Tired of hearing I’m bored from countless children throughout the years, Berkshires Macaroni Kid (formerly Berkshire Family Focus), set out to compile a list of things to do in Berkshire County to prove to those children just how much family- and kid-friendly fun there’s to be had in Berkshire County. Below find the first of three guides (there’s so much to do we had to break into three parts to make it more manageable), featuring a comprehensive list of area family fun. For more family fun outing ideas like these, just click on Guide 1 and Guide 2.
Did we forget something? Simply email one of your favorite things to do in the Berkshires to kellym@macaronikid.com, and we will get to compiling Guide 4
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101. Step back in time and experience life in the Gilded Age at Naumkeag, Stockbridge. Explore the 44-room Choate family “cottage” and Naumkeag gardens, including the famed Blue Steps, Afternoon Garden, Tree Peony Terrace, Rose Garden, Evergreen Garden, and Chinese Garden. (Kids up to 12 FREE.)
102. Take in a Steeplecats game at Noel Field Athletic Complex, North Adams (the complex also boasts a basketball court, soccer field, walking trails, track, and playground). (FEE for games; parks, trails, etc. are FREE.)
103. Participate in art-making activities, browse the kid-friendly exhibits or sign up for a workshop, at the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge. The grounds are great for exploring, too. (FREE for kids 5 and under.)
104. Stargaze with Arunah Hill Natural and Science Center ; hike the trails; take in a program in warmer weather months or cross-country ski in the winter at Notchview Reservation, Windsor, with 3,000 acres of wooded passages, historic hayfields and pastures, stone walls and cellar holes will have you coming back to hike and explore year round. (Most programs are FREE; admission is FREE for kids 12 and under.)
105. Swim, boat, camp or hike along North Pond, Florida, nestled in the Savoy Mountain State Forest, the vistas at the top of some of this state park's trails are amazing.
106. Pitch a tent for a night or two; and explore the 16,500 acres of winding woodland trails that circle past lakes, reservoirs, marshlands, and geological formations at October Mountain State Forest, Becket/Lee/Lenox.
107. Explore beautifully constructed bridges and hedged with cool sites, like the old dam, an abandoned vintage auto, old mill ruins, jutting boulders, a weather-protected trail journal, and a stone stairway along the Old Mill Trail, Hinsdale. (FREE)
108. Visit Shark Rock at Olivia’s Lookout, Richmond/Lenox and venture along the nearby hiking trails include Yukon Ridge North, Yukon Ridge South, Burbank Trail, Charcoal Trail, the Micheal H. Walsh Trail, and Steven’s Glen. We hear there may be a geocache site here, too. (FREE)
109. Attend an outdoor concert during the "Live on the Lake" summer music series at Onota Lake/Burbank Park, Pittsfield. "Live on the Lake” Schedule for Summer 2016 coming soon. (FREE)
110. Kayak, jet ski, swim, picnic and/or just relax at Otis Reservoir/Tolland State Forest, Otis.
111. Spend a day skiing at Otis Ridge, Otis — it may be the smallest ski area in the Berkshires but it’s big on family fun, with 10 trails, kids programs, lessons and ski camps.
112. Monkey around at Pinegrove Park, Dalton, and pack a snack to enjoy afterward in the pavilion while watching a football, softball, baseball or basketball league (all depends on the season) on the grounds. (FREE)
113. Explore over 30 miles of Taconic Mountain Range trails or fish at 2,150-feet above sea level, in Berry Pond, one of the highest bodies of water in Massachusetts at the Pittsfield State Forest, Pittsfield. Swimming and picnicking are also available in the natural cold spring pool at LuLu Brook.
114. Experience a different adventure and spot new wildlife, enjoy a family fun or enroll in a nature camp or family program at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox. (Lenox residents are FREE.)
115. Pack your swimsuits and fishing poles for a relaxing day of family fun at Plunkett Reservoir, Hinsdale, a 73-acre reservoir with a public boat launch and sandy beach.
116. Rent a boat for the day at Pontoosuc Lake, Pittsfield/Lanesborough and spend the day tubing or waterskiing in this beautiful 480-acre lake.
