BK Olson, Travel Blogger

Category: New England

  • Crafts Inn Revisited

    Crafts Inn Revisited

    Our first time in Vermont was just a day trip, which clearly was not enough! We’ve returned twice since – to the same resort in Wilmington. Located at the southern end of the state, we were in between two great towns with spectacular scenery around every curve.

    Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
    To start at the beginning of this series, visit A New England Autumn.

    Welcome Back!

    On both of our visits to Vermont, we stayed at Crafts Inn by using the RCI option of our timeshare. RCI is a clearing house of sorts for owners wanting to exchange a location that their timeshare provides, for one that it doesn’t. Although we will be staying at one of ours when we move to New Hampshire next week, we have no options in Vermont.

    On our last trip here in 2021, we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at our “historic” accommodations. Sometimes when that description precedes the name we get a little anxious about just how rustic it may be. Once we got used to its antiquated elevator system, we found our room to be very nice, clean, and very spacious.

    Although not as modern as some resorts, the location was perfect for day trips. When we just wanted to stay home, the covered porch provided plenty of people-watching on a row of rocking chairs. And with Wilmington just outside our door, there was no driving required.

    Centrally Located

    The Molly Stark Scenic Byway (Route 9) runs right by Crafts Inn and is the southernmost scenic drive in Vermont. It spans the entire width of Vermont at its narrowest point, which is only about 48 miles. This is the easiest (and most beautiful) option when traveling from Wilmington to Bennington (west) or Brattleboro (east), cutting through the spectacular Green Mountains along the way. We made several trips in both directions on our exploration days.

    Just Who is Molly Stark?

    A statue of Molly Stark with one of her eleven children is stationed on property at Crafts Inn. Molly was the wife of Brigadier General John Stark, who was victorious over the forces of Great Britain in the Battle of Bennington in 1777.

    Her love, courage, and self-reliance are common virtues among women when husbands are called to duty for their country. General Stark’s victory march from Bennington to his home in New Hampshire followed today’s Route 9. In 1936 it was recognized as “The Molly Stark Trail”, but it became official by the State of Vermont in 1967 when they changed it to a Scenic Byway.

    The Hundred Mile View

    There’s plenty more information about Molly Stark just nine miles away at Hogback Mountain scenic overlook in Marlboro, VT. Along with the amazing view, we made several stops for ice cream and other Vermont specialties. We also enjoyed our first visit to Metcaffe Distillery, which has a beautiful deck to enjoy a fabulous Maple Old Fashioned and other tasty concoctions.

    Visit the link from our last trip (The Hundred Mile View) for a panoramic video from this very spot, and info on the dawn of the automobile age which brought about one of our favorite pastimes – road tripping!

    Lazy Morning and a Little Shopping

    One morning we walked across the street to Dot’s Restaurant, where a Bloody Mary for brunch (and spectacular eggs benedict) got us set up for a little local exploring (shopping). Visit Historic Wilmington for more history of Crafts Inn and a look at more of the buildings, as well as some information about their original owners.

    A Great Day in Bennington

    What great day trip doesn’t start with a great breakfast? We stopped by the Blue Benn Diner for a little sustenance.

    Originally known as The Silk City Diner, the Paterson Vehicle Co. in New Jersey manufactured this little treasure in 1948. That year it was shipped to and assembled on its present site in Bennington. It changed hands in 1973 to become the Blue Benn – a family-owned diner for 47 years.

    Upon the death of one owner and then Covid, the Blue Benn’s future was in jeopardy with outcries on social media regarding its possible demise. A former college-student regular at the diner who had since moved to Maine rushed in to save the day. He moved back to Bennington to continue its long and beloved tradition.

    “The Blue Benn Diner has been delighting foodies for generations. The ambiance of a classic 1957 “silk city” diner car coupled with an extraordinary menu that goes well beyond diner classics makes this restaurant a must to experience. Rated in the top ten of diners nationwide, discover this gem as part of your Vermont experience.” ~ READ MORE

    Some Museum Time

    After that great breakfast, we were ready to dive a little deeper into Bennington, Vermont. To date we had only checked out some antique shops along the main drag, with several visits to Madison Brewing Company. Today we’ll finish up with a cold beer and appetizers a lot closer to home.

    Bennington Museum is quite impressive, with great views from its expansive courtyard where public events are held. The museum shares the past by “telling the stories of this region through Art, History, and the New England Landscape.”

