Posts Tagged ‘Central Massachusetts’
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010
Many think central Massachusetts is a cultural wasteland, but that is just so not true. They are lots of good things happening — you may just have to search a little harder to find them.
1794 Meeting House in New Salem is a perfect example. They have a wonderful event schedule for this summer starting with Southern Rail on Saturday June 12th.
But if you are a bluegrass fan, you’ve probably missed the best band of the season. Bearfoot played at the new Cultural Center at Eagle Hill last Saturday night and then again in Brattleboro Vermont on Sunday night. We did not get to go hear them, as we were working (of course) but since they stayed at Clamber Hill we got a sampling of their music on Sunday as they practiced and they gave us a couple of their CD’s which we’ve been listening to all week.
Bearfoot enjoys the courtyard at Clamber Hill
Believe me, they will knock your socks off and then you’ll either be barefoot or a Bearfoot fan! If you want to hear a sample of their music just go to their website
www.bearfootband.com.
And it’s not just me that thinks they are great–they won the prestigious Telluride Band Contest a few years ago. As the Boston Globe says “Their fresh approach to acoustic music features twin fiddles, fast-picking mandolin and guitar, upright bass, and beautiful harmony vocals.” From their origins as camp counselors at an Alaska music camp they have become a national touring band and will be playing at The Station Inn in Nashville, TN later this month.
But enough about Bearfoot and back to cultural opportunities in Central Massachusetts. One of the best things to happen in the area lately was the completion of the Cultural Center at Eagle Hill. They bring in a combination of local, national and international talent for their state of the art 463 seat proscenium theater, their 80 seat studio theater and their 500 seat dining/function hall. If you have never been, but it on your do to list as it is a truly spectacular venue with a great schedule of events.
As the Bearfoot band members happily told me at breakfast, who would have thought that you would fill a brand new theater with over 350 people in a little town like Hardwick MA with a population of less than 3000 people. But the Cultural Center has had 20 events over this past year, and all of them have been excellent. They are already planning next year’s schedule, so if you have never heard of Hardwick or Eagle Hill check their website out. You can even become a subscriber so that you stay up to date on all the terrific national touring bands that will be coming through this cultural wasteland of central Mass.
And of course, if you need a place to stay while attending either 1794 Meeting House or The Cultural Center at Eagle Hill, Clamber Hill is close to both.
Tags: 1794 Meetinghouse, Bearfoot, Bearfoot Band, bluegrass, Central Massachusetts, clamber hill, Harwick MA, music, New Salem MS, Southern Rail, The Cultural Center at Eagle Hill, The Inn at Clamber Hill, theater
Posted in In the North Quabbin area, Recommended | No Comments »
Monday, April 26th, 2010
There are twelve Trustees of Reservation properties in the Central Region of Massachusetts, all great places to hike and all close to the Inn. But the name Rock House Reservation has always intrigued me. And after finally getting there I must say it is a wonderful property and a great place to hike, especially for those of us who love rocks and rock formations.
The central feature is a massive rock formation, not quite but almost a cave. Easy to see how it’s called a house. This “Rock House” was formed during the last glacial retreat and was used as a winter hunting camp by Native Americans.
The property became a farm in the mid 1880’s and later someone created a pond and built a cabin on the ledge overlooking the pond. That cottage is now a trail side museum and overs spectacular views of Carter Pond.
The pond at Rock House Reservation in North Brookfield, MA
Just north of the Trailside Museum one find’s Balance Rock. It is huge and it is balanced and it is stable — I know because my husband and our three dogs climbed all over it to check it out.
Balance Rock at Rock House Reservation
The property is 75 acres with five distinct trails. You can find a
down-loadable map on the Trustees website. We down loaded the map and set off to Rock House Reservation a couple of Mondays ago with our three dogs. It was a great place to hike with the dogs and all five of us really enjoyed it. I think it would be a great place to hike with children too. The only disappointment was that the scenic vista at the top of the Summit Trail was grown in and not so scenic anymore. But the Butterfly garden looked intriguing and we plan to go back when things are in bloom.
