New England Q&A Archive

Question 2 - May 27, 1999

Hi! My grandmother and I would like to take a short vacation in New England. Her last wish is to learn how to paint in oils. I am a painter and art instructor and thought we could spend some time together learning how to paint in a beautiful landscape. I thought the Berkshires would be nice. Do you have any suggestions on where to go that is easily accessible? She will be flying in from Ft. Lauderdale and I am currently living in Boston. Maybe a bed and breakfast would be nice. The Berkshires also has Tanglewood and Jacob's Pillow--we would like to include some additional activities in our trip. We were thinking of going in August or September for 5-10 days. How would I find out about an all inclusive, affordable package deal?

I really hope you can help. This is her last wish- to learn how to paint, and I would love to share this experience with her.

Thanks again-
Bonnie D.

Answer from Kim Knox,
About.com Guide to New England for Visitors:

Dear Bonnie,

My apologies for not getting back to you sooner... I have been giving some thought to your question about where you might take your grandmother to teach her oil painting. Your selection of a destination really depends on what sort of landscape the two of you would find most inspiring... oceanscapes, rolling hills, river scenes, mountains.

Some of the first locations that popped into my mind were the Hudson Valley, which was inspiration to the famed Hudson River School of Artists and still has quite an allure because of the combination of river and moutain views. There was also a somewhat lesser known White Mountains School of Painters in New Hampshire. Both of those would be a bit longer trip for you from Boston, though. A bit closer to home, you might think of Newport, Rhode Island. There are always artists painting and sketching along the Cliff Walk which runs behind the famous mansions, and there you'd be able to paint not only oceanscapes but the historic mansions themselves and the formal gardens and arboretums that are part of the landscapes of these fabulous homes. Also, Rockport, which would be very close for you, was famous as an artist's colony and offers ocean vistas and many artsy shops and galleries that the two of you could explore. You might also consider a destination where you'd find a lighthouse or two to paint (Narragansett perhaps)--that would be a truly New England scene.

The Berkshires are also lovely. When I think of painting and that area of New England, Norman Rockwell of course comes to mind. There, you could sit on the porch of the Red Lion Inn as Rockwell did and capture scenes of the hustle and bustle and the "characters" and "structures" of small village life. You could also visit the Rockewell Museum, and though I've never been there,
Chesterwood is supposed to be lovely as well. It's the former home of sculptor Daniel Chester French, and there is a sculpture garden there that the two of you might also find to be a nice place to set up your canvasses for the afternoon.

You might decide to drive along the Mohawk Trail from Boston, headed toward the Berkshires, and stop at some famous natural spots along the way. There are more than 100 attractions along this 63-mile stretch of highway that ends at the Massachusetts-New York border. The Mohawk Trail is also lined with country inns and quaint shops. Not-to-be-missed stops along the Trail include the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls; New England Natural Bridge in North Adams; historic Old Deerfield; the Williams College planetarium, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art
Institute and the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown and Old Greenfield Village in Greenfield.

If you definitely decide on the Berkshires, you can stay right at the Red Lion Inn (tel. (413) 298-5545), which was originally a 1773 stagecoach stop rebuilt in 1897 after a devastating fire. The Red Lion Inn was immortalized in Norman Rockwell’s painting, Main Street, Stockbridge. Or try Blantyre (tel. (413) 637-3556) in Lenox, a Tudor-style mansion modeled after a Scottish ancestral home of the builder’s wife, which features hand-carved four-poster beds, leaded glass windows and fine dining.

If you're lookng for a B&B, the Berkshire Bed and Breakfast Homes (tel. (413) 268-7244) reservation service has 90 listings and should be able to help you find the perfect spot.

If you'll be traveling in the second half of September, you'll need to make reservations early, as many of the Berkshires inns fill up way in advance during foliage season. August is also a busy time because of the summer arts season. Early September may be the least crowded time.

New England is not an area that's particularly known for all-inclusive package deals, and the only place that comes to mind off the top of my head that offers something like that in the Berkshires is Canyon Ranch, a spa, which is very expensive and really a destination in itself, not a home base from which you'd go exploring and painting. Newport, the Hudson Valley, and Rockport would be more likely to have resorts where you might find more meals, etc., included.

Bonnie, I hope that this is helpful. If you make a definite decision about your destination and when you are going and you have other questions, please don't hesitate to write again.

All best wishes as you plan what I'm sure will be a fabulous trip with your grandmother,
Kim Knox
About.com Guide to New England for Visitors
http://gonewengland.about.com

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