    Vermont Rocks

    This native stone structure first served as St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church from 1855 to 1892. Bennington Museum opened to the public in 1928 after major renovations to provide a more functional and beautiful space for the museum’s growing collections. The current exhibit was called “Vermont Rocks” and explored “the historical and cultural significance of Vermont’s “mineral wealth”.

    Grandma Moses

    A permanent exhibit features paintings by Anna Mary Robertson Moses. I had heard the name Grandma Moses, but didn’t recall her being an artist, so we were pleasantly surprised! Her detail and colorful depictions of life back in her day were fascinating.

    “Bennington Museum holds the largest public collection in the world of paintings by Grandma Moses, the great 20th-century folk artist who painted scenes of rural life embodying a sense of an idyllic bygone America. Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses (1860-1961) started painting in her seventies and within years was one of America’s most famous artists.

    Moses spent most of her life in Eagle Bridge, New York, fifteen miles northwest of Bennington, depicting the rolling landscape of Washington County. She occasionally painted scenes of Vermont including Bennington (1953) (first photo above) which shows the gray stone Bennington Museum building at center.” ~ READ MORE

    Robert Frost Stone House Museum, Shaftsbury

    Although we were able to wander freely on property, we missed the shortened museum hours during this time of year. I would have loved to see the room where – on a day in June, 1922 – Frost wrote “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”.

    For nine years of the 1920s, Frost lived in this 18th-century stone and clapboard house in Shaftsbury, VT. It was here (and a nearby farm) that he fell in love with Vermont, spending time writing poems, tending to the apple orchard, raising chickens, and walking in the woods. Forty-years later Frost would be named the first poet laureate of Vermont.

    In 2002, the house was opened to the public as the Robert Frost Stone House Museum and was given to Bennington College in 2017. The college holds educational courses, poetry readings, on-site programming, and student art shows.

    Robert Frost’s Gravesite

    Knowing how Robert Frost loved this area of the country, it makes sense that he would be buried here. Our next stop was Old Bennington Cemetery (a.k.a. Old First Church Cemetery) – one of the oldest cemeteries in Vermont. Adjacent to the Old First Church (we’ll visit that next), the first headstone was placed the same year the church was established.

    Although Robert Frost was not a member of the church, he read his poem The Black Cottage at its rededication in 1937, and bought two plots for family burials.

    Signs led us to Robert’s grave as well as other notable folks buried here. Seventy-five Revolutionary War Soldiers who fought and died at the Battle of Bennington in August 1777 are also buried here and their graves are marked with American flags.

    Old First Church

    Old First Church was our next stop after visiting its cemetery. After building four churches in Connecticut, Lavius Fillmore (then 36 years old) was invited to Bennington to build this church. It was completed in December of 1805, and dedicated in January of 1806.

    “The [first] Old First Church was gathered in 1762 by Bennington’s earliest settlers and is recognized as, the first Protestant church in what is now Vermont. Much of the early history of Vermont took place in and around the first meetinghouse, (built in 1763, no longer standing) and the present church, dedicated in 1806. As a result, the Vermont Legislature, in 1935, designated the church as “Vermont’s Colonial Shrine” and the adjacent cemetery as “Vermont’s Sacred Acre”.

    After an extensive restoration effort last century the building stands much as it did during its dedication when first dedicated in 1806. The church is considered one of the most beautiful examples of early colonial church architecture.” ~ READ MORE

    What a Day!

    Back at Crafts Inn, it was a short walk to the Maple Leaf Tavern for apps and Fiddleheads. Brewed in Shelburne, VT, Fiddlehead has become one of our favorite beers. I love vacations!

    Next up: xx

    Happy trails,
    Barb

  • A New England Autumn

    A New England Autumn

    With somewhat heavy hearts, we ventured out to a few of our favorite places during our favorite time of the year. Our itinerary included lots of waterfalls, covered bridges, a couple of breweries, a scenic railroad, and last but certainly not least – a visit to Delaware – our 50th state. But little did we know, life had other plans.

    Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.

    And We’re Off!

    If you’ve read many of my posts, you know that our journeys are packed with lots of stops and there is seldom just one destination. It usually takes at least one hard day’s drive to get to our first point of interest, so we settle in and get the worst day (or two) out of the way with very little whining.

