A Cinematic Berkshires Retreat Where You’re the Main Character

Sponsored by the Williams Inn

In the midst of a liberal-arts campus straight out of a classic film scene, at the end of one of New England’s sweetest little fiercely independent main streets (called Spring Street because Williams College students once trod this path to fetch water), the Williams Inn awaits dreamers ready to trade the mundanity of everyday thinking for the promise of renewal. Whether you arrive with a cherished companion (your dog counts), or solo, as I did, you’ll be safe, well fed, and enriched inside this cozy greystone, where the lobby fire’s dancing flames are an invitation to design your days in ways that light you up inside.

The college, which owns the inn, has imbued Williamstown, Massachusetts, with youthful energy since 1793, and the setting feels ideal for a playdate with yourself. Leave your phone in your room; you can navigate time by listening for the carillon bells, ringing out from Thompson Memorial Chapel around 1, 4, and 7 p.m. each day.

Free-to-the-public performances, recitals, talks, and exhibitions are an incredible perk of an on-campus stay. And all of the makings of a perfect day are right on Spring Street. Select a juicy novel at the campus bookstore, then sip a steamy London Fog as you read the opening pages at Tunnel City Coffee. Seek and find at three thrift shops. Catch a film at Images Cinema, a nonprofit arthouse theater that’s more than a century old.

Take a notebook or sketchbook to the Clark Art Institute and, a short drive away, MASS MoCA, and feed your creativity in the company of renowned masters and boundary-pushing contemporary artists. Build a healthy lunch at Wild Oats Market’s food bar. Drive Route 2, the storied Mohawk Trail, and be wowed by Mother Nature’s landscape-painting skills.

Head outdoors on one of the inn’s bikes, on foot, or on snowshoes or skis. Jiminy Peak is close. Taconic Golf Club is closer, and open for winter sports once it’s blanketed in white. There are hiking trails, gentle and steep. And you can walk to Farley-Lamb Field for a collegiate football game. Recapture your youth. And be back at the inn’s Barn Kitchen & Bar for Bolognese, cast-iron spinach, and warming libations in a heartbeat.

If you’re lucky like me, fresh mountain air, engaging activities, and your room’s top-rate blackout shades will conspire to grant you the best night’s sleep you’ve had all year. Perhaps you’ll dream of a time when you felt flush with possibilities, just like the prospective students you overheard chattering with their parents at brunch in the Barn. And you’ll wake energized and eager for another day of exploring the Berkshires, where it’s easy to romanticize your life.

Kim Knox Beckius

Kim Knox Beckius is Yankee's travel & branded content editor. A longtime freelance writer/photographer and Yankee contributing editor based in Connecticut, she has explored every corner of the region while writing six books on travel in the Northeast and contributing updates to New England guidebooks published by Fodor's, Frommer's, and Michelin. For more than 20 years, Kim served as New England Travel Expert for TripSavvy (formerly About.com). She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and is frequently called on by the media to discuss New England travel and events. She is likely the only person who has hugged both Art Garfunkel and a baby moose.

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