Posts Tagged ‘clamber hill’
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Zip lines, zip wires, aerial runways, aerial rope slides, Tyrolean Traverses whatever you choose to call them, have been around for ever. At least long enough to be mentioned as an “inclined strong” in HG Wells book “The Invisible Man” way, way back in 1897. The Tryolean Traverse was developed for mountaineering in the Tyrols of Northern Italy and widely used in mountaineering and rock climbing. The modern version of the zip line became popular with the development of canopy tours in the mid-1970’s and was made even more popular with the movie “Medicine Man” in 1992.
Many still think you have to travel to Costa Rica or other places in Central and South American to experience a Canopy Tour. Not true–they are available right here in Massachusetts at the Berkshire East Ski Resort.
Berkshire East has three different options from which to choose. A base area tour at $30 pp, a Mountain Top Tour at $85 pp and a Valley Jumping Tour at $110 pp
The Base Tour is a great introduction for those that are not sure they will like it. Mountain Top Tours are for those a little more adventurous. With 7 zip lines varying in length from 250′ to 800′ and a couple of short hikes in between, this tour captures the thrill of zipping and the beauty of New England all in one package. The Valley Jumping Tours are for the brave at heart. After warming up on a series of smaller lines X1 takes you 2300′ across the valley and X2, which is even longer at 2600′ brings you back.
Children must be eight years old and weigh at least 70 lbs to participate. Adults have a maximum weight restriction of 275 lbs for the Mountain Top tour and 260 lbs for the Valley Jumping Tour.
If this sounds intriguing and you want to try it, The Inn at Clamber Hill is definitely within reach. You can “zip” right over to Berkshire East for any of their regularly scheduled tours. Just be sure to reserve ahead of time as it is becoming extremely popular. We discovered it last fall when two of our overnight guests spent the day zipping before coming here for a relaxing dinner and overnight. They were very enthusiastic about their entire weekend.
And if the Mountain Top Tour is a bit of a stretch budget-wise, keep your eye out for special deals. On June 18 Berkshire East is sponsoring a Zip & Sip party with Mountain Top Tours at $50 pp! You must use the code SZSMT to reserve and do it now as there are limited spaces. If you miss that, Trail Head is offering a special for their customers on June 27th. The Mountain Top Tour will be discounted to $65 pp. Of course they have a special customer code too, so go shopping at their great store in the center of Orange MA and find out what it is!
So young or old, start your summer off with a little zip! Check it out on YouTube — just search for Berkshire East!
Tags: Berkshire East, canopy tour, clamber hill, massachusetts, outdoor adventures, Trail Head, zip-line
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Thursday, June 10th, 2010
Did you know that birding is the #1 “sport” in the US? I didn’t.
My husband told how popular birding is and I didn’t believe him but research shows that 51.3 million Americans are into birding and that figure probably does not include people like us who feed birds in their own back yards.
When we opened the Inn at Clamber Hill in 1998, we knew almost nothing about the area’s birds so we set out to educate ourselves buying books and field guides…. Audubon’s, Peterson’s and Sibley’s among others.
Our desire was to create a bird garden. What we discovered is that we already had a bird garden with the diversity of fields, perennial gardens, woodlands and streams on the property already attracting over 20 different species of birds including the Pileated Woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker, the Evening Grosbeak, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the Indigo Bunting, the Scarlet Tanager, the Baltimore Oriole, the Red Tailed Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and many more commonly sighted birds such as Robins, Blue Jays, American Goldfinches, Sparrows, Juncos and more.
Blue Jay Babies at Clamber Hill
Many of our overnight guests love to watch the birds. Some sit on the front patio or back terrace with a glass of wine and watch the birds in the early evening. Others are more active and visit many of the special bird sanctuaries in the area. We are close to many Mass Audubon properties. The 332 acre Eagle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary in Holden MA, the 60 acre Cooks Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary in Barre MA, the 772 acre Lake Wampanoag Wildlife Sanctuary in Gardner MA and of course the spectacular 1500 acre Rutland Brooks Wildlife Sanctuary right here in Petersham MA.
Petersham is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts with thousands of acres of conservation land belonging to Mass Audubon, Harvard Forest, Trustees of Reservation and others.
Clamber Hill serves as a resource center with both Field Guides and Trail Maps made available to our overnight guests. We sell books such as “Birding Western Massachusetts” by Robert Tougias and try to keep up with local happenings too.