    Our first night in Painesville, OH was a very pleasant surprise with a wonderful (and very reasonably-priced) room at the Comfort Inn on Auburn Road. The best part was the Concord Tavern located just a quick walk from our hotel. This was a great local joint with delicious burgers and a very friendly crowd. On any other night we may have stayed a little longer, but after eight hours on the road hauling ass through Milwaukee, Chicago, and dodging semis on I90, we were ready to hit the hay.

    It’s a Wonderful Life

    After a great night’s sleep, we got an early start on our four-hour drive to Seneca Falls, NY. Although there are no longer any falls (visit the link), there were plenty of other things to make us glad we stopped by. Dewey’s Tavern – Sports Bar and Irish Pub provided a great pit stop (and lunch) before we explored any further.

    Many believe that Seneca Falls was the inspiration for the small town of Bedford Falls in the classic 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. With one side of Bridge Street named George Bailey Lane and the other Bedford Falls Boulevard, the It’s a Wonderful Life Bridge is a beautiful iron structure and quite the tourist attraction. Although not the same bridge from which George Bailey was prepared to jump, it is the same design. We parked at the Seneca Falls Community Center for a better look.

    The Fight for Civil Rights that Changed the World

    As it turns out Seneca Falls is also known as the Birthplace of Women’s Rights. We were able to visit the Wesleyan Chapel where activist and leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted The Declaration of Sentiments, which called for women’s equality and suffrage.

    There was an excellent video and an abundance of information about how women should be treated as equals – something I took for granted until just recently. Who knew that 176 years later (2024) we may need another convention. We yelled, “We’re Not Going Back!”, but whether or not we are – remains to be seen.

    Please visit Waterfalls, History, and Art, where we visited Susan B. Anthony’s birthplace during our Bay State Getaway in 2022. Susan B. Anthony also played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement, along with many other important issues of her time.

    “Whether possessed of the characteristics of the oak. the vine or the flower, ALL truly developed human beings love liberty and demand for themselves and their fellows the possession of equality of rights, privileges and immunities irrespective of sex or any mere accident of birth!” ~ Susan B. Anthony, Rochester, New York, July 11, 1900

    Women’s Rights National Historical Park tells the story of the first Women’s Rights Convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19-20, 1848. It is a story of struggles for civil rights, human rights, and equality, global struggles that continue today. The efforts of women’s rights leaders, abolitionists, and other 19th century reformers remind us that all people must be accepted as equals.

    The Tip of the Trail

    It was a quick jaunt from Seneca Falls to our next stop. Montezuma Winery is the northernmost winery on the Cayuga Wine Trail, and we were scheduled to visit several more farther south on the second half of our trip. Since we were just passing through today, we enjoyed a wine slushy on the front porch on this lovely day in New York.

    Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

    Just five minutes away, the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is “truly a haven for wildlife. Its diverse habitats of wetland, grassland, shrubland and forest give food, shelter, water and space to many of Central New York’s wildlife species. Waterfowl and other migratory birds depend on the Refuge as nesting, feeding, breeding and stopover grounds. Some make the Refuge a home year-round.” ~ READ MORE

    “To be alive is to be in relationship – entangled with the things that make our lives possible: sun, moon, air, water, plants, animals, insects, bacteria, fungi, etc. Come join us as we seek to explore and better understand our connection to, and dependence upon, both living and non-living components of our environment.” ~ Visit the link for hours of operation.

    Although wildlife was almost non-existent on our visit today (as it usually is – I think I’m a jinx), the wetlands and views had a very calming effect on our fragile states of mind. Two towers provided some elevation for a better look, and I was reminded of home.

    Have a Nice Day is an old blogpost of mine where there was plenty of wildlife at Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin. Check that out if you’re missing the birds, because today I got nothin’ – except beautiful sculptures.

    Dinner and a Bed

    With only about four hours of driving, we had plenty of time to enjoy all of our stops today. We arrived safely at our hotel in Syracuse, NY and went on a quest for some dinner that was close in. We ended up at JP’s Tavern in Baldwinsville for a couple of beers and very good pizza from Twin Trees next door. After a great conversation with a band member who was preparing for their set, we made a quick exit. They seemed a little too headbangy for these old fogies!

    Chittenango Falls

    The next morning, we had just two stops on our 3.5-hour drive into Wilmington, VT, and our accommodations for the next week. Chittenango Falls State Park in Cazenovia, NY is a beautiful park with a lovely walk along Chittenango Creek. It’s a fairly large park (193 acres) with pavilions, facilities, a playground, and hiking trails – but no camping.

