Summer in the Stockbridge, MA area is a destination for enthusiasts of visual and performing arts, Gilded Age cottages, museums and history. The main street in downtown offers shops and galleries with trendy cafes and restaurants. Its natural beauty which surrounds the downtown offers recreational parks, hiking trails and beautiful lakes for the entire family to enjoy.
LIVE PERFORMANCES GALORE TAKE STAGE THIS SUMMER
Berkshire Theatre Group has a variety of live performances lined up at their beloved Colonial Theatre and Unicorn Stage. Highlights include Tony-nominated musical Million Dollar Quartet; On Cedar Street, a World Premiere Musical about second chances in life and love; Photograph 51, about the race to discover the DNA double helix; plus youth theatre & more!
This year’s Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival will host a broad and exciting lineup of international companies; live music and performances paying homage to Burt Bacharach, David Bowie, and more; family-friendly fun; and a week commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop on both the indoor and outdoor stages. Shakespeare & Company presents Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise and The Contention (Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part II), which recounts struggles for power by two ancient families.
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center and PS21 in Hudson Valley present live performances of music, dance, film and more. Enjoy Jazz Trumpeter Chris Botti, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Bela Fleck with a full bluegrass band at the Mahaiwe and Paul Taylor Dance Company, Mercuric Tidings, A Field of Grass, Piazzolla Caldera and Runners, Cirk La Putyka (Czech Republic) at PS21. Tanglewood with property stretching from Stockbridge to Lenox has been the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937, as well as the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Boston Pops. The venue welcomes more than 350,000 visitors to performances, recitals, and seminars. This summer, the venue is hosting a variety of events, including the Boston Pops and Film Night, Tanglewood on Parade, popular artists like Train, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and the Steve Miller Band, along with Boston Symphony Orchestra guest conductors and performances, and more. The Trustees of Reservations offer Naumkeag at Night, a live music series featuring some of the area’s most popular bands. This year’s lineup includes Wanda Houston, The Late Risers, The Lucky 5, PanNeaubean Steel. Enjoy a night of local music culture and light refreshments at the outdoor Snack Shack while enjoying the spectacular backdrop of Naumkeag’s stunning views and lush gardens.
CHECK OUT THE LINEUP OF NEW SUMMER EXHIBITIONS
Come see if Morton the Sea Monster has found his way to the Norman Rockwell Museum. Open this summer is Tony Sarg: Genius At Play. It is the first comprehensive exhibition exploring the life, art, and adventures of Tony Sarg (1880-1942). The Clark Art Institute’s major summer exhibition is, Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth, the first exhibition in the United States to reveal how Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944) animated nature to convey meaning. The exhibition features approximately eighty paintings, prints, and drawings. The Erikson Institute of the Austen Riggs Center has collaborated with the Sigmund Freud Museum, Vienna, to bring an immersive and historical exhibition to Stockbridge for the summer. Organized Escape: Psychoanalysts in Exile is open at the Corner House Community Exhibition Space at 48 Main Street, Stockbridge. At the Mission House, the newest Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican exhibit, Our Lands, Our Home, Our Heart is on view. Narratives weave together across time and cultures at the Mission House. Built by missionary John Sergeant, the house watched over Stockbridge for nearly 200 years before it was moved to its current site for preservation. The Berkshire Botanical Garden featured summer art exhibition, Cynthia Wick’s “Floraborealis,” will be on display in the Leonhardt Art Galleries June 30 through Aug. 27. The garden also offers their Music Monday series, July through August.
POPULAR TALK/LECTURE SERIES RETURN THIS SUMMER
Enjoy Tea & Talk, at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum held each Tuesday at 4pm, offering lectures followed by a decadent English Tea Time gathering in the den and dining room. Titles include, Architecture of the Gilded Age in New York City, Lost Gilded Age Mansions of Newport and the World of Mary Dickerson, Dressmaker and Activist. The Mount’s annual 8-part summer lecture series brings leading biographers and historians to the Berkshires. Highlights include renowned poetry scholar Willard Spiegelman, Sally Bedell Smith and A great American artist, John Singer Sargent. The Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives offers Autor Talks throughout the summer. Upcoming Author Talks include Maria L. Carr, Chris Grabenstein and Adam Shatz – Writers and Missionaries.
Join the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce for its 31st Annual Summer Arts & Crafts Show Saturday, August 19th, and Sunday, August 20th. This is a rain or shine event boasting over 75 artisans and craftspeople. The show is located on the beautiful grounds of the Town Offices and Bidwell Park in Stockbridge, the town Norman Rockwell heralded as “the Best of New England, the best of America.”
Don’t miss the 45th annual contemporary outdoor sculpture show on view at Chesterwood. Finding the Center: Ron Mehlman at Chesterwood features twelve sculptures cited throughout the landscape at Chesterwood, along with a display of forty sculptural reliefs and five standing sculptures within the Woodland Gallery.
This summer, July & August, is your last chance to visit Schantz Galleries downtown location in Stockbridge. The Galleries feature a museum-like collection of contemporary glass art, with an impressive roster of nationally and internationally recognized artists exhibited throughout two floors. Art and mid-century modern design enthusiasts alike will enjoy visiting. Owners Jim Schantz and Kim Saul decided to close their physical gallery space in September 2023 and thereafter continue to operate remotely via their website, social media platforms, and email outreach.
Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio The historic home and studio of two famous artists has been preserved as it was during their lifetime. Check out their color workshops with director Kinney Frelinghuysen and painting demonstrations with professional artists.
The Bidwell House Museum will host the return of their second 1770s era living history weekend! On June 24, and 25, “The Army on Campaign,” a weekend long exploration of the lives of troops and followers during the American Revolutionary War period. This exciting event will be hosted by His Majesty’s 52nd Regiment and Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment and will feature multiple lectures focused on health and wellness, laundry techniques of the day, military discipline, provisioning the army, and more.
It’s all here, in the Stockbridge, MA area, for your perfect summer getaway. Book your stay and tickets and start planning here.
Check out things to do, see and experience in the Berkshires. The page is updated weekly to assist you with events, hours of operations, outdoor activities and more.
The Stockbridge, MA Guide is here for you!