In fact this weekend, Petersham’s own Jim Baird is leading a Nature & History Tour of the Lewis-Corrine Babbitt Wildlife Sancutary at 9 am on Sunday June 13th. It starts from his house at 18 Gay Dr. If you are interested you need to register with the Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary in Princeton MA. The cost is $9 for Audubon Members and $13 for the general public.
Tags: Audubon Society, bird watching, birding, clamber hill, Cooks Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary, Eagle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Inn at Clamber Hill, Jim Baird, Lake Wampanoag Wildlife Sanctuary, Lewis-Corrine Babbitt Wildlife Sanctuary, Mass Audubon, Petersham MA, Rutland Brooks Wildlife Sanctuary, Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Santurary
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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
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
The Brimfield Show starts today!
What is Brimfield?
Well to start with it’s a small town in Massachusetts, south of Warren, west of the more famous Sturbridge and east of Palmer and Monson — so yes, right, another small town in the middle of no where.
But what makes Brimfield special is that back in September 1959 the Reid family started an antique show that has become not just an annual event, but a tri-annual event with shows every year in May, July and September.
And it has grown from 67 antique dealers the first year, to over 5000 now.
Brimfield claims to be the largest outdoor antique show in the world!
All along a one mile stretch, just to the west of the town center, the farmers and land owners turn their fields into show grounds and parking lots. The entire town is transformed for an entire week The 5000 antique dealers from across the country are spread out over 21 fields.
As you can imagine both traffic and accommodations
are problematic for that week.
When we first opened the Inn, we were looking for furnishings (who has enough to furnish a 9600 sq ft mansion?) and discovered Brimfield. Since then we try to go down for a day. Sometimes we go in May, sometimes in July–I don’t think we’ve ever been to the September show as we are usually too busy here at the Inn.
You do have to be careful. Some of the dealers sell antiques and some have items of lesser quality. Most are expecting you to haggle. Touring the show is a fun but exhausting day. We usually can only do half in one day. Different fields open on different days. The best time to visit a given field is the day it opens but there are some fields opening each day of the week so there is always something going on. There are several websites that tell you more about the show, and one even has a map so check them out before you go.
It’s better to plan to go from either the east end or the west end, so you don’t have to drive through the middle of the show.
We also usually have guests every year that stay with us to just to attend the show. In fact we have some coming this Thursday night.
So if you’re looking for a quiet place to eat and relax at the end of the day, the Inn at Clamber Hill is only 30 miles (a beautiful back roads drive) north of Brimfield. Just ask and we’ll send you the directions!
Tags: antique, antique show, Brimfield, Brimfield MA, clamber hill, fleamarket, Sturbridge
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Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
No, not the beach–the water. About a year ago I purchased a book “Waterfalls of Massachusetts, An Explorer’s Guide to 55 Natural Scenic Wonders” by Joseph Bushee Jr. I bought this book at Trail Head in Orange MA which is a wonderful store for outdoor supplies. So when we finally got a day off last Sunday and we wanted something we could do with the dogs –we choose waterfalls.
There are a couple of lovely ones right near Clamber Hill, Bear’s Den in New Salem, Doane’s Falls on the Athol/Royalston line, Spirit Falls and Royalston Falls both in Royalston. All four of these are Trustees of Reservation properties and also in the book, but we were seeking to explore, so we headed off for Chapel Falls in Ashland. Chapel Falls is lovely, and cool on a hot day. From there we headed to Charlemont to visit Mill Brook, which drops and flows under Bissell Bridge. The best view of this falls was actually from the road before you got to the falls. It’s marked Private Property all around the falls so pretty as it was, this was the most disappointing stop of the day.
Mill Brook and the newly reconsructed Bissell Bridge in Charlemont, MA
Since it was still early in the day, from there we decided to strike out for Glendale Falls in Middlefield. Along the way we discovered that Massachusetts has a less famous but also pretty Skyline Drive. It was quite a trip to get to Middlefield, as it is in the middle of nowhere but the drive was well worth it as the falls were absolutely gorgeous. We had fun hiking up and down alongside the falls with the dogs.
Glendale Falls in Middlefield MA, well worth the drive!
So having tested seven of the 55 waterfalls listed in the book, I would say this book is pretty much “spot on” and a good resource for anyone wanting to explore cool places in the Massachusetts countryside on a hot day.
Tags: Ashfield MA, Bear's Den, Chapel Falls, Charlemont MA, clamber hill, Doane's Falls, Glendale Falls, Middlefield MA, Mill Brook, Royalston Falls, Skyline Drive MA, spirit falls, Trail Head, trustees of reservation
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Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Green is a color, green is a lifestyle, green is nature’s way of telling us that spring has arrived. And spring has definitely arrived in Petersham Massachusetts. The Swamp Pinks and the Daffodils came out just in time for Easter.