    “A picturesque 167-foot waterfall is the main attraction of Chittenango Falls State Park! Glacial sculpting over 400 million-year-old bedrock is responsible for this scenic feature. An interesting variety of both plants and wildlife may be found along the trails.” ~ READ MORE

    A landing just before the descent into the gorge provides a handicap-accessible view of the falls.

    OMG!

    A full-on look at the falls requires a fairly strenuous descent into the gorge, where a small footbridge awaits. The falls are considered a “staircase cascade” with nearly even drops, one after another down the smooth limestone. The creek below is lovely with a few trails that take off into the surrounding woods. This is an endangered species conservation area – so there is NO swimming or even wading below the falls.

    My photos of the falls do not do them justice at all, since the sun was right where I didn’t want it to be and I had to stand partially behind a bush to block the sun. There are some gorgeous photos at this link, along with more information about the park.

    To save time (and my legs), I turned around and went back the way I came instead of staying on the loop and circling the gorge. Had I taken the loop I would have had a better vantage point and maybe gotten better photos without the sun blinding me. That’s why we travel – to live and learn. So now I have to go back!

    Our Favorite Brewery Stop

    Whenever we’re anywhere near Bennington, VT, we adjust our route to make a stop at Madison Brewing Company. This is a beautiful little brewery right on the main drag with great beers and fabulous appetizers. Since this time we were going right by, we treated ourselves to a welcome to Vermont! Cheers!

    Next up: Crafts Inn Revisited

    Happy trails,
    Barb

  • Bay State Getaway Recap

    Bay State Getaway Recap

    Blogposts from our Bay State Getaway are finally complete. This post provides an outline of where we went, what we saw and links to posts associated with each stop. 

    If you haven’t seen any of the posts, you may want to start at the beginning. Near the bottom of each post, there is a green link that will take you to what’s “Up next: Enjoy!”

    Our itinerary:

    Bay State Getaway 2022
    Cleveland, OH (2 nights) Comfort Inn. When the featured exhibit at Rock Hall changed over to the Beatles, we had to stop again on our way to Hancock, MA (14 nights) Club Wyndham Bentley Brook. Our first outing in MA was at Hancock Shaker Village – where a Country Fair added arts and crafts, live music, and craft beer to the guided tours and beautiful surroundings of the Village.

    Day Trip to North Adams
    A vigorous walk on the Cascades Trail didn’t yield much in the way of cascades, but this stop was all about the journey. Our next stop was just the opposite – with a quick walk from the parking lot to great reflections in Mill Pond, a manmade marble dam, expansive views, and gorgeous white marble cliffs at Natural Bridge State Park.

    A Bounty of Bridges
    Lots to see today included a covered bridge with an alien encounter in its past and one that won an award for an outstanding historic preservation. A dip into CT provided another covered bridge and a monument and final resting place of the highest ranking Union officer to be killed in the Civil War. There was also a lengthy chat with a bored security guard, and some harsh shadows as the sun sets on this long (but fabulous) day.

    Bridges, Blooms & Beyond
    As we near the half-way point, this great day included covered bridges – one, a haunted bridge named (loosely) after my parents – an iron bridge, a discontinued trolley bridge covered in flowers, waterfalls, potholes, and Galumpkis. By now the colors are coming on nicely, which added to the marvelous of Massachusetts.

    Hyde Park Overnight
    Kingston, NY (1 night) Airbnb. An overnight allowed for two days of sightseeing in Hyde Park, NY with a nice dinner and a sunset cruise in between. First day we visited Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s birthplace, home and final resting place – as well as his Presidential Library and Museum. There was tons of information on his twelve years in office as well as his First Lady’s accomplishments during and after his presidency.

    First Lady of the World
    Our Hyde Park Overnight continues at Eleanor Roosevelt’s very first home of her own. This was a great place to entertain friends, political associates, and foreign leaders in a relaxed environment. Eleanor wrote books, articles, and columns here, and politicians journeyed here to seek her support and advice. JFK asked Eleanor for her support in his upcoming run for president at a small round table in her living room.

    A Vanderbilt Mansion
    Our Hyde Park Overnight continues at the Vanderbilt Mansion. Our tour guide gave us a great background in how the other half lived during the Gilded Age and how the Commodore’s grandchildren spent his hard-earned money on very luxurious accommodations. Read how this one particular grandchild was more practical and charitable than his siblings, and how this mansion became a National Historic Site.