117. Follow an old wooded road, mowed meadow passages and forested footpaths past cellar holes, stone walls and the remnants of a long abandoned Colonial settlement of Leffingwell, where the first Colonial settlers of New Marlborough were born at Questing, New Marlborough. (FREE)
118. View the five distinct falls, including a horsetail, slide, fan, plunge and 100-foot cascade at Race Brook Falls, Sheffield and take in the expansive view of Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut at the summit Mount Everett. (FREE)
119. Experience a high flying adventure with kids ages 7 and up (must be 55-inches or taller) at Ramblewild Adventure Park, Lanesborough, the environmentally-friendly, 900-acre adventure park that features eight distinct 15 - 17 element aerial obstacle courses, where action junkies can test challenge their skill (a will) on high wires, zip lines, balancing logs, rope ladders, cargo nets, suspended bridges and 129 more ways of getting from tree to tree.
120. Skate, play or catch a youth ball game at Renfrew Park, Adams, that features basketball courts, a super fun play structure, a skate park, and a killer snack bar when games are being played. (FREE; food for a fee)
121. Pick your own apples Macintosh, Honey Crisp, Cortland, Gala, Empire, Macoun, Spencer, Liberty, Ida Red, Fugi, Braeburn) at Riiska Brook Orchard, Sandisfield.
122. Get your hike on at Savoy Mountain State Forest, Florida featuring over 50 miles of wooded hiking trails, as well as North Pond (sandy beach with restrooms), South Pond (year-round camp and cabin rentals available), Bog Pond (floating bog islands!!), and Tannery Falls (a series of smaller waterfalls feeding into a dramatic 50-foot cascade).
123. Catch an outdoor kid-friendly theater performance at the Shakespeare & Company, Lenox Rose-Footprint Theater.
124. Take in an educational children's and family program at Sheep Hill, Williamstown, a truly unique setting (a 50-acre former dairy farm).
125. Hike to see snow in the summer at the Snowhole, Williamstown/New York State Line, a 50-foot chasm, where MA, NY, and VT meet in the Taconic Mountain range. There is a cave on site and a flashlight is recommended for parents to allow kids to peer inside of this geological wonder.
126. Catch an outdoor summer concert at Springside Park, Pittsfield or attend a gardening workshop or demo offered on select Saturday mornings and before "Tuesday Night in the Park" music series. (Most events are FREE.)
127. Experience the natural stone steps, rustic benches and bridges, an observation deck, and magnificent views of gorges, glens and falls at Steven’s Glen, Richmond, 128-acre parcel of land with family-friendly hiking trails. (FREE)
128. Take a picnic to the Stockbridge Bowl Boat Launch, Stockbridge, there is a lovely picnic area adjacent to the public access boat launch on Rt 183, a great place to stop after a hike at Steven’s Glen or a visit to the Shark Rock or Interlaken Park playground. Note: While the boat launch area is open to the public, a town resident sticker is required at Stockbridge Town Beach (but only during the summer season). (FREE)
129. Play old school-style at Stockbridge Town Playground, Stockbridge featuring multiple play structures, swings, and old school jungle gym, merry-go-round and spring-loaded riding toys, as well as the town little league field and tennis courts.
130. Visit the Sunny Banks Ranch, Becket, for a private lesson or a full day of team roping and ranch sorting. Mosey on by for a trail ride or just drop in and watch the action.
131. Visit the birthplace of pioneering suffragist and abolitionist, Susan B. Anthony, and discover the regional influences that shaped her life. The Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, Adams family-friendly and kid-approved. (Kids 6 and under are FREE)
132. Experience some fall fun at Taft Farms, Great Barrington, pesticide-free family farm, featuring hay rides, a corn maze, a pick your own pumpkin patch and more.
133. Learn about local land conservation at Tamarack Hollow, Windsor, highland valley nature and cultural center with a 32-acre conservation area and a unique and ecologically sensitive forest ecosystem.
134. Attend a free Friday morning rehearsal of the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, Lenox, or stop by for its Highland Street Foundation Free Fun Friday. (FREE)
Tyringham Park[/caption]
135. Walk through mountain meadows and follow the Loop Trail past ancient bedrock formations to the summit for panoramic views of the Tyringham Valley at Tyringham Cobble, Tyringham. Challenge little hikers to find “Rabbit Rock” and to create names for other unusually shapes rock formations.
