Ventfort Hall Mansion
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Arrowhead, Home of Herman Melville
Arrowhead is an 18th Century farmhouse that was the home of Herman Melville from 1850-1863. It was at Arrowhead that Melville wrote his most famous work, Moby-Dick, along with three other novels, Pierre, The Confidence-Man, and Israel Potter, a collection of short stories entitled The Piazza Tales, all of his magazine stories, and some of his poetry. Arrowhead is now a house museum interpreting the life of the Melville family in the Berkshires. Arrowhead is located in Pittsfield, just 15 minutes from Cranwell.
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Berkshire Botanical Garden
Nestled in the scenic Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, the Berkshire Botanical Garden offers visitors a peaceful refuge of natural beauty, stunning display gardens, exciting community events, and informative classes for all ages and levels of skill and knowledge. Their collections (over 3,000 species and varieties) emphasize plants that thrive in the Berkshires and are displayed in an informal, country setting. The display gardens are laid out on a residential scale to inspire and inform the home gardener. Berkshire Botanical Garden is located in Stockbridge, just 10 minutes from Cranwell.
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Berkshire Museum
At the Berkshire Museum, there’s something for everyone. They offer a unique blend of exhibitions, galleries, and attractions for families of all ages. See exhibitions, fine art, and sculpture from around the world. Explore their touch tank and aquarium. Be amazed at a collection of artifacts from Native American cultures and ancient cultures of Egypt, China, and more. Marvel at the technology that awaits in the new Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation. The Berkshire Museum is located in Pittsfield, just 15 minutes from Cranwell.
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Chesterwood Museum
Chesterwood is the country home and studio of Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) sculptor of the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Memorial in Washington, DC, and The Minute Man, Concord, MA. The buildings are furnished with American and European decorative arts and paintings, collected by the sculptor. Woodland walks featuring mountain vistas and perennial gardens are French's own design. The Studio has a standard-gauge railroad track used to roll large sculpture outdoors for viewing in natural light. The museum holds what is probably the largest single collection of work by any American sculptor. Chesterwood is located in Stockbridge, just 10 minutes from Cranwell.
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Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio
Visit the 46-acre estate home of American Abstract Artists George L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen. View their paintings, frescoes, and sculpture and experience their exquisite collection of American and European Cubist Art. The Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio is located in Lenox, just 5 minutes from Cranwell.
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Hancock Shaker Village
The Shakers called this community "The City of Peace." Hancock Shaker Village is a welcome retreat from today's hectic pace that offers so much to see and do. This beautifully restored village, set amongst acres of farm, woodland and pasture, is home to the premier collection of Shaker buildings and artifacts. Graceful Shaker furniture, craft and household items are exhibited in 20 historic buildings, each an architectural gem. The Round Stone Barn, most famous of all Shaker buildings, is a testament to Shaker efficiency, innovation and design. See the Village come to life through tours, exhibitions, demonstrations and participatory activities. Hancock Shaker Village is located in Hancock, just 20 minutes from Cranwell.
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Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, MASS MoCA
Housed in a restored 19th century factory, MASS MoCA is the country's largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts. The museum exhibits work by many of the most important artists of today—both well known, and emerging—focusing on large-scale and complex installations that are impossible to realize in conventional museums. Broad, soaring galleries with 110,000 square feet of open, flexible space and their robust industrial character have proven both inspiring and empowering to artists. The museum thrives on making and presenting work that is fresh, surprising, and challenging. MASS MoCA is located in North Adams, 40 minutes from Cranwell.
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Norman Rockwell Museum
Norman Rockwell Museum holds the world's largest and most significant collection of works by Norman Rockwell, including more than 700 paintings, drawings, and studies and an archive of more than 150,000 photographs, letters, and materials. Norman Rockwell Museum's mission is to promote art appreciation, education, and engagement in visual communication through the art of Norman Rockwell and other outstanding illustrators. The Museum curates innovative exhibitions that explore Rockwell's art and the art of illustration. Located in Stockbridge, the Norman Rockwell Museum is just 10 minutes from Cranwell.
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The Clark
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute is both art museum and research center, welcoming visitors year-round to experience its outstanding collections of European and American art in an intimate setting of profound natural beauty. Surrounded by 140 acres of expansive lawns, meadows, and walking trails, the Clark is home to exceptional examples of European and American painting and sculpture, master prints and drawings, English silver and porcelain, and early photographs. The museum is best known, however, for its extraordinary collection of French Impressionist paintings. Located in Williamstown, the Clark is 40 minutes from Cranwell.
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The Mount
The Mount was the home of Pulitzer-prize winning author Edith Wharton, who designed the house and gardens with the same intelligence and sensitivity that distinguishes her writing. She created her gardens as architectural compositions, divided into rooms, and planned in concert with the house and surrounding natural landscape. Wharton designed and built The Mount in 1902 on the 113-acre property, based on the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses, and this classical revival house represents the only full expression we have of Wharton's architectural interests. Located in Lenox, the Mount is just 5 minutes from Cranwell.
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Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum
Ventfort Hall, the home of the Museum of the Gilded Age, is an imposing Elizabethan-style mansion built in 1893 for Sarah Morgan, the sister of J. P. Morgan. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was the setting for the 1998 film, "Cider House Rules." Ventfort Hall was one of the approximately seventy-five so-called "Cottages" built in the last century when Lenox became a popular Gilded Age resort. Located on spacious grounds, it is partially restored and open to the public. Through lectures, exhibits, theatrical performances and other events, The Museum of the Gilded Age interprets the great changes that occurred in American life during the Nineteenth Century. Located in Lenox, Ventfort Hall is just 5 minutes from Cranwell.
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