Lenox has long been popular with the cosmopolitan set. During the Gilded Age it, along with Newport, was the place to be seen.
Though the Gilded Age has long since passed, Yankee cosmopolites still come here every summer to escape the city heat and enjoy the cooler climate of the leafy mountains. Over the years, the Berkshires have become a summer resort area with an enviable array of cultural (as well as natural) offerings. And the Blantyre, a Tudor mansion situated on eighty-five acres of meticulously maintained grounds, epitomizes the region's blend of tradition, elegance, and natural beauty.
Blantyre is a 1902 replica of a Scottish castle. The main house contains eight guest quarters, while the recently renovated Carriage House and several cottages round out the compound to give Blantyre twenty-three rooms in total. In the main house, the Great Hall has wood paneling, fresh flowers, and antique furnishings.
In keeping with the region's harmonious blend of rural sophistication, Blantyre offers a wide range of activities, but doesn't make you feel as if you must be doing something. On the grounds, there are a swimming pool, four tennis courts, and two croquet lawns. Croquet was a favorite game among the 19th-century socialites who first put the Berkshires on the map.
The atmosphere is aristocratic yet comfortable. Rather than having to claim its prestige with fancy trappings, Blantyre expresses itself with understated elegance. Return guests and travel writers who appreciate this classy ambiance have made Blantyre one of the most renowned estate inns in the country. Fine French food is on the menu in the formal dining room, where the service is excellent. Breakfast is offered in the sun-filled conservatory. And you can also relax in the music salon.
Of course there is life beyond the compound. You can visit Edith Wharton's "cottage," where there are often live readings and other performances. Go to Tanglewood for a concert out on the lawn or in the newly built performance barn. There's nothing like camping out under the stars on a blanket, sharing the moment with the person you'd most like to be with, and listening to the gorgeous music waft from the concert stage and into the green mountains beyond. The Boston Symphony plays here in the summer, and the stage is host to a wide variety of classical and popular performers. And don't forget the Boston Pops, who are also regulars. And there's summer theater, ballet, and a host of other attractions. The Norman Rockwell Museum is nearby.
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