Great Barrington is located in the state of Massachusetts and has a lot of culture to offer as well as great sights and interesting destinations. So if you’re planning a trip to Great Barrington, you’ve come to the right place!
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Vacation in Great Barrington
If you love the outdoors, then Great Barrington is the perfect vacation destination for you! This picturesque city in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts is filled with hiking trails, ski slopes, and scenic drives.
There are several state parks and forests in the area, such as Bash Bish Falls State Park, Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and October Mountain State Forest. You can also hike up Monument Mountain or explore one of the many caves in the region.
In the winter, Great Barrington is a popular ski destination, with several resorts nearby, such as Jiminy Peak and Ski Butternut. There are also crosscountry skiing trails and ice skating rinks in the city.
spring and summer, you can enjoy activities such as rafting and kayaking on the Housatonic River, or take a scenic drive through the Berkshires. There are also several golf courses in the area.
No matter what time of year you visit, Great Barrington is sure to have something for everyone!
Sights in Great Barrington
The town of Great Barrington is located in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It is home to a variety of businesses and cultural attractions. The downtown area includes several historic buildings, such as the old Post Office and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. There are also several restaurants, cafes, and shops. The town is home to a number of different events throughout the year, including the Great Barrington Farmer’s Market and the Berkshire County Fair. Great Barrington is a great place to visit for a day or a weekend. There are a variety of things to see and do in the area.
History of Great Barrington
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, in the southwestern corner of Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census.
Great Barrington includes the villages of Van Deusenville and Housatonic. It is home to Simon’s Rock College and Berkshire School, a private boarding school.
The town was first settled by European Americans in 1726, as part of Housatonic Township, when Nathaniel, John and Thomas Ashley arrived from Westfield, Massachusetts. Ashley’s Mill, the first gristmill, was established in 1738.[4] Due to the town’s early growth, it incorporated as a borough on May 18, 1761, and later as a town on February 28, 1765. Landuse disputes with Native Americans caused several settlers to move to Bradford, now in Vermont. They petitioned Governor Benning Wentworth on August 8, 1761 to establish the town, which he granted on December 16.
The town was named after Colonel James Barrington, an English landowner who leased the town to settlers. Colonel Barrington was born in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England and died at Wrington, Somerset. His son, Digby Barrington, also born in Wiveliscombe, was a captain in the Royal Navy.
Great Barrington is nicknamed “America’s First Resort” because it was home to the country’s first normal school, which later became the Rudd Normal School, and the first medical college for women, Mary Lyon’s Female Seminary. Mary Lyon later provided financial assistance to build the first high school in the town, which opened in 1834.
In 1860, the town’s prominent citizens, including Horace Bushnell, Lyman Beecher, Benjamin Fay Mills, Walter Harvey Weed, and Henry Ward Beecher, founded the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Sheffield is one of the country’s leading scientific institutions, known particularly for its physics, astronomy, metallurgy, and chemistry programs.
Reflecting its resort heritage, the town has long had a lively arts scene. The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, a 500seat theater built in 1905, hosts performances by nationally known musicians and touring theater companies. The Beacon Cinema, a restored Art Deco movie palace built in 1926, shows firstrun movies and cult classics. Thebash BASH (Barrington Area Stage Company) presents plays at the Garmany Theater on Main Street.
The town has many other cultural attractions. The Triplex Cinema is an independent movie theater that features art house films. The Mahaiwe Literary Festival, held each fall, brings wellknown authors to the town for readings and discussions. The Colonial Theatre, another performance venue, is home to the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra and the Berkshire Theatre Festival. The Mahaiwe Art Gallery, located in the former public library on Main Street, displays rotating exhibitions of work by local and regional artists.
The town is home to several museums. The Berkshire Museum, located on South Street, houses a natural history museum, a museum of science and technology, and a planetarium. The Clark Art Institute, located just outside the town on Route 22, is one of the country’s leading art museums, with a collection that includes masterpieces by Rembrandt, Monet, and Cézanne, as well as a renowned research library. The Egremont Village Museum, located in the former Egremont Grammar School on Main Street, is a local history museum with exhibitions on the town’s agriculture, industry, and architecture.
The town has a number of architecturally significant buildings. The Bartholomew Bradbury House, built in 1760, is the oldest house in the town. The Brick Blocks, a group of five commercial buildings on Main Street, were built in the 1870s and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Mahaiwe Hotel, built in 1902, is a landmark hotel that overlooks the town’s central park.
Great Barrington is governed by a town meeting, with a town manager serving as the chief executive officer. The town has a police department, a fire department, and a public works department. The town is served by a public library, the Mason Library, which is a member of the C/W MARS library network.
The town is located in the Berkshires, a region of western Massachusetts that is known for its rural beauty and cultural attractions. The Berkshires is home to many noted museums and performance venues, including the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Tanglewood, and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
Great Barrington is located in southwestern Massachusetts, in the Berkshires region. The town is situated
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