    Another Day, Another Mansion
    Back at our condo in Hancock, we visited Naumkeag – another Gilded Age mansion known for its gardens and its Berkshire “cottage”. Most people don’t think of a cottage as having 44 rooms on 48 acres, but its cedar-shake exterior does give it a more rustic New England charm. All decked out for Halloween with pumpkins in great displays all over the property, it definitely got me in the mood for a pumpkin spice latte!

    Waterfalls, History, and Art
    As departure-day approaches, this post is filled with random stops to finish off our extensive list of things we wanted to see during our stay. A curvy mountain drive took us to the highest point in Massachusetts where a veterans’ war monument and a lodge built by the CCC sit on its summit. A visit to Susan B. Anthony’s birthplace was chock-full of history and an old mill provided the perfect display space for area artists.

    Wow-Worthy Waterfalls
    Jamestown, NY     (1 nights). A sixteen-hour drive home loomed over the end of our trip. A couple more stops could make the journey slightly less painful, so we found a route that would take us past two AMAZING New York waterfalls with an overnight in Jamestown, NY before our last long day of driving. What an absolutely fabulous ending to an absolutely fabulous fall trip to New England!

    Another great road trip is officially in the books!

    Up Next: Seeking the Sun 2023

    Happy trails,
    Barb

  • Waterfalls, History, and Art

    Waterfalls, History, and Art

    As departure-day approaches, this post will finish off our extensive list of things to see during our stay. With more covered bridges, waterfalls, breweries, and a few closures to visit – along with a couple of revisits, I’m sure we’ll be back to the Bay State in the very near future.

    Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
    To start at the beginning of this series, visit Bay State Getaway 2022.

    Waterfalls

    Wahconah Falls

    Wahconah Falls State Park is located in Dalton, MA. Its half-mile loop is graded, which made for a quick and easy hike. “Wahconah Falls Brook flows over several smaller falls before ending in the 40-foot Wahconah Falls. The cascade is scenic any time of year, but is especially impressive during the spring runoff. Visitors can also relax, picnic, or fish in the shade of the northern hardwood forest.” ~ READ MORE

    Falls on Peck’s Brook

    Not far away in Adams, MA, Peck’s Brook feeds several waterfalls as it makes its way down the eastern slope of Mount Greylock. The falls we saw today were the Upper Falls – also called “Falls on Peck’s Brook.” The short loop was awesome and even though the falls may be less voluminous today than during spring thaw or after a nice rainfall, I think they were quite impressive. Of course the fall colors helped!

    Another significant falls also referred to as Peck’s Falls, is the 50-foot Lower Falls, “a set of horsetails and cascades that fall mostly through a slender chasm.” ~ READ MORE on the website. I wish I would have known about the second Peck’s while we were still in Massachusetts because I would have pictures of it today.

    I thought the round rock (first photo) was pretty adorable with the moss and leaves growing around its little bald head. Once I went a little further downstream (second photo), I realized it was not round at all!

    History

    Mount Greylock

    Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,491 feet, giving bird’s eye views the higher you go. On a clear day you can see as far as ninety miles from its summit. Mount Greylock was acquired in 1898 – making it Massachusetts’ first wilderness state park. Today was cloudy, cold and windy, and it was trying to rain. Although the conditions were not ideal, it was still a very easy, curvy, and beautiful drive.

    If hiking is your thing, trails range from casual to extremely difficult. Download a trail map here, or some suggested day hikes here.

    Greylock Veterans’ War Monument

    This tower was very impressive! With 95 stairs and limited visibility today, we decided to come back another day to climb to the top. Unfortunately we ran out of days and it didn’t happen. I’m making a very strong case to come back for another visit, aren’t I?

    “On the streets of North Adams and Adams, you may look up to the summit of Mt. Greylock and wonder why there is a lighthouse on the top. Residents of the surrounding towns asked that same question in the 1930s when Mt. Greylock War Monument was first built.

    The monument was initially completed in 1932 and dedicated the following summer. During the dedication, people recall an eerie fog rolling through, which created beads of condensation that resembled bleeding as if symbolically honoring the men and women who had given their lives in war. That night, the beacon was turned on for the first time and the light still casts a ray today, perhaps the only original aspect of the monument.” ~ READ MORE

    Built in 1932, harsh weather conditions have continued to wreak havoc on the tower – and its replacements – since the beginning. After several rebuilds, an extensive interior redesign, and a new name – Greylock Veterans’ War Monument is just beautiful!

