Great Barrington

Great Barrington is a pleasant town in the Berkshire Hills region of Massachusetts.

Main Street on a spring day

Understand

Great Barrington's population was 7,104 in 2010, according to the US Census, and it does not feel like a tiny town at all, as it has a row of buildings around a half a mile long on Main St. (US Highway 7) and a few side streets, including a couple of nice churches. Great Barrington also has a claim to fame as the childhood home of the famous civil rights leader, W. E. B. Du Bois.

Get in

Railroad St. in downtown Great Barrington

By car

From points south and north, take US Route 7 North and South, respectively. For points east and west, take I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike), which is a few miles north of town, and Exit 2 (from the east) or B3 (from the west).

By bus

Regular service on the routes up and down Route 7 from New York City to Vermont.

By train

There was once a passenger train to Great Barrington, as witness the name "Railroad St." However, it has been a long time since it was operational. The closest passenger train stops, nowadays, are in New York State and not worth going to for access to Great Barrington.

Get around

You can get around the downtown area fairly easily on foot. To go further than that, you will need a car or at least a bicycle.

See

Do

• Appalachian Trail
• Monument Mountain, Route 7 (4 miles north of the center of Great Barrington), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. This mountain, 1,739 feet (530 m) tall at its highest point, is popular with mountain-climbers of all levels of skill and experience. Free; onsite donations welcome. 
• Ski Butternut, 380 State Road, Route 23, ☎ [phone]. Known ski resort. They claim on their website to be "regarded as the number one Massachusetts ski resort." Butternut Mountain may be available for climbing off season; contact them if you are interested. 

View looking southeast from Devils Pulpit on Monument Mountain

Buy

Great Barrington is home to a successful local currency experiment. The local currency is called BerkShares . You can use BerkShares at hundreds of stores and businesses throughout the Berkshires. Using Berkshares helps local businesses and community residents by increasing the local money supply. Visitors and shoppers benefit as Berkshares can be purchased at several local banks for 90% of face value and redeemed at full value at local merchants. Berkshares banknotes are beautiful notes featuring images of local artists and historical figures.

• Catherine's Chocolates, 260 Stockbridge Road, toll-free: [phone]. Catherine's hand-dipped chocolates has made it the sweetest spot in the Berkshires for four generations. 
• Yellow House Books, 252 Main St, ☎ [phone]. Small used and rare book seller with an eclectic selection of books crammed into the first floor of an old house. (updated Nov 2015)
• One Mercantile, 8 Castle St, ☎ [phone]. Artfully curated selection of gifts and home goods, many locally made. Also carries a small selection of cookbooks and local food products. (updated Nov 2015)
• Robin's Candy Shop, 288 Main St, ☎ [phone]. The candy shop of your childhood dreams. Robin's is so packed full of candy and toys that its hard to move around. There are even giant versions of some of your favorites like "the world's largest gummy worm." (updated Nov 2015)
• The Chef's Shop, 31 Railroad St, ☎ [phone]. Cooking supply shop stocked with all the top brands. There is a space for demonstrations and they proudly feature the Berkshire's locally roasted coffee. (updated Nov 2015)
• The Bookloft, 332 Stockbridge Rd. (Barrington Plaza), ☎ [phone]. Local bookstore with a constantly changing selection of new books and a section for local authors. (updated Nov 2015)

Eat

Mason Library

Great Barrington has a wide variety of dining options despite the town's small size. Although the restaurants skew towards the pricey farm-to-table end of the spectrum, there are options to satisfy any price point.

Budget

• Great Barrington Bagel Company, 777 Main St #1, ☎ [phone]. Old standby for fresh bagels and coffee. Also offers a variety of sandwiches. (updated Nov 2015)
• SoCo Creamery (formerly Bev's Homemade Ice Cream), 5 Railroad St, ☎ [phone]. Excellent ice-cream, pies and cookies. Also offers a few vegan sorbet options and some meal items like soup and sandwiches. 

Mid-range

• Baba Louie's Organic Sourdough Pizza Company, 286 Main St, ☎ [phone]. M-Su 11AM-3PM; 5PM-10PM. Italian, Pizza, Vegetarian. Very good thin-crust pizza with a wide variety of specialty toppings. 
• Gypsy Joynt Cafe, 293 Main St, ☎ [phone]. Funky cafe with live music on weekends. Sandwiches, baked goods, and over the top pasta dishes. (updated Apr 2015)

Splurge

• Allium, 44 Railroad St, ☎ [phone]. Exactly what you'd expect from a restaurant in the Berkshires: salads, charcuterie, burgers, free range chicken. All sourced as locally as possible. (updated Apr 2015)
• Aroma, 485 Main St, ☎ [phone]. This small restaurant serves amazing Indian Food. Try the chicken tikka masala or any of the korma dishes. 
• Bizen, 17 RailRoad St, ☎ [phone]. M-F 12PM-2PM, 5PM-10PM; Sa-Su 12PM-3PM, 5PM-10PM. Japanese and Vegetarian. 
• Castle Street Cafe, 10 Castle St, ☎ [phone]. M-F 5PM-9PM; Sa 5PM-10PM. 

• Koi, 300 State Rd, ☎ [phone]. M-Su 11AM-9PM. Chinese. 

Searles Castle

• Prairie Whale, 178 Main St, ☎ [phone]. Farm-to-table restaurant with an ever changing menu. Prairie Whale is very busy on weekends so be prepared for a wait. Fortunately, the bar here has an expertly curated and has an original cocktail menu and local beers so you can always order a few drinks while you wait. The food is pricey, but you can eat here for a reasonable amount of money if you don't insist on ordering an entree for everyone. (updated Apr 2015)
• Shiro Sushi and Hibachi, 105 Stockbridge Rd, ☎ [phone]. Somewhat expensive, but the food is quite good and the chefs put on a great show while preparing your meal if you order hibachi dishes. $10-$25. 

Drink

• Barrington Brewery & Restaurant, 420 Stockbridge Rd, ☎ [phone]. M-Su 11AM-10PM. 
• Fuel Coffee Shop, 286 Main St, ☎ [phone]. Funky downtown coffee shop with good espresso drinks and food options. (updated Apr 2015)
• Gypsy Joint Jive, 34 Bridge St, ☎ [phone]. Laid back barcade with cheap drinks, a small menu of bar food, and plenty of arcade games to choose from. There are also pool tables and air hockey. (updated Oct 2015)

Sleep

• Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Great Barrington, 415 Stockbridge Rd, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Suites, Jacuzzi Suites and Rooms, Free wireless Internet Access, Fitness Center, Business Center, Indoor heated pool, Free Parking, wheelchair accessible suites and rooms, Free breakfast. 
• Travelodge Hotel, 400 Stockbridge Rd, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Jacuzzi rooms, kitchenette rooms, free wireless internet access, free breakfast, outdoor pool, free newspaper. 
• Monument Mountain Motel, 247 Stockbridge Rd, ☎ [phone]. Pet friendly with family style extras. 
• Comfort Inn & Suites Berkshire, 249 Stockbridge Rd, toll-free: [phone]. Offering comfortable rooms and fireplace suites, vacation packages and an array of amenities. 

Go next

• Lenox, where the Boston Symphony Orchestra has its summer home at Tanglewood
• Becket, a tiny town that is home to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

Routes through Great Barrington

Pittsfield ← Stockbridge ←	N  S	→ Sheffield → Danbury
Jct N S ← Hudson ← becomes ←	W  E	→ Monterey → Jct W E