Tags: Balance Rock, butterfly garden, Carter Pond, Central Massachusetts, hike, hiking, hiking with dogs, Inn at Clamber Hill, North Brookfield MA, rock formations, Rock House Reservation, rocks, Trusttees of Reservation
Posted in In the North Quabbin area, Recommended | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Well the first annual “Arts at the Inns” sponsored by the Back Road Inns of Central Massachusetts was a success, despite the inclement weather. Thirteen wonderful artists participated, using varied mediums including watercolors, pastels, acrylics, oils, collage, sculpture and photography. The participating artists, Bill Weeks, Lisa Regopoulos, Peter Richard, Anna Ozolins, Mary Ann Verinis, Len Haug, Julie Pepper, Michael Vinyard, Cheryl Economos, Ed Roche, George Mahana, Elaine Griffith and Lynn Hartman came from as near as Barre, MA and as far away as Florida.
Anna Ozolins displays her watercolors at Clamber Hill during the "Arts at the Inns"
Sunday saw a steady stream of visitors from around the state most of whom did not know just how special the eastern shore of the Quabbin is or how many wonderful inns are in the two towns of Petersham and Barre.
Clamber Hill, Winterwood and Colonial Hill---the Petersham, MA Inns
The participating artists were pleased, as the people who came had time to view the art in a relaxed, uncrowded setting. And the innkeepers were also pleased as most of the attendees were coming to the inns for the first time, so all in all the idea behind “Arts at the Inns” was a success.
Jenkins Inn, Hartman's Herb Farm and Stevens Farm Inn of Barre, MA
If you missed the event this year, you are still welcome to visit any of the inns and time and keep an eye on this
blog and the
www.backroadsmassachusetts.com for information about next years “Art at the Inns”
Tags: "Art at the Inns", "Back Road Inns of Central MA", "Back Road Inns", Anna Ozolins, art, art show, backroads, Barre, Bill Weeks, Central Massachusetts, Cheryl Economos, Ed Roche, George Mahana, Julie Pepper, Len Haug, Lisa Regopoulos, MA, Mary Ann Verinis, Michael Vinyard, Peter Richard, Petersham MA, Quabbin
Posted in At the Inn, In the North Quabbin area, Recommended | No Comments »
Friday, March 19th, 2010
The Sugar Maples start the glorious progression of fall colors here in Central Massachusetts and they are also the harbingers of spring.
Fall of 2008. The shores of Harvard Pond behind the Inn at Clamber Hill
The running of the sap signals the start of the agricultural season out here in rural Mass. The Vermonters call maple syrup “Liquid Gold”, as the popular syrup is one of the largest crops in the agricultural business.
Vermont is well known of it’s maple syrup but there are actually 10 states that are major producers of maple syrup. In New England they are ME, NH, VT, MA and CT. The other lesser know states are NY, PA, OH, MI and WI. All together these states produce over 1,200,000 of maple syrup every year.
The process of collecting the maple sap and turning into that wonderfully rich and sweet syrup that Americans love, is a fascinating process dating back to the colonial times. Before moving to Central Massachusetts, I knew nothing about it.
Did you know that it takes ten gallons of sap to produce one quart of maple syrup? Did you know that it takes at least 10 years to grow a tree large enough to be tapped? Did you know that the sap spoils if it is not turned into syrup right away?
A trip to the heart of Maple Sugaring Country during Sugaring Season is both fun and educational. A great experience for “kids” of all ages. You will learn a lot and have a chance to taste the production results! We highly recommend it!
Near Clamber Hill there are three local “Sugar Shacks” that are open to visitors: Johnson Farms in Orange, Hamilton Orchards in New Salem, and the Hardwick Sugar Shack in Hardwick.
The sugaring takes place over a four to six week period. Most of the local sugaring shacks have already started this season. So any time in the next couple of weeks is a great time to visit. Most of them serve food (pancakes of course), but when you stay at Clamber Hill our breakfast consists of award winning pancakes and Petersham maple syrup.
