviest concentration, antique shops dot the region from Great Barrington to Ashley Falls and even in South Egremont itself.
In Western Massachusetts and elsewhere, the most satisfying discoveries often come from aimless wandering. Take a leisurely drive from the Egremont Inn, and you might see llamas on a nearby farm, or the unmanned maple syrup stand at Turner Farm, where Waller says he has bought fresh syrup for years but has never seen a shopkeeper. Waller takes a jug, puts money in the jar and fills out his own receipt. A chance to buy something on the honor system — it's a real vacation from the everyday routine.
NORTH OF BOSTON
Swampscott
Cap'n Jack's Waterfront Inn
People in Boston think of Swampscott as a North Shore suburb — nice enough, but hardly a tourist destination. Guests at Cap'n Jack's know otherwise. “Basically it's the location that is real special,” says innkeeper Mary Jo Rooney. “We're up on a bluff overlooking Nahant Bay . On a clear day you can see Boston . You can see Boston Harbor .”
But why bother with Boston ? In Swampscott itself, guests can walk on one of three nearby beaches, or plan a mini spa vacation by coupling a stay at Cap'n Jack's with a day at one of the nearby spas. Swampscott is also a perfect home base for a visit to Salem , site of the famous witch trials, where visitors can indulge in some witchy kitsch or in a serious, McCarthyesque lesson on tolerance.
A visit to Salem 's Peabody Essex Museum , which melds impressive Asian and American collections, including Asian decorative arts and maritime art, yields one standout work: John Singer Sargent's painting Commodore Sears Aboard the Yacht Constellation (1924). For more seafaring art, head to Gloucester, the country's oldest fishing port, for a visit to the Cape Ann Historical Museum, which houses an extensive collection of paintings by 19th-century Gloucester artist Fitz Hugh Lane (closed in February).
From Salem or Gloucester , you needn't travel far to land in Marblehead , one of New England 's most picturesque towns and a mecca for waterfront mansions, browseable boutiques and history lessons. Native son John Glover led regiments that helped rescue George Washington's army at the Battle of Long Island, and Glover's men rowed Washington across the Delaware River in 1776. The Spirit of '76 , Archibald Willard's famous painting, hangs in Marblehead 's Abbot Hall.
As you might expect in an historic town, Marblehead features several antique shops. But dedicated antiquers will head a bit further north to Essex, a town of about 3,000 with some three dozen antique shops where the goods range from exquisite and valuable to flea market–worthy. Many of Cap'n Jack's patrons never visit Marblehead , Salem , Essex or anyplace else. Staying put is attraction enough, especially, says Rooney, when a snowstorm is approaching. “They love to watch the waves crashing on the rocks,” she explains.
THE ISLANDS
Martha's Vineyard
The Crocker House Inn
If you imagine there's nothing going on in Martha's Vineyard during the winter, you're mostly right. But that's just the point. You could plan a trip to coincide with the big chili contest in Oak Bluffs that warms the island on January 28. Or you could run the scenic Martha's Vineyard 20-Miler on February 18. But travelers looking for excitement tend to head elsewhere at this time of year. People looking for beauty, solitude and time to read go to the Vineyard.
Jeff Kristal, innkeeper at the Crocker House Inn, says many of his guests make Bunch of Grapes , an inviting bookstore in the town of Vineyard Haven , their main destination. Then they spend all day reading by the fire. When the chapter ends, a guest might stroll on the beach, where seals sometimes hang out, or walk around the town of Vineyard Haven . While most of the retail shops are open in Vineyard Haven, other towns' merchants are hit and miss during the off-season. “Part of the fun is driving through other towns in winter months and see ing if something's open,” Kristal says.
It can be a challenging scavenger hunt at times. The island's population, which swells close to 90,000 during the summer, settles in at about 15,000 during the winter. With no people to watch, no cocktail parties, no pressure to see and be seen, the Vineyard in winter can be soothingly quiet. For those seeking an escape from city pressures, that's music to the ears.
Nantucket
Hawthorn House
Escaping the big-city pace is equally appealing to guests of the Hawthorn House in Nantucket . “The people who are inclined to come to Nantucket during the winter never ask what they can do,” says Diane Carl, who owns the Hawthorn House with her husband, Mitchell. Shops in the main square remain open all winter. Occasionally, Carl says, an industrious visitor will perch inside the Nantucket Atheneum, the public library, and research family roots or some other bit of Nantucket history. Writers might come for solitude or inspiration.
More often, says Carl, visitors come “with a suitcase full of books.” They hunker down in one of the nine guest rooms, decorated with handmade rugs and quilts, or in the comfortable, fireplaced common area. They might read all day, with a break in the literary marathon for a walk on the beach to collect shells or ogle the seals, who seem to consider the beach their private lounge. Says Carl, “They look like overstuffed sausages on the jetty.”
