The summer is often a good time to travel to faraway places, but there’s also a great deal to see much closer to home.

A couple of weekends ago, I decided to take my family on a day trip about an hour east of New York’s Capital District area to nearby Massachusetts.

Yes, I could have easily picked one town to spend the day, but that’s not my style. I like to squeeze in as many experiences as I can. This time, I think that I did a pretty good job of covering a lot of interesting Art and History in that region.

Here’s where we went:

1. The Clark , 225 South Street, Williamstown, Massachusetts.

The Clark Museum experienced a major renovation a little while ago, and we were excited to see Van Gogh and Nature. This exhibit which continues on until September 13, 2015 displays numerous works that were created by this great artist in chronological as well as geographical order. I had a great time learning more about Van Gogh’s life and the sources of his artistic progression.

Afterwards, we had a quick and tasty lunch at the Clark’s windowed cafeteria.

How far from Albany, New York: About 40 miles. Click HERE for directions.

Tip: Members of the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM)  can get in for free and receive a 10% discount for food and gifts. One way to become a member of NARM is to purchase a membership at the Albany Institute of History and Art at the Supporters Level.

2. Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA),87 Marshall Street in North Adams, Massachusetts.

From the Clark we traveled only about 5 or so miles to arrive at Mass MoCA. I had never visited this museum before, and I found some of the various exhibits refreshingly unique.

The museum’s cafeteria also had a wide variety of beverages and meals to help keep us fueled.

Tips: This museum has reciprocal agreements with other museums such as NYC’s Whitney Museum.  You can ride the free Art Shuttle every Friday through Sunday in July and August that loops through North Adams and Williamstown to bring you to the Clark Art Institute, the Williams College Museum of Art, and MASS MoCA. The bus runs every half hour from 11am to 6pm.

How far from Albany, New York:  About 46 miles. Click HERE for directions.

 

3. NaumKeag, Stockbridge, MA

I’m been trying for a while to visit one the many properties owned by the Trustees of the Reservation so I was glad that we had time to drive an hour or so from Mass MoCA to visit Naumkeag, a beautiful Gilded Age “cottage” filled with 40 rooms. The place was elegant but homey and the beautiful gardens had an wonderful eclectic feel to them.

I loved the tour of this well preserved as well and it was great to end our big day by resting on the veranda that had a lovely view of the gardens as well as Monument Mountain.

 

How far from Albany, New York:  About 44 miles. Click HERE  for directions.

The Oak Café provides grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, drinks and snacks, catered by The Red Lion Inn. They also have loaner blankets available for your own lovely picnic on the grounds.

Tip: Membership to the Trustees of the Reservation will provide full or discounted admission to all of the properties including Naumkeag. Click HERE to find out more.

 

Great Time! Let us know if you would have left out or added even another attraction in that area.