West Stockbridge’s vibrant art scene and close-knit community
Straddling the border between Massachusetts and New York, Western Stockbridge is Stockbridge's quieter, more rural counterpart in the Southern Berkshires. "I always say Stockbridge is near and dear to my heart, but I absolutely love living in West Stockbridge," says Lori Rose, a West Stockbridge resident and broker and partner at Stone House Properties, who has been in the industry for over 20 years. "Most people visit Stockbridge as a vacation destination but then find themselves exploring West Stockbridge. We have more artists and artisans with small galleries along Main Street, a more close-knit, year-round community. There's just a different vibe."
Approximately 1,350 year-round residents occupy 67% of the town's permanent residences, compared to Stockbridge's 56% of permanent residences. "You still have a number of second homes in the countryside, but most residences near the village center are year-round," Rose says. Just off Interstate 90, historic storefronts with colorful paneling line a small Main Street. The Williams River flows through town, passing by small wooden bridges dotted with flower boxes and surrounding landscapes of towering mountain ranges. Although West Stockbridge's landscape leans towards the rural side, the community boasts a handful of local businesses and essential establishments. "You have everything you need: a bank, a hardware store, a performing arts venue, a public market and a library," Rose says. These local offerings provide residents a rural, country setting with small-town charm complete with all the essentials.
West Stockbridge’s charming Main Street and nearby amenities
A small Main Street gives way to a village center that hugs both sides of the Williams River. Local establishments range from small markets and bookstores to cozy cafes and art galleries housed in historic storefronts. No. Six Depot—a cafe, coffee roastery, art gallery and event space housed in a former train station—is a community favorite. Global cuisine shines at Truc Orient Express, while Shaker Mill Books invites patrons to browse through rare and secondhand titles. Charles H. Baldwin & Sons, established in 1888, is known for its handcrafted vanilla extracts and spices. These local businesses are interspersed with performance venues and small art museums.
Public Market is a small grocer for last-minute necessities, while Loeb's Foodtown in Lenox is about 5 miles east. "A lot of us also like to go to Guido's Fresh Marketplace," Rose says. "It's our version of Whole Foods." Guido's is located just south of Pittsfield, which features additional chain grocers and larger box stores. The nearby towns of Great Barrington and Lee offer additional shopping options. "Where you go to shop depends on where you are in town," Rose says.
Eclectic art and performance venues around town
TurnPark Art Space, a 16-acre sculpture park and exhibition venue set on a former quarry, sits blocks from Main Street. The park features contemporary sculptures, modern architecture and a stone amphitheater that hosts outdoor performances. For live entertainment, The Foundry offers a 95-seat black box theater and a riverside pea-stone patio bar.
Residents are also just a short drive from all that Stockbridge has to offer, including live music at Tanglewood, a world-renowned venue, nestled on a 500-acre wooded site and summer home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. "There's the smaller, gorgeous Ozawa Hall. Then there's the Koussevitzky Music Shed, which offers indoor and lawn seating for picnickers," Rose says. Smaller buildings include a performing arts theater and a learning center. Additional venues, historic estates-turned-museums and art galleries are scattered throughout the Berkshires, including the Norman Rockwell Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of Rockwell-related art and documents, as well as the famous artist’s studio.
Town parks, state forests, streams and lakes
The Berkshires offer ample year-round recreation both in and out of town. West Stockbridge Town Park, located next to the public library, features tennis courts, a playground, ball fields and a skate park. Across the street, URJ Crane Lake Camp is a sleepaway summer camp that draws Jewish campers for summer sessions and whole families for specialty family sessions. Farther south, a playground, beach area and roped-off swimming area hug the banks of Card Pond. Sunbathers and swimmers can also head about 6 miles east to Stockbridge Town Beach. This lakefront park also attracts kayakers and boaters in the summer.
Local nature trails like Stevens Glen weave through towering pine and hemlock forests, leading hikers past flowing streams, small waterfalls and swimming holes hidden deep within the woods. Up the road, Olivia's Overlook is a popular pull-off spot for scenic mountain views and a trailhead for two separate paths. The nearly 700-acre Maple Hill Wildlife Management Area makes up a large swath of the town's southern landscape. Two parking areas offer access to this wooded area, offering rugged, unmarked trails for experienced hikers, hunters and wildlife viewers.
Nearby state forests feature thousands of acres for year-round recreation such as hiking, hunting and camping. And when cold winters bring blankets of snowfall that average around 74 inches annually, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing take center stage. The nearby October Mountain State Forest is also to the site of a stretch of the Appalachian Trail, which spans over 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia.
Historic farmhouses and secluded mountain retreats
Late 1800s and early 1900s homes are clustered near the village center. Historic colonial-style farmhouses line Main Street and surrounding blocks, while several 20th-century ramblers, Cape Cods and bungalows are scattered in between. Properties near the village often sit on modest lots, with prices ranging from the $300,000s to the mid-$500,000s. Outside the village, rural country roads wind through towering mountain ranges, passing by secluded properties hidden behind the tree line. Custom-built abodes range from sprawling 20th-century mid-modern designs to traditional French Country estates accented by towering Italian cypress trees. Other estates feature historic colonial-style homesteads with carefully curated modern interiors. These luxurious homes can range from the $900,000s to nearly $3 million, while a handful of properties on acreage can range from the $400,000s to the $800,000s.
Above average schools in the Southern Berkshires
According to Niche, the Berkshire Hills Regional School District is the third-best district in Berkshire County. The district garners an overall B-plus rating and enrolls around 1,200 students across West Stockbridge, Stockbridge and Great Barrington. Pre-kindergarteners through fourth graders may attend Muddy Brook Regional Elementary, which scores a B-plus, and the B-minus-rated W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle. Monument Mountain Regional High is an A-minus-rated school that offers a range of extracurriculars, including alpine skiing, with practices and races at the nearby Bousquet Mountain Ski Area.
Getting around the region via Interstate 90
West Stockbridge's immediate village center is a compact walkable area. However, the town is a car-dependent community with nearby access to Interstate 90 and U.S. Route 7. Albany International Airport is 45 miles west via I-90, and the town of Lee is 10 miles east. Great Barrington's Fairview Hospital is about 11 miles south via Massachusetts State Route 41, and Pittsfield's Berkshire Medical Center is about 12 miles north.