THE CAPE
Provincetown
Crowne Pointe Historic Inn and Spa
There's a good chance that visitors to the Crowne Pointe Inn will be perfectly content to stay put, given amenities like the Shui Spa; the inn's restaurant, the Bistro; the no-kids-under-16 rule and a winter package priced well below summer rates.
But guests who do venture out will discover that while the Cape is beautiful in summer, it's a naturalist's heaven in winter. During one of the Cape 's snowstorms, consider a spectacular walk or cross-country ski trek overlooking the ocean. Fire roads near the Marconi Wireless Station in South Wellfleet, just south of Provincetown , provide a reasonable path. While you're there, turn off your cell phone and think about the moment, in 1903, when Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first transatlantic message to Europe from the spot.
Without the summer crowds, wildlife reclaims its home on the Cape . Two-legged visitors might spot birds and other creatures if they hike a path along the Cape Cod National Seashore. The Province Lands Visitor Center , part of the National Seashore, is about a mile from Provincetown , and while the center is closed in the winter, its observation deck is open, offering a wide-angle view of Provincetown , Race Point Ranger Station, the Pilgrim Monument and the Provincetown Museum . History buffs will want to visit the monument, which recalls when seafaring Pilgrims made Provincetown their first home in the New World . Inhospitable soil and a lack of water sources drove the Pilgrims off after about a month, and they landed on Plymouth Rock, bumping Provincetown from the history books.
Though it may not be known for its Pilgrims, Provincetown has long nurtured a reputation as an artists' colony, inspiring the likes of Edward Hopper and Jackson Pollock. The Provincetown Art Association and Museum, a showcase for new artists, opens on winter weekends, and the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce can point you to a number of galleries that stay open all year long.
GREATER BOSTON
Jamaica Plain
Taylor House Bed and Breakfast
You don't have to be out in the country to be off the beaten track. One of Boston 's most charming neighborhoods, Jamaica Plain, is beloved by locals but little known by outsiders. Those who visit the Taylor House, a carefully restored Victorian mansion, find themselves within a mile of numerous diversions — none of them requiring a trip into downtown Boston .
More funky than country, Jamaica Plain is a multiethnic enclave. You won't find major chains on the Centre Street shopping strip, but you will find several acclaimed restaurants serving everything from Indian and vegetarian fare to Thai and American. David Elliott, who runs the Taylor House with Daryl Bichel, says one German couple ate at Ban Chiang, a local Thai restaurant, seven nights in a row.
Guests often take a morning jog around Jamaica Pond, about a block from the inn, or ski cross-country through the evergreens at the nearby Arnold Arboretum — a 265-acre nature preserve run by Harvard University . Guests can rent skates and take a spin on the outdoor rink at Larz Anderson Park , on the border of neighboring Brookline .
For those who prefer to warm up indoors, the Sam Adams Brewery offers tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For later on, the Milky Way Lounge & Lanes mixes a bar scene, music and bowling into a quirky nighttime spot.
With shops, restaurants, parks and a unique neighborhood character, Jamaica Plain (JP, as locals call it) may keep guests of the Taylor House so entertained that they never make it into downtown Boston .
RESOURCES
Abbot Hall , 781.631.0000
Arnold Arboretum , 617.524.1718; arboretum.harvard.edu
Ban Chiang , 617.522.2299
Brandt House , 413.774.3329; brandthouse.com
Bunch of Grapes , 508.693.2291; bunchofgrapes.com
Cape Ann Historical Museum , 978.283.0455; capeannhistoricalmuseum.org
Cape Cod National Seashore , nps.gov/caco
Cap'n Jack's Waterfront Inn , 781.595.7910; capnjacks.com
Chapin Library , 413.597.2462; williams.edu/resources/chapin
Crocker House Inn , 508.693.1151; crockerhouseinn.com
Crowne Pointe Historic Inn and Spa , 508.487.6767; crownepointe.com
Egremont Inn , 413.528.2111; egremontinn.com
Hawthorn House , 508.228.1468; hawthornhouse.com
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art , 413.662.2111; massmoca.org
Milky Way Lounge & Lanes , 617.524.3740; milkywayjp.com
Nantucket Atheneum , 508.228.1110; nantucketatheneum.org
Norman Rockwell Museum , 413.298.4100; nrm.org
Northfield Mountain , 800.859.2960; nu.com/northfield
Peabody Essex Museum , 978.745.9500; pem.org
Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum , 508.487.1310; pilgrim-monument.org
Provincetown Art Association and Museum , 508.487.1750; paam.org
Shea Theater , 413.863.2281; theshea.org
Shelburne Falls , 413.625.2544; shelburnefalls.com
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute , 413.458.2303; clarkart.edu
Taylor House Bed and Breakfast , 617.983.9334; taylorhouse.com
Yankee Candle , 877.636.7707; yankeecandle.com |
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