    “Through the Greylock Veterans’ War Monument’s many trials and tribulations, it eerily represents war perfectly starting with the “bleeding” on the day of its first dedication. The ups and downs of its structure represent the difficulties of the effects of war on veterans. As one newspaper stated, the fact that this much effort and funding has gone into building the monument just so the monument could one day crumble and fall is ‘a further testament to the futility of war’.’”

    Bascom Lodge

    At the summit of Mount Greylock is the gorgeous Bascom Lodge. I wish we could have gotten a look inside, but it was closed the day we were there, and is now closed for the season. Check the website if you want to see its interior.

    “Bascom Lodge is a rustic Arts and Crafts mountain lodge built by volunteers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) at the height of the Great Depression. Built on the summit of the state’s highest mountain, the lodge was named in honor of the reservation’s first commissioner, John Bascom; an ardent proponent for the construction of a lodge befitting the grandeur of the mountain.

    Designed in an architectural style that would later become an inspiration for many of America’s National Park buildings, the lodge is constructed from local stone, quarried from the mountain, and old growth red spruce timbers, harvested from the slopes of “the hopper*.” The lodge, as we see it today, opened its doors in 1937. The centerpiece of a 12,500 acre wilderness park, the lodge celebrated its 85th season of operation in 2022.

    Originally built to provide hearty souls in search of adventure and spiritual renewal with a place to rest and take shelter from the elements, today the lodge serves a much more complex and diverse array of patrons whose needs and expectations go beyond mere room and board. Whether they are hikers or cyclists out for the day, lodgers attending a music concert or summer stock theater, school children on a field trip, or “holiday makers” visiting the Berkshires for the first time, Bascom provides a casual setting to refresh the spirit and nourish the body.” ~ READ MORE

    *On the west and northwest of the Greylock Summit, the mountains decline abruptly from four sides to converge at the bottom of a great ravine. It was given the name “the Hopper” because of its resemblance to the primitive machinery for reducing grain to meal and flour. See the “North View” from the park’s Summit View plaques below to locate the Hopper.

    Summit Views from the Monument

    A great overview of the gorgeous mountains and valley below the Veterans’ War Monument was available on plaques placed at each of the four compass points. What an amazing place!

    Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum

    Although sometimes a little robotic, our tour guide was an awesome young man. He had his whole presentation memorized and, as you can see, that’s a lot to remember! Occasionally he lost his spot, but he quickly recovered. He was a wealth of information about Susan B. Anthony – who played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement, along with several other important issues at that time. There is a short synopsis of a few on the cards below.

    “Whether possessed of the characteristics of the oak. the vine or the flower, all truly developed human beings love liberty and demand for themselves and their fellows the possession of equality of rights, privileges and immunities irrespective of sex or any mere accident of birth!” ~ Susan B. Anthony, Rochester, New York, July 11, 1900 (from an autographed book behind glass in the museum, see below)

    Susan Brownell Anthony was born in this house in Adams, MA on February 15, 1820 the second of seven children. After moving to New York in 1826, the Great Depression caused many hardships for her family – as it did for most families. In 1845 they moved to Rochester, NY where their farm became a meeting-place for anti-slavery activists, including Frederick Douglass.

    In 1851, Susan attended an anti-slavery convention, where she met other activists. A year later she attended a state convention of the Sons of Temperance and was told (because she was a woman) to “listen and learn.” Her Quaker upbringing told her that was not going to happen, so that same year she attended her first women’s rights convention. And so the fire inside her began to burn! Visit the Official Susan B. Anthony Museum and House website. It is packed with information about this brave and very stubborn (thank goodness!) woman!

    “Woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself.” ~ Speech in San Francisco in July 1871. READ MORE

    Hurricane Damage

    We drove through Williamstown, MA several times en route to somewhere else. We saw the lion statues standing proudly at the entrance to something, but it didn’t look like anything was back there. Google came to the rescue once again, and we got the whole story on Spruces Park. Then, of course, we had to visit.

    “We all like to think that our communities will be around forever, but that’s not always the case. Neighborhoods come and go, and this abandoned community in western Massachusetts has been turned into a gorgeous park for all to enjoy. Spruces Park (also known as The Spruces) was once a bustling mobile home community. It had homes, yards, and families. That is, until Tropical Storm Irene wiped it all away.” ~ READ MORE

    Hurricane Irene created a lot of devastation in 2011, and is a common theme in our Bay State Getaway. If you don’t believe me, check out Bridges, Blooms, and Beyond for great YouTube videos of the flooding in Shelburne Falls during and after the storm.

