Looking for things to do in North Adams, MA? The Berkshires town offers a plentiful assortment of museums, galleries, shops, and restaurants.
By Amy Traverso
Apr 20 2018
Naturally, kids love the Kidspace Art Bar.
Photo Credit : Amy TraversoWhen I stopped to take a photo of Lillie’s mural, a local man walked over to tell me where all the other good public art sites can be found. It was clear he took a lot of pride in these murals.
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is located in town, and the school maintains two adjoining gallery spaces: MCLA Gallery 51 and PRESS. The former features work from a range of contemporary artists from around the world; the latter is a gallery/studio that celebrates letterpress as an art medium. To see the work of exclusively local artists, head over to the North Adams Artists’ Co-Op (NAACO) Gallery, which includes works in all media. Other shuttered factory buildings around town have also been turned into gallery space. The Eclipse Mill, a four-story former textile mill on Route 2, houses live-work condominiums visual artists, musicians, writers, potters, and the like. There’s also a used/antiquarian bookshop, G.J. Askins, which is a lovely place to browse, especially if you’re the sort of person who likes to get lost in the stacks. Owner G. J. Askins seems to have his entire inventory memorized and can help you navigate. Stop for some sweets and a coffee at Brewhaha, a cozy cafe with seriously tasty food. I like to start my day with one of their breakfast sandwiches or a muffin. The lattes are great, too. If you’re looking for more substantial fare, head over to PUBLIC Eat + Drink, where the sophisticated menu runs from small bites to flatbreads to mussels with tomato butter and kale. For lunch, it’s well worth braving the lines to have a chili dog at Jack’s, an old-school lunch counter. For all these gems, the story of North Adams’s evolution from abandoned mill town to art hotspot hasn’t been a linear one. It’s difficult to rebuild a small city with tourism dollars and cultural grants alone. But meanwhile, the culture keeps coming, with new exhibits and live events at Mass MoCA, plus the return of the farmer’s market and outdoor concerts at Windsor Lake. And as the weather warms, there’s nothing quite like a hike up Mount Greylock, the highest peak in the state. For its attractions and its aspirations, this brave, innovative town is worth supporting. What are some your favorite things to do in North Adams, Massachusetts? Let us know in the comments below! This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
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