Clamber Hill's Award Winning Pear Almond Pancakes
Tags: award winning pancakes, Central Massachusetts, clamber hill, Hardwick Sugar Shack, Johnson Farm. Hamilton Orchards, maple sugaring, maple syrup, massachusetts maple syrup, pancakes
Posted in In the North Quabbin area, Recommended | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Being an Inn located in Petersham has advantages and disadvantages. We are an attractive destination for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts but often times potential visitors think there will not be enough to do in Central Massachusetts. The result is that innkeepers become travel guides.
In “our spare time” we research and visit interesting places to send our guests. Often our guests help out by telling us about places, which we then go visit.
That was the case with Magic Wings, a Butterfly Museum located in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. A lovely, elderly couple from Connecticut told us about Magic Wings, so the next time our nieces and nephews came to visit we went.
It truly is a magical place. The old Candlelight Restaurant owned by Francis Redmond was converted into an 8000 square feet conservatory (new construction), gift shop, and food court (located in the old restaurant).
You enter through an air lock to protect the butterflies. You are not allowed to touch them, but if you are lucky, they will land on you!
As with Old Sturbridge Village, this is a great place for people of all ages — and if you plan to go, be sure to allow enough time — you need at least a half a day! And don’t forget to take your camera–they do allow you to take photographs inside the conservatory.
And again, Magic Wings is only about 35 minutes from the Inn at Clamber Hill!
Tags: butterflies, butterfly, Central Massachusetts, Inn at Clamber Hill, Magic Wings, museum, nature, Old Sturbridge Village, ouotdoor enthusiast, Petersham, South Deerfield
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Monday, February 15th, 2010
My family came for a visit recently and we went to Old Sturbridge Village. It is a great way to spend a snowy winter day with the family. The museum has lots of activities scheduled each day, especially during February School Vacation Week.
The village has been recreated and there is a farm, several different mills, a bank, a general store, a tinsmith, a blacksmith, a church and more. It is a like having a lot of little mini museums all in one place. And in between trips into the museums there are outside interludes in a park like setting.
My family had been on a trip to New England when I was 13 and my sisters were 8 and 3. And I remember our stop at Sturbridge Village. It was a destination my mother thought would be both fun and educational for us. It made a lasting impression on me so I was surprised to discover that neither of my sisters remember that visit but they both enjoyed it this time around — just 40 years later.
And my nieces and nephews had a great time too–churning butter, riding on a horse drawn carriage, watching the blacksmith and the tinsmith and getting a chance to run and play in between stops. It was a great way to spend a snowy winter day.
So if you live in Massachusetts and are looking for something interesting to do during the winter break–consider taking a trip to Sturbridge Village–but plan on spending the entire day there –it’s well worth it.
And if you need a place to stay–there are several right near the village, but Clamber Hill is also only a half hour’s drive away and we are offering a February School Vacation Special this week.
Tags: Central Massachusetts, children friendly activities, clamber hill, family activities, February School Vacation Week, museums, Old Sturbridge Village, President's Day, Sturbridge, Winter Break, winter vacation
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Friday, January 29th, 2010
It has been 12 years since we opened the Inn at Clamber Hill in central Massachusetts. Moving here from Germany, we knew nothing about the area or the state, so we started exploring. We discovered early on that North Hampton was a town worth visiting and we go over there on a fairly regular basis (as much as innkeepers have any regularity in their lives!).
North Hampton is great for shopping (it’s the best in the area unless you want to drive to Boston) and also has a great selection of restaurants. In fact North Hampton is about the only place in central Mass to get great ethnic food, Japanese, Mexican, Indian and more….
But in all the times we’ve been over there we never knew about the Smith College Museum of Art. It’s not quite in the center of town, but it’s right there on Rt. 9 and once you discover it, you wonder how you could miss it.
It was the gift of a new Massachusetts travel book that allowed us to find this great little art museum. A forty five minute drive from the Inn makes it an ideal place for us to visit on a Sunday afternoon.
What a gem! — especially when you love the late nineteenth century French artists such as Monet, Degas, Picasso, Pisarro, Manet, Seurat, Cezanne etc. They don’t have a lot of any individual artist (they do have three Monets and two Degas) but they have a nice collection and it’s a permanent collection. The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Museum in Williamston, MA is famous for it’s Impressionist Collection but it was a very pleasant surprise to find another wonderful collection much closer to home.