    At the Spruces, 226 mobile homes were wiped out, leaving only the abandoned grid of a small community and some beautiful trees that the former residents planted. The good news is that dogs and kids (with their parents, of course!) can enjoy the two-mile perimeter trail, the interior mowed paths, and the great views of the mountains. We had a delightful walk on a beautiful day.

    Beautiful College Town

    The photos below were taken in Williamstown, MA. From our centrally located parking spot near Amy’s Cottage (window shopping), we explored a bit and ended with a fantastic lunch at The Blue Mango. Our plates of Thai food were as beautiful as the restaurant itself, and we would definitely go back!!

    After lunch we visited the Williams College Museum of Art. Although a gorgeous venue, the art may have been a little over the top for us old fogies, so we didn’t stay long. The area near the Williams College campus was gorgeous with lots of historic buildings and churches. We were always going to wander around and get a closer look, but never did. The Purple Pub looked like it might have been fun, but was closed on the one day we were through that town again. Luckily the Freight Yard Pub was so close and delicious, that we did a revisit!

    Art

    MASS MoCA, North Adams

    When finalizing our itinerary well before we left home, we found a music festival that was scheduled at an outdoor venue at MASS MoCA for the weekend we arrived. The cost of the event was pretty hefty, but it sounded like fun. When we discovered the Country Fair at Hancock Shaker Village on the same weekend – which also included live music and craft beers – for much cheaper with a shorter commute, we chose that instead.

    Although the craft beer and our food truck lunch was very tasty, and the Shaker Village was awesome, the music portion was a bust. I still had it on our list to visit MASS MoCa, and I’m sure glad we did – even though its music festival was long gone.

    “The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) is one of the world’s liveliest centers for making and enjoying today’s most evocative art. With vast galleries and a stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, MASS MoCA is able to embrace all forms of art: music, sculpture, dance, film, painting, photography, theater, and new, boundary-crossing works of art that defy easy classification. Much of the work we show in our light-filled spaces, on our technically sophisticated stages, and within our lovely network of late 19th-century courtyards is made here during extended fabrication and rehearsal residencies that bring hundreds of the world’s most brilliant and innovative artists to North Adams all year round.” ~ READ MORE

    I Couldn’t Stop Smiling

    Arnold Print Works built this complex in 1860 and became North Adams’ largest mill. With an increased need for cotton to make uniforms during the Civil War, the company thrived. They had a very good run, but after many years of upturns and downturns, in 1942 the entire complex was sold to Sprague Electric. In 1999 MASS MoCA opened with 19 galleries and 100,000 sq ft of exhibition space and it has expanded since.

    A few of the exhibits were a bit strange, but with our tour guide’s help the exhibits made more sense. She explained how the artists interpreted their assignment, and asked us what we thought about certain things as they applied to the project. That extra help increased our level of understanding and we started to enjoy the art even more, but I still couldn’t get over the industrial elements of the old printing/electric company!

    “MASS MoCA exhibits art by both well-known and emerging artists, focusing on large-scale, immersive installations that would be impossible to realize in conventional museums. The broad-shouldered, raw industrial character of our soaring galleries (with 250,000 square feet of open and often naturally lit space) has proven both inspiring and liberating to artists.” ~ READ MORE

    Madison Brewing Redo

    Since we were only about twenty minutes to a brewery we visited more than once in Bennington, VT – Madison Brewing Company, we decided on a redo. We had a beer (or two) and great wings, and chatted with several locals for a bit. We made it home by 5:30 and started preparing for takeoff in the morning.

    This was a wonderful trip, and we saw lots of new and interesting things in this neck of the woods. As is our M.O., we’re taking the scenic route to our overnight in Jamestown, NY, and you don’t want to miss that!

    Next up: WOW-Worthy Waterfalls!

    Happy trails,
    Barb

  • Another Day, Another Mansion

    Another Day, Another Mansion

    Now that Santa is back up north and the ball has dropped, we’ll go back in time to October and continue our Bay State Getaway. Naumkeag – another gorgeous Gilded Age mansion – was all decked out for Halloween. It definitely got me in the mood for a pumpkin spice latte!

    Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
    To start at the beginning of this series, visit Bay State Getaway 2022.

