The Berkshires MA - Attractions

THE BERKSHIRES AMERICA'S ANTIQUES MECCA The BCAADA is proud to announce Berkshire County’s designation as the Antiques Capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 37 DEALERS, EACH WITH A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF QUALITY PIECES MANY NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED EXPERTS IN SPECIAL AREAS: AMERICANA, ENGLISH, CONTINENTAL, SCANDINAVIAN & FRENCH COUNTRY ANTIQUES, PORCELAIN AND FINE CHINA, JEWELRY AND COLLECTIBLES, SCULPTURE & PAINTINGS LARGE COLLECTIONS WITH GREAT DEPTH IN MANY AREAS ALL IN THE BEAUTIFUL, HISTORIC BERKSHIRES The southern Berkshires were settled before the United States was born, and the towns of Berkshire, Litchfield, and Columbia counties have always been fertile ground for the lover of fine old things. The first antiques dealers here, naturally, offered American furniture, paintings, and folk art. With time, specialists in antiques from around the world have been attracted to the area, and now the shopper can find offerings from England, Canada, France, Italy, Scandinavia, and even China. The number of nationally recognized experts in specific periods and styles, with unusually large inventories and collected in close proximity, led Leslie and Leigh Keno, from television’s Antiques Roadshow, to describe this area as an “Antiques Mecca.” In 1973, a handful of the dealers along Massachusetts Route 7 recognized a need to educate their customers, as well as themselves, about the nature and standards of the antiques trade. They formed the Berkshire County Antiques and Art Dealers Association, the first organization of its kind in the nation. The Association brought together those dealers with a commitment to accurate dating and full description of their offerings so that the antiques buyer could feel confident that their pieces were properly labeled with respect to condition and origin. Now, thirty-nine years later, the Association numbers 37 members in three states and includes individual dealers offering everything from curios to museum-quality. In a single day, finds may include fine English library furniture, American paintings, country tables, antique wicker, painted furniture, country pieces, tin lanterns, brass candlesticks, Continental crystal chandeliers, porcelain dinnerware, Delft earthenware, American stoneware, architectural elements, and garden ornaments. As a bonus, our member galleries also showcase the work of local artists. As in the past, the Associations mission today is to create and maintain better relations between customer and dealer. We do this by working to avoid errors in judgment in the dating and description of antiques and art. We believe the buying public benefits from these better business practices. In 2011, the Massachusetts General Court designated Berkshire County as the Antiques Capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, recognizing the strong contribution our members make to the local economy and acknowledging their commitment to honest business practices. The southern Berkshires is truly the East Coast’s antiques mecca.

Opened in 1983, Crab Apple Whitewater is a family owned business with three generations working rivers in western Massachusetts and Maine. Family members run every trip and we guarantee excitement on the river complimented by great service and a personal touch. Crab Apple's Massachusetts base camp lies along the Deerfield River. A wide range of rafting trips is available daily on the dam controlled Deerfield. Three stretches of river covering over 25 miles of river offer different levels of rafting and excitement. The Deerfield's uppermost whitewater stretch is in remote Monroe, a town of about 100 residents. The Monroe Bridge Section of river offers non-stop Class 2-4 rapids on scheduled dam releases throughout the season. The next reach is about ten miles of mild to intermediate Class 2-3 whitewater below the Fife Brook Dam. Daily dam releases on this stretch are busy with family rafting trips and adults testing their skills at a new and beautiful adventure. The lower stretch of the river is eight miles all the way down to Crab Apple base camp. On this stretch we offer mild, guided raft trips and inflatable kayak, "funyak", rentals each afternoon. The Deerfield River in the northern Berkshires is beautiful, teeming with wildlife and full of rich Native American and colonial history. Crab Apple guides are experts in all phases of a rafting adventure - whitewater action, thrills, camaraderie and local knowledge. At Crab Apple, all trips are led by family members and feature great food, excellent equipment and fantastic guides. Our riverside base camp is easy to find and offers a great view overlooking the Deerfield River. We are proud to offer great service with a personal touch since 1983. Call 1-800-553-RAFT(7238) or visit or www.crabapplewhitewater.com to book a great adventure.