Admission to the museum is only $5.00 making it one of the best bargains in the Pioneer Valley.
Tags: art museum, Central Massachusetts, Cezanne, Degas, ethnic food, French artists, Impressionists, Inn at Clamber Hill, Manet, massachusetts, Monet, North Hampton, Picasso, Pioneer Valley, Pissaro, restaurants, Rodin, Seurat, shopping, Smith College, Smith College Museum of Art, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
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Monday, January 4th, 2010
Winter is a great time for hiking — or if the snow gets too deep–for snow shoeing. This last week I was lucky enough to squeeze in two wonderful hikes, Bear’s Den in New Salem and Doane’s Falls in Royalston. I have visited both these places often but never seen them as pretty as they are right now this winter.
A Winter Wonderland at Doane's Falls in Royalston, MA.
Both of these waterfalls are on Trustees of Reservations properties and easily accessible. The Trustees have a collection of wonderful properties all across Massachusetts to help both residents and visitors enjoy the Massachusetts landscape.
January is a great time to come out and enjoy a little winter wonderland right here in Central Massachusetts. Nothing is more refreshing than spending a day outside and then coming in to sit by the fire and enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail.
If you decide to hike either Bear’s Den or Doane’s falls this winter, The Inn at Clamber Hill offers Romantic Winter Weekend Packages from November through April.
Tags: Athol, Bear's Den, Central Massachusetts, Doane's Falls, Inn at Clamber Hill, New Salem, Petersham, royalston, trustees of reservation, tully lake
Posted in In the North Quabbin area | No Comments »
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
The holidays are a great time of year, but can also be a lot of extra stress and work. Everyone wants a special Christmas Dinner but cooking a really festive meal is a lot of work, especially for couples and small families. Not a lot of restaurants are open for the holidays, especially in central Massachusetts.
Clamber Hill offers you a relaxing alternative, as will be open this year for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinner. The Inn is decorated, the food is great.
On Thursday, the restaurant will offer it’s regular menu, with nine different entrees and on Christmas Day there will be a special pris fixe holiday menu served between 1 pm and 4 pm. As always reservations are required.
The menus for both days can be found at www.clamberhill.com. So come enjoy Christmas Dinner at Clamber Hill and spend time with your friends and family instead of the kitchen!
Merry Christmas from Clamber Hill
P.S. Our family is coming the next say so the restaurant will be closed Saturday night so we can spend time with our family–they will get the same meal on Saturday that we are offering everyone else on Friday!
Tags: Central Massachusetts, Christmas, Christmas Day, Christmas Dinner, clamber hill, Holiday Meal, Holiday meals
Posted in At the Inn | No Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
If you’re looking for a quiet weekend to escape all the hustle and bustle of a commercial Christmas, try heading out to the North Quabbin Area for a quiet weekend. There are lots of parks with great snowshoeing trails.
The Inn at Clamber Hill has it’s own trails right out the back door and into Harvard Forest, but there are also trails at the Quabbin Reservoir, Dunn Pond State Park in Gardner, the James W. Brooks Woodland Preserve and the Women’s Federated State Forest in Petersham, and Lake Dennison State Park in Winchendon has miles and miles and miles of trails.
And if you don’t own snow shoes but would like to rent or purchase them, contact either Jim Jackson at Rocky Ridge Outfitters or Paul Anderson at Trailhead Inc. Both gentlemen are more than willing to help you.
So no excuses, come enjoy the great outdoors this winter!
Clamber Hill guests taking a hike in Harvard Forest December 7,2009
Tags: Central Massachusetts, Dunn Pond State Park, Gardner, Harvard Forest, James W. Brooks Woodland Preserve, Lake Dennison State Park, north quabbin, Petersham, Quabbin Reservoir, snow shoeing, Winchendon, winter, winter sports, Women's Federated State Forest
Posted in In the North Quabbin area | No Comments »