    Pumpkins at the Cottage

    A quick thirty-minute drive and we were in Stockbridge, MA for the “Incredible Pumpkin Show” at Naumkeag. Although only a few rooms of the mansion were open for viewing, the outside displays kept us busy with plenty of pumpkins nestled along the trails and amongst the landscaping. The flowers were nearly past their prime, but beautiful garden elements and several kinetic sculptures by George Rickey had me oohing and ahhing throughout the visit.

    Rickey’s geometric sculptures are made of stainless steel, polished metal, and painted surfaces, and they move gracefully in the breezes along the hillside of Naumkeag. This exhibit is entitled ViewEscapes.

    This estate is known for its fabulous gardens and its Berkshire “cottage”. Most people don’t think of a cottage as having 44 rooms on 48 acres, but its cedar-shake exterior does give it a more rustic New England charm. Overlooking Monument Mountain and the Housatonic River Valley, I could gaze at these views all day long.

    “Naumkeag was a creation of the Gilded Age, a time of transformation after the Civil War, a time when Andrew Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt built their fortunes. The newly rich cemented their social position by constructing elaborate European-style country estates. The Choates were part of this social mix, but Naumkeag was a bit different – instead of a showplace open six weeks a season, it became a beloved family home used from April to November.

    Naumkeag was the Native American name for Salem, MA, where Joseph Choate was born. Choate graduated from Harvard Law School and moved to New York City where he quickly rose to prominence. During his illustrious legal career, Choate was the premier courtroom lawyer, arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court. In 1899, Choate was appointed by President McKinley to be the Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Caroline Choate was a trained artist interested in women’s education, co-founding Barnard College.

    The first photo above shows the Blue Steps of Naumkeag. This double stairway with its curved white railing is flanked by gorgeous birches and really stands out against the dark green yews behind it. Its purpose is to allow an easy transition between the house and the flower cutting garden via a very steep slope. If you zoom in on the photo, you can see all the courses heading up.

    I couldn’t figure out why they were called Blue Steps, till I read that each of the arched “grottos” (now filled with pumpkin arrangements) are painted blue. For a beautiful photo where the trees have leaves, the flowers are in bloom and the grottos are vibrant blue, visit Naumkeag’s website and click on Naumkeag’s History in the green box a ways down.

    Joseph and Caroline’s daughter, Mabel Choate, inherited Naumkeag in 1929, and for the next 30 years worked with landscape architect Fletcher Steele to create the magnificent gardens for which Naumkeag is now known, including the world-famous Blue Steps… Mabel Choate bequeathed Naumkeag in its entirety, including all of the household furnishings and fine art, to The Trustees of Reservations. Since the property’s opening in 1959, it has become a popular destination for area residents and visitors to the southern Berkshires.” ~ READ MORE

    Haunted House

    Most of our tour was outside and the pumpkins were fantastic. It took us a while to realize that a good percentage of them were plastic, but there were some carved ones in the mix. The cauldron just above had smoke spewing from it later on, but unfortunately I didn’t get a picture. The main level of the mansion was open and decorated with some scary elements in keeping with the holiday. I’d love a return visit to be able to see a little better and peruse the upstairs.

    Side View

    After the inside portion of our tour, we were directed to visit the Chinese Garden, but we snuck a peek at the back and another side of the house on our way. We walked up a narrow path lined with pink crocuses (I think) and up to a brick and dark stone wall, which was one of my favorite elements of the entire tour. We could enter the Garden thru a circular walkway – called the Moon Gate – that passed through the brick portion of the wall.

    The Chinese Garden

    The photos below were taken from inside the Garden looking back toward the house, with more pumpkins, another cauldron and another outbuilding. Up a few steps and we were treated to a laser light show with pumpkins as the main event.

    What a Great Visit!

    Beautiful garden elements and great views of the mountains and the mansion followed us to our car. Just before the last descent, a tent provided yet another surprise which began beyond the dark curtain in the last photo. There were a few folks with kids behind us and we could hear kiddos having a great time inside, so we skipped that one and headed back to the car.

    A Smooth Finish

    Since our breakfast wore off a while back, we thought it fitting to finish off this great afternoon with an early dinner at Patrick’s Pub in Pittsfield. Fridays in Wisconsin are synonymous with fish fries and beer, so when their Friday special was Fish & Chips, we paired that with a Guinness! We squeezed in just as Happy Hour began, but before the crowds. And thank goodness too, since it was soon packed! Sometimes it pays to be old and eat early!

    Next up: Waterfalls, History, and Art

    Happy trails,
    Barb