The swamp pinks decorate the woodlands with a little color
Ok, so that’s not green. But the green is poking through everywhere from the grass to the new buds on the plants and trees. And what happens when nature turns green again? People return to the greens–the golf greens that is! Petersham is lucky to have the Petersham Country Club, a nine whole golf course designed by Donald James Ross in 1922. To golfers, Ross’s master craftsmanship is evident in the layout of the course with long, green fairways, hidden bunkers and relaxing stroll from tee to green.
The Petersham Country Club is offering a special in June –just $22 for either nine or eighteen holes including a cart! The catch, you have to play on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday before 3pm.
For more information or to make a reservation contact Country Club manager Tim Bishop at Tim.Bishop@PetershamCC.com.
Petersham Country Club designed by Donald Ross
And Clamber Hill is matching that with a Golf Special. Book a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night with us in June to play golf at the Petersham Country Club and get a room for just $145. Make sure you book with the following code when making your reservation. PCCCH0610
Tags: clamber hill, Donald Ross, golf, golf course, green, Inn at Clamber Hill, June 2010, Petersham Country Club, Petersham MA, special offer, Tim Bishop
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Monday, April 12th, 2010
Geocaching — everyone’s heard of it but what exactly is it? We had guests this last weekend that were here to Geocache so I learned a little about it.
As far as I can tell, it started about 2000 or at least that’s when the term Geocaching was coined. Until then it was called GPSstashing or a GPS Stash Hunt. Geo means earth of course and cache was originally a French word meaning hiding place. In modern day language it is most frequently used in “techspeak” to mean storage as in memory cache. So combing the ideas of earth, hide and seek and high tech and you come up with Geocaching — a high tech version of treasure hunting which gets people out to explore the outdoors.
When it started it was an expensive hobby, mostly used by high tech geeks. Ten years later, it has become extremely popular and anyone and everyone can do it, all you need is a hand held GPS device.
Caches are usually Tupperwear containers or Ammo boxes. People hide them and then log the coordinates onto a caching website. Others use GPS devices to find the caches and then sign the notebooks that are found inside them to provide proof that they were found. The caches are hidden all over the place and it provides a nice way to explore the country side. That’s the geo part.
If you want to get started, go to www.geocaching.com, the website sponsored by Groundspeak. They offer two different membership levels. The basic level is free and will get you started and the Premium Membership costs only $30/yr . But the basic membership gives you access to cache coordinates and lets you post and share you caching experience on line.
Our inn guests were just starting. They had found 1 cache, but they showed me print outs of people who had literally thousands of caches logged in. This of course made me curious and I joined up for a free membership.
I wanted to see how many caches or hiding places are close to Clamber Hill and was delighted to discover that there are literally over one hundred caches within a five mile radius of the inn, making us a premier destination for Geocachers!
Geocaching - the perfect way to explore the North Quabbin area
Tags: cache, clamber hill, earth, geo, geocashing, gps, north quabbin, Petersham MA, treasure hunt
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Friday, April 9th, 2010
What happens when six artistically inclined sets of Innkeepers decide to hold an open house? Seeking a good theme and wanting to support the arts, you end up with an event called “Arts at the Inns”
The event, “Art at the Inns” will be held on April 17th and 18th from 11 am to 4 pm each day. This event is sponsored by The Back Road Inns of Central Massachusetts and a complete list of participating artists is available on the association website www.backroadsmassachusetts.com.
As you can see from the map below, all of the participating inns are located along a nine mile stretch of Rt 32 between Petersham and Barre — almost exactly the center of the state.
View Art at the Inns in a larger map
Each Inn will feature 2 or 3 artists and serve light refreshments. We’re all trying to do something different to keep diversity among the food as well as among the artists.
And if at the end of the day you want a nice dinner, both Clamber Hill and Jenkins Inn are serving dinner, but we strongly recommend advance reservations.
All of the Inns are offering discounts to participants, so if you want to make a weekend out of it book now!
Phillipston from Colonial Hill Alpaca Farm can't wait for the Arts at the Inns!
Tags: "Art at the Inns", "Back Road Inns of Central MA", art, art fair, Barre MA, central MA, clamber hill, Colonial Hill Alpaca Farm, Jenkins Inn, Petersham MA
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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
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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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