Pittsfield, MA Road Trips

Note that if you have a library card from one of the libraries in the C/W MARS network, or know someone who is willing to use theirs for you, you can get free or reduced cost passes [1] to several of the museums and historical homes/sites listed here. 1 Albany Berkshire Ballet, 51 North Street, ☏ +1 413 445-5382. Professional ballet company, performs classical and contemporary dance. Artscape, a self-guided tour of artwork in downtown Pittsfield. 2 Arrowhead, Home of Herman Melville, 780 Holmes Road, ☏ +1 413 442-1793. Melville's home from 1850 to 1862, where Moby Dick and other works were written. House tours, gardens, nature trail, exhibits, museum shop. 3 Berkshire Artisans, 28 Renne Avenue, ☏ +1 413 499-9348. Municipal arts center. 4 Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue (some parking available on Wendell Ave, main parking lot is at the lower level on Bartlett Ave), ☏ +1 413 499-9486. History and genealogy. Free or reduced passes to many attractions are available if you have a library card. Berkshire Lyric Theatre, ☏ +1 413 499-0258. Chorus performs at various locations. 5 Berkshire Museum, 39 South St (Route 7 Downtown.), ☏ +1 413 443-7171. The region's only museum of art, science and history. Barrington Stage, 36 Linden Street, ☏ +1 413-236-8888. A 1912 vintage theatre presenting local and national productions from music to drama. 6 Berkshire Opera Company, 297 North Street, ☏ +1 413 442-9955. Performs at Koussevitzky Arts Center, Berkshire Community College 7 Colonial Theatre, 111 South Street, ☏ +1 413-997-4444.

Berkshire Community Rowing, 500 Lakeway Dr, ☏ +1 413-442-7769, [email protected]. Brubank Park, Onota Lake. Instruction and rentals are available appointment only. 1 Bousquet Ski Area/Play Bousquet, 101 Dan Fox Drive, ☏ +1 413 442-8316. 21 trails, 98% snowmaking. Day and night family oriented ski school. Rental skis and snowboards. In the summer water slides and other activities are available at Play Bousquet. 2 Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary (Mass Audobon Society), Holmes Rd., ☏ +1 413 637-0320, [email protected]. Trails, observation building, guided activities. Managed by Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary 3 Onota Boat Livery, 463 Pecks Road, ☏ +1 413 442-1724. Hourly, half-day, and full-day boat rentals on Onota Lake, including row boats, canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, fishing boats and pontoon boats. Fully stocked tackle and live bait shop, including MA fishing licenses and an awesome selection of ice-fishing gear. Open daily, year-round. Visit our website for current rental rates and directions! 4 U-Drive Rent-A-Boat, 1651 North Street (on Rt. 7, on the Lanesborough-Pittsfield border, right next to the Donut Man), ☏ +1 402 281-4196. Rentals for pontoon boats, canoes and kayaks. Up to 14 people can enjoy a pontoon boat. first come - first serve Herberg Middle School, 501 Pomeroy Avenue. Lakewood Park, Newell Street. Pittsfield High School, 300 East Street. Ponterril Tennis Courts, East Acres Road. Taconic High School, 96 Valentine Road. 5 General Electric Athletic Club, 303 Crane Ave, ☏ +1 413 443-5746.

1 Kelly's Diner, 860 Dalton Ave, ☏ +1 413 442-1875. Breakfast, lunch, best sausage in town. 2 101 Restaurant & Bar, One West Street (inside the Holiday Inn Express), ☏ +1 413-553-2251. southern cooking and drinks 3 Patrick's Pub, 26 Bank Row (in downtown Pittsfield, on the junction of South and East St at the park circle), ☏ +1 413 499-1994. Su-Th 4:30-10:30pm; F Sa 4:30-11:30PM. Bar and grill, generally well reviewed. May be busy with slow service at times, but good food. 4 Teddy’s Pizza & Family Restaurant, 508 East Street, ☏ +1 413 443-9030. Family-owned and run pizza house & bar. 5 Dottie's Coffee Lounge, 444 North St, ☏ +1 413 443-1792. 6 BB's Hotspot at The Lantern (Lantern Bar and Grill), 455 North Street, ☏ +1 413-464-9030, [email protected]. Bar and burgers $11-30. (updated Apr 2016) 7 Wheeler's Market, 1654 North Street (On Rt. 7, at the Lanesborough-Pittsfield border.), ☏ +1 413-464-8342. M-F 6:30AM-9PM, Sa 8AM-9PM, Su 8AM-8PM. Deli and convenience store, includes beer and wine. Across from Pontoosuc Lake. (updated Apr 2016) 8 99 Restaurant and Pub, 699 Merrill Road, ☏ +1 413-236-0980. M-Th 11AM-10:30PM (bar closes at 11PM), F Sa 11AM-11PM (bar closes 11:30PM), Su 11AM-10PM. Family-friendly bar & grill (updated Apr 2016) 9 The Roasted Garlic, 483 West Housatonic St (On W Housatonic St.), ☏ +1 413 499-9910, [email protected]. M-Th 11:30AM-9PM, F Sa 11:30AM-10PM, Su noon-8PM. Wood-fired pizza, bar & grill. Highly reviewed, pleasant atmosphere. $11-30. (updated Jul 2016) 10 Flo's Diner, 1245 W Housatonic St (On Rt.