Sweden, Denmark, and Europe in the Berkshires Specializing in painted Swedish furniture from the Gustavian and Neoclassical periods – armoires, chests, seating, Mora clocks, as well as Swedish folk art. Cupboards & Roses Antiques occupies a post-and-beam building full of painted antique furniture and folk art from Sweden, including Swedish Gustavian settees and chairs, tables, cupboards, and chests of drawers. The extensive collections of Swedish folk art and Swedish tall case Mora clocks are a must see. Cupboards & Roses Antiques is known for its extensive collection of 18th and 19th century painted furniture from Scandinavia and Europe. Featured Scandinavian antiques include Gustavian chests of drawers (commodes), tables and chairs, Mora and Bornholmer clocks, and Swedish secretaries and writing desks. The selection of German and Austrian armoires and hope chests is one of the most extensive in America. Edith Gilson, the owner of Cupboards & Roses Antiques, has built her reputation on her discerning eye, her inclination for the unusual, and her expertise in the field of antique painted furniture. Since 1990 she has traveled extensively in Scandinavia and Europe, developing relationships with people whose families have spent years studying and collecting painted furniture from specific regions. Through her store, she brings the collective knowledge of these specialists to her clientele. Each piece of furniture at Cupboards & Roses Antiques has been scrutinized carefully by Edith. She has studied its construction, its painted surface, and its overall condition. “The details are important, of course,” she says. “But each of these pieces is unique, and it is when one speaks to me through its form and color and decoration that I buy it for the store.” Pieces from Cupboards & Roses Antiques have been featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Country Living, Florida Design, The New York Times, and Better Homes and Gardens. Arthur Dunnam, design director at Jed Johnson Associates was quoted in Architectural Digest as saying, “These pieces work well in a country setting but are sophisticated enough for the city.”

One of the most charming destinations in the Massachusetts Berkshires, Painted Porch - country antiques - specializes in the finest country antiques and accessories. All year round, owners Larry and Carol Solomon search the English and French country sides to bring back an extensive collection of unique antique pieces. This very special shopping experience is located on a beautiful property in Sheffield, Massachusetts just 2 1/2 hours from New York City or Boston. You can wander the rooms of antiques in our 1815 colonial and visualize how the antique accessories or painted furniture might look in your home and then head out to our barn to see even more, including grape hottes, cherry enfilades, painted dressers, a variety of antique store counters or even an early English apothecary from the 1860s. We also have a wonderful selection of Canadaian antique furniture. Only a fraction of our antique inventory is online, so be sure to visit Sheffield and stop by Painted Porch.   Unique antique furniture and antique reproduction tables Painted Porch Country Antiques is located in Sheffield, MA 01257

First, a confession. I’m obsessed. I developed an early interest in antiques from my mother who was an interior designer in New York. But it was about twenty years ago I realized beautiful antiques make my heart race and I discovered I had a passion for English and Continental antiques. Rather than deny it or douse it, why not indulge it? So I left a career in creating sets for commercial film advertising and put my zeal and stylist’s eye to work, opening a shop specializing in 18th and 19th century Georgian and Regency furniture and accessories. I’m still obsessed, always on the hunt for the next perfect object. I go often to England and France, indulging myself in my own form of the royal progress. I spend a great deal of time and effort searching out my objects, but I’m extremely particular, driven to find the best quality items. Beautiful antiques abound in the marketplace, but the items I buy must possess that little extra that elevates a piece from the very nice to the exceptional. The fine craftsmanship and the varied forms of English furniture keep drawing me in. I gravitate to furniture and accessories for libraries and living rooms, including tables, desks, chairs, bookcases, mirrors and lighting fixtures. I also look for cleverly designed and beautifully made military campaign furniture. I still marvel that British military officers could do so much to recreate the luxury of home life abroad, ready to be picked up by handles, packed into specially made traveling boxes and shipped to the next posting. Many of the pieces I sell can serve dual and triple purposes, since not many of us have batteries of servants to wait on our every whim. You will find wonderful antiques in my shop in the village of Sheffield, Massachusetts, amid the beautiful Berkshire Hills. I invite you to browse at SusanSilverAntiques.com… but do come to see us in person, too. We’re open every day but Tuesdays, throughout the year Another confession: My greatest joy is sharing my passion for these beautiful things. - Susan Silver