1. Porches
City: North Adams, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (413) 664-0400
Address: 231 River St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Once a cluster of dilapidated 19th-century mill-worker row homes, the Porches is a stunning example of an affordable retro-chic boutique hotel. Located across the street from Mass MoCA, this 47-room hotel offers lots of smart design elements like high-end bed linens, wood-painted floors topped with deep, patterned wool rugs (fun to dig your toes into!), and super-wired rooms with free Wi-Fi, iPod clock/radio docking stations, and TV/DVDs. The well-fitted bathrooms have slate floors and come with either a Jacuzzi or claw-foot tub and a separate shower. Kitsch touches abound throughout the property; walls are decorated with paint-by-numbers art and your complimentary continental breakfast arrives in a vintage metal lunch box. The fire pit area and the year-round heated outdoor pool and hot tub draw guests together to socialize.
2. Public Eat + Drink
City: North Adams, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (413) 664-4444
Address: 34 Holden St.
Description: This local smart-casual joint provides a laid-back ambience to enjoy refined American classics such as gourmet burgers, flatbreads, and entrees like a flatiron steak with herbed butter and balsamic glazed grilled salmon. On weekends walk-ins hang at the bar for up to an hour, but the warm welcome, a selection of a dozen craft beers on tap, and live music make the wait easier.
3. Massachusetts Museum Of Contemporary Art (Mass Moca)
City: North Adams, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (413) 664-4111
Address: 87 Marshall St.
Insider Pick:
Description: The 13-acre campus of mill factory buildings is the perfect industrial setting for Mass MoCA’s permanent collection and frequent special exhibitions of art, music, dance, and film. One of the advantages of having warehouse-like gallery space is the ability to display large public art pieces like the very popular Sol LeWitt Retrospective, which features 105 of the artist’s large-scale drawings. Art is extremely accessible at Mass MoCA; the public can even watch art being made in the fabrication studios or see a computer music ensemble rehearse.
4. Natural Bridge State Park
City: North Adams, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (413) 663-6392
Description: For a maximum dose of nature for minimum effort, this 48-acre park is worth a detour. This park has one very special attraction: a 30-foot naturally formed marble bridge that crosses Hudson Brook. Walk along the path and you’ll find the remnants of the marble quarry that operated here from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s.