Homeschool Travel: A Low-Key Family Adventure in the Berkshires
Follow the Penderwicks’ lead, and take a spring break that’s all about slowing down and taking it easy.
THE BOOK The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
THE DESTINATION The Berkshires, Mass.
When the Penderwick family’s summer plans are upset, their last-minute vacation scramble turns up a cottage in the Berkshires, which proves to be part of the grounds of a posh estate. Their impromptu adventure turns out to be a great setting for a memorable summer holiday, and you can follow their example by planning a Berkshires vacation of your own.
Nestled in the rolling mountains of western Massachusetts — about the same distance from downtown Boston as from New York City — the Berkshires is a funny mix of high culture and bucolic beauty. Follow the Penderwicks’ example, and focus your holiday on the latter: Swimming holes, berry picking, mountain trails, and reading on the back porch are the perfect way to while away the leisurely summer hours. The key to a Penderwick-style vacation is to slow down and focus on being where you are — and happily, the Berkshires is a lovely place to be.
The Penderwicks definitely have the right idea: Though there are a few family hotels and resorts, the best way to experience the area is by renting a cottage and settling in. Berkshire Rental Properties has several options, including three-bedroom Laurel Cottage with its sprawling screened porch, and Blue Hill, which has an all-white attic bedroom with two beds, just like Skye’s cottage room. Bring badminton, croquet, bocce, and your family’s favorite lawn games to play outside; if you’re following the Penderwick model, you’ll also want an archery set and a soccer ball to kick around.
Depending on the season, you can pick strawberries (in the early summer at Noble’s Tweenbrook Farm), blueberries (at Windy Hill Farm in Great Barrington when the season kicks off around July 4), or apples (in late summer at Bartlett’s Orchard in Richmond). Pick up jam jars at the local supply store to make your own vacation jam to enjoy when you’re back at home, bake a pie or two like Churchie, or just eat your pickings right out of the pail on your back porch.
If your cottage isn’t part of an old-fashioned estate house, you can still visit one. Author Edith Wharton’s beloved retreat The Mount offers a scavenger hunt to help you find your way through its maze-like gardens, which are as lovely as the Arundel gardens (and less zealously guarded against guests). Naumkeag, a quirky estate that dates back to the over-the-top elegance of the Gilded Age, is home to spectacular terraced gardens. Who knows? You may discover a secret tunnel and a new friend, too.
It’s worth planning a few day hikes while you’re in the area. Balance Rock, the star of Balance Rock State Park, is a short, easy hike with the payoff of — as the name suggests — a 165-ton boulder balanced on a small patch of bedrock. You’ll want to visit Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield, a former coral reef that dates back to the time when this part of the world was covered by an inland sea. The cobble is rocky outcrop of bedrock that’s less high and more rounded than a mountain, so these quartzite and marble structures are easy to climb and explore. Strap on your butterfly wings to visit the dragonflies and red-tailed hawks in Mountain Meadow Preserve in Williamstown, or bring your water shoes to explore Bash Bish Falls State Park (near Great Barrington), home to the area’s highest single-drop waterfall.
Mostly, though, stay close to home. String up a hammock to read away the lazy afternoons, write stories in your bedroom, make cookies together in the kitchen, and amble through the sunset together, listening to the chirping of insects. Turn off your phone, leave your tablet in your tote, and teach your kids to play gin rummy and Chinese checkers, or collaborate on crossword puzzles and logic problems. Really unplug together, and see where your interests take you.
DAY TRIPPING IN THE BERKSHIRES
If you want to plan a few field trips to supplement your lazy summer, start with Tanglewood, home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and an ideal place to fall in love with classical music (just like Jeffrey). Kids will want to explore the 19th century Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, where they can watch black-smithing, house-building, and dancing demon- stration as well as learning how to milk a cow or spin wool. In Hancock, the friendly barn residents of Ioka Valley Farm — including alpacas, sheep, and goats — roam the property looking for new friends. The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge features work by one of the most U.S. artists — while you’re in town, stop by the Berkshire Botanical Garden.
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