Once occupied for a few months in summer by commercial and industrial magnates and their families, many of Lenox's mansions are still in private hands, enjoyed by an ever-widening circle of the descendants of the original builders.

Most of Lenox's fine houses are not open to the public, so you must settle for tantalizing looks from the sidewalk.

Walk to the top of the hill on Main Street (US 7), north of the town center to see the Church on the Hill, a very fine New England Congregational meetinghouse (church) built in 1805.

For a beautiful hike through a thousand acres of Berkshire countryside, find your way to the Pleasant Valley Sanctuary, northwest of Lenox. Follow the signs, or take MA 7A north to West Dugway Road, then West Mountain Road. Pay the admission fee (dawn to dusk daily, closed Monday), and set out on the 7 miles of nature trails to explore native Berkshire flora and fauna.

Tanglewood
Since 1934, the number-one summer activity in Lenox has been the Tanglewood Music Festival, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Over 50 concerts—by full orchestra, chamber groups, and soloists in recital—take place during the Tanglewood season, including the famous weekend BSO concerts. More...

Other Concerts
After the summer classical music concert program, Tanglewood is the scene for the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, held in the first week of September, featuring many legendary performers as well as up-and-coming talent.

South Mountain Concerts (tel 413-442-2106), in nearby Pittsfield, specializes in chamber music, and concerts begin in August and last into October. South Mountain Concerts was started in 1918 in a lovely old hall located a mile south of Pittsfield on US 7/20.

The Mount
The Mount (tel 413-637-1899) is a grand house and gardens planned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton. You can tour the house, and watch a salon drama based on Ms Wharton's life and works, June through October, Tuesday through Friday. The Mount is located just south of Lenox, at the junction of US 7 and MA 7A.

Shakespeare & Company
For three decades, Shakespeare & Company (tel 413-637-1199) has brought to life the Bard's best in the Berkshires, with memorable performances by a company of more than 150 artists.

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum
Here (tel 413-637-2210) you can find out about local railroad lore, poke around in a New Haven Railroad caboose, watch a complex model railroad run, and see railroading videos. Nostalgic excursion trains run from the museum on a 15-mile route connecting Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, and Great Barrington.

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