136. Schedule a visit to Tyringham Park, Tyringham, a gated play wonderland for parents and kids, with a giant play structure and multiple swinging and sliding options. (FREE)
137. Find the secret (well almost) swimming hole beside a peaceful waterfall, located in a 5-acre park complete with walking trails and sunning rocks at Umpachene Falls, New Marlborough. (FREE)
138. Take a relaxing trail ride or ride in the arenas at Undermountain Farm, Lenox.
139. Explore the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail, South Berkshires, a mapping of 48 sites, throughout 29 Massachusetts and Connecticut towns, celebrating local African Americans who played roles in shaping our nation's history. (FREE)
140. Step back in time at Ventfort Hall, Lenox, a 28-room Jacobean Revival-style mansion — the exterior of Ventfort Hall, grand staircase and Great Hall were staged as the St. Cloud Orphanage in “The Cider House Rules” (the 1999 Academy Award-winning film starring Tobey McGuire and Charlize Theron).
Washington Town Park[/caption]
141. Attend the John Keator Memorial Pumpkin Walk, at the Washington Town Park, Washington, complete with a state of the art Jack o’lantern display, bonfire, hayrides and trick-or-treat!
142. Dip your toes in the frigid waters at the bottom of the spectacular 40-food cascade at Wahconah Falls State Park, Dalton/Windsor. The nearby 1/2-mile Loop Trail is an easy trek that will take you to the top of the falls and through the shade of the surrounding conifer forest. (FREE)
143. Attend a Pittsfield Suns ballgame or a free summer concert at Wahconah Park, Pittsfield, one of the country’s only remaining ballparks with a wooden grandstand.
144. Learn about the early life and Great Barrington public school education of the Civil Rights leader, prolific author and recipient of Harvard’s first African American Doctoral graduate, W.E.B. Du Bois at the W.E.B. Du Bois Center, Great Barrington, and explore the African American experience and issues regarding social justice. (FREE)
145. Visit Whitney Farms, Cheshire and check out the peacocks, feed sheep, goats, and pony and visit pumpkin patch (seasonal).
146. Attend a free planetarium show at Williams College Hopkins Observatory | Milhelm Planetarium, Williamstown, the oldest existing observatory in the United States and the Milhelm Planetarium is quite possibly the nation’s first planetarium (named for Professor of astronomy from 1901 - 1942, Willis Milham).
147. Watch a free family-friendly outdoor theater production at Poker Flatts Field courtesy of Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, or attend a family-friendly theater workshop. (FREE)
148. Listen to music on the beach at Windsor Lake Park, North Adams during the Free Summer concert series, Concerts on the Lake. (FREE)
149. Stop in at Windy Hill Farm, Great Barrington for some fresh pressed cider or visit the holiday shop for fresh-cut winter greens.
150. At 2,240-feet, Whitcomb Summit, Florida is the highest elevation on the Mohawk Trail and with visibility as far as Vermont and New Hampshire, a trip to the observation tower for the views is highly recommended.
151. Picnic, swim and just meander your day away at York Lake, Sandisfield.
152. Attend a local festival such as 3rd Thursday in Pittsfield; Downstreet Art in North Adams, Summer Sundays @ 6 in Williamstown and the Apple Squeeze in Lenox. (FREE)
153. Take a holiday stroll at one of the many holiday walks and festivities in the region — Dalton, Stockbridge, Lenox, and Williamstown host a few of our favorites. (FREE)
154. Get festive at one of the regions award-winning parades such as the Lee Founders Day Parade; Fourth of July Parade in Pittsfield; and the Fall Foliage Parade in North Adams. (FREE)
155. Attend a kid-friendly concert at the Great Barrington Bandstand. (FREE)
156. Ski the trails at Catamount Ski Area and Aerial Adventure Park, South Egremont/Hillsdale, NY, and, in the off-season visit the Aerial Adventure Park, with 12 separate courses of varying difficulty, 170 adventure elements and over 50 zip lines, including two 2,000-footers!
157. Attend the annual Kids Can Too Concert, brave the Bang on a Can six-hour Music Marathon (with plenty of breaks in between) or pop in the museum for pop-up gallery recitals at MASS MoCA, North Adams.
158. Throw on a smock and get your hands dirty in a hand's on workshop or studio art class at the IS183 Art School. Children and adult of all skill levels are welcome!
