Family Lodging in the Berkshires: Farms, Resorts, and What Works

The northern Berkshires, around Williamstown, Adams and North Adams, are closest to Mount Greylock, which has trails and a seasonal road to the summit. The Porches Inn in North Adams, across from MASS MoCA, has a four-season outdoor pool, TOURISTS has 80 wooded acres with trails along the Hoosic River, and The Williams Inn has 64 rooms on Spring Street in Williamstown, near the Clark Art Institute.

The northern Berkshires have fewer of the big summer arts venues than the Lenox area, though MASS MoCA and the Williamstown Theatre Festival draw summer crowds, so rooms are often easier to find in July and August.

Most of the region's inns are in the southern Berkshires, around Lenox, Stockbridge, Lee and Great Barrington, close to the summer arts venues and to Bash Bish Falls and Beartown State Forest. The Red Lion Inn has 125 rooms and a year-round heated outdoor pool, and Black Swan Inn in Lee has 52 rooms on Laurel Lake, with beach access and kayak and pontoon boat rentals. Summer and foliage weekends here need early booking and cost more than in the north.

For families, the southern Berkshires suit trips that mix a morning hike with an afternoon at the Norman Rockwell Museum or Jacob's Pillow. Many inns here are geared to adults, though most accept children, so ask about rooms with two beds or connecting rooms.

Families who want space to spread out and cook can look at suite-style properties. Shaker Mill Inn in West Stockbridge has rooms with private entrances and kitchens or kitchenettes and welcomes families and pets, and East Rock Inn, less than a mile from Ski Butternut, has rooms up to a 2-bedroom apartment, some with full kitchens.

For a resort with activities on site, Jiminy Peak in Hancock runs a ski area in winter and a mountain coaster and other rides in summer, with its own lodging. The region's large wellness resorts, such as Canyon Ranch and Miraval, are aimed at adults.

Family travel in the Berkshires peaks in July and August, when Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow and summer outdoor activities overlap, and it is also when rates are highest and rooms need booking furthest ahead. Fall foliage in mid-October is the second peak. Winter is quieter, and some properties shorten hours or close, though Jiminy Peak and Butternut draw skiing families from December through March.

Spring, from April through Memorial Day, has lower rates and fewer crowds.