1 Methusela Bar and Lounge, 391 North St, ☏ +1 413-344 - 4991, [email protected]. M-Sa 5PM-1AM; closed Sunday. Wine bar with a rustic/chic theme $11-30. (updated Apr 2016) 2 Tavern at the A, 303 Crane Ave, ☏ +1 413-448-9009, [email protected]. Tu-Th 11:30AM-8PM, F Sa 11:30AM-1AM. Full pub menu and bar. Catering and special event bookings are available. Weekends come alive with musical entertainment. The grounds feature an 18-hole golf course. (updated Sep 2016)

1 Heart of the Berkshires Motel, 970 W Housatonic St (On Rt. 20), toll-free: +1 888-950-5062. Located along Rt. 20. No-frills motel; free wi-fi. Reviews are mixed. $70 and up. (updated Apr 2016) 2 Crowne Plaza Hotel, One West Street (Route 7 & West St. 1 West Street.), ☏ +1 413 499-2000, toll-free: +1-800-2CROWNE (276963), [email protected]. One of the tallest buildings in Pittsfield 3 Best Western - Berkshire Hills Inn & Suites, 1350 West Housatonic Street. 4 Pittsfield State Forest, 1041 Cascade Street, ☏ +1 413 442-8992. Mid-May to Mid-Oct. 31 campsites. 5 Bonnie Brae Cabins & Campsites, 108 Broadway Street, ☏ +1 413 442-3754, [email protected]. 48 sites.

Albany International Airport (ALB IATA), Albany, New York. (About 45 mi (72 km) away) Bradley International Airport (BDL IATA), Windsor Locks, Connecticut. (About 75 mi (121 km) away) Pittsfield is on Routes 20 and 7, accessible via Interstate 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) Exit 2. 1 Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center. Train station and hub for local buses. (updated Oct 2023) Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Route stopping at Pittsfield: Lake Shore Limited operating daily between Chicago and Boston or New York City. It makes stops at most stations along the route, though it does not stop at some of the smallest stations. Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer). The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City. Stops between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer) include South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and Boston include Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham. Pittsfield is served by several intercity bus lines offering regular service to Boston, New York, Albany, Hartford and points in between.

The Pittsfield Visitors Center, 111 South Street (Route 7) in the lobby of the newly renovated Colonial Theatre downtown, +1 413 443-9186, x232 or x324. The Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center, 1 Columbus Avenue, the hub for the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority. The BRTA offers service stretching from North Adams above Pittsfield, down to Great Barrington below it. Service runs roughly from 6AM to 7PM, with trips usually running once an hour, though it can vary by route. There is no service on Sundays. Fares are $1.25 per city traveled, with half-fare for seniors, and discounted to $1.05 if you buy a 20-fare passcard. The buses are generally clean and quiet, and only heavily occupied during rush hour times. Rainbow Taxi can be reached at +1 413 499-4300. Arrow Taxi can be reached at +1 413 499-8604 You will need to call a taxi in order to be picked up, instead of flagging one. Be warned that during inclement weather or rush hour the wait for a taxi to arrive can easily be a half-hour or longer. Walking is also an option, as the city is fairly small and safe. Many parts of the city are reachable with an hour or less of walking, especially if you're staying at the Crowne Plaza.

Pittsfield is for the most part a sleepy city with a low crime rate, and usually safe to walk through even after dark, but you may want to exercise some caution while on the side of the city west of North Street late at night, or when in the neighborhoods along and off of Linden, Lincoln, and Tyler St. and Dewey and Madison Av. Also of concern is the PCB contamination caused by General Electric's toxic waste dumping during the middle decades of the 1900s. While much of it has since been cleaned up, there are still a few areas that are not safe for human activity. One main one is the Housatonic River, which is still dirty and contaminated; do not fish, swim, wade, etc. in the river waters or any ponds or flood plains that spring from it. The other main one is Silver Lake. While it looks cleaner and is worth driving past because the area is scenic and has many geese and ducks, it too is not safe for swimming, wading, picnicking, etc. There are a few other areas still contaminated as well, mainly around the river; basically, if you see a sign saying the area is contaminated or has PCBs, heed it. Onota and Pontoosuc offer plenty of safe water to frolic in, and there's no shortage of pretty places to walk in Pittsfield, so you won't be missing much.