Two Year Anniversary
Road Trip Extravaganza!
Fascinating Places In Massachusetts That Are Straight Out Of A Fairytale
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/massachusetts/fairytale-places-ma/
8:00am-9:00am: Breakfrast at Two Sisters Cafe
9:00am-9:30 am: Travel to Hammond
9:30 am -11:00 am: Hammond Castle
11:00 am -1:30pm: Travel to Glacial Potholes, Shelburne Falls/Bridge of Flowers
1:30 pm -3:00 pm: Glacial Potholes, Shelburne Falls
3:00 pm -3:45 pm: Travel to White Marble Falls, Clarksburg/Natural Bridge State Park
3:45 pm -5:30 pm: White Marble Falls, Clarksburg
5:30 pm -6:30 pm: Travel to Lee/Checkin/Dinner
https://goo.gl/maps/C8UDGRsB6tw
John Hays Hammond, Jr. built his medieval-style castle between the years 1926 and 1929 to serve both as his home and as a backdrop for his collection of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance artifacts. The castle was constructed as a wedding present for his wife Irene Fenton Hammond to prove how much he cared for her. In addition, the building housed the Hammond Research Corporation, from which Dr. Hammond produced over 400 patents and the ideas for over 800 inventions. Second only to Thomas Alva Edison in number of patents, John Hammond was one of America's premier inventors. His most important work was the development of remote control via radio waves, which earned him the title, "The Father of Remote Control."
Visitors to Hammond Castle Museum are welcome to explore the castle on a self-guided tour of many rooms (map supplied) including the great hall, indoor courtyard, Renaissance dining room, two guest bedrooms, the inventions exhibit room, the library, the War room, the kitchens, the Natalie Hays Hammond exhibit room, servants quarters, as well as several smaller rooms and passage ways including a secret passageway. We suggest that you start your tour in our AV theater where you can view a short film on the life and times of the Hammonds. Visitors may also enjoy the beauty of the castle grounds and a view of the Atlantic shore line while strolling through our gardens or sitting on a bench taking in that view.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/glacial-potholes
The story of the Glacial Potholes, known as kettles in geological terms, dates back hundreds of millions of years, most recently taking the form they have today at conclusion of the last “Glacial Age.”
As the glaciers receded, fifty separate “pools” ranging from 6 inches to 39 feet in diameter were formed. The round holes were ground down by granite "by a whirlpool effect of water and gyrating stones of varied sizes.” As a result of the constant whirling of the granite stones, the potholes took on a remarkably symmetrical and round shape. They continue to be formed to this day during the end-of-winter snow melt when water levels rise significantly and the grinding millstones, still found in the smaller potholes, are whipped up into swirling whirlpools.
Located steps away from The Bridge of Flowers, in western Massachusetts, it used to be that a soak in the cool waters of the potholes was a welcome respite on a muggy New England day. However the pools have been “closed” to the public since 2002. Any swimming there is illegal and done at ones own risk.
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/natural-bridge-state-park-generic.html
Discover a geologic wonder at this 48 acre park. Examine the only naturally formed white marble arch and man-made white marble dam in North America, and tour an abandoned marble quarry. The "natural bridge" for which the park is named, according to geologists, is 550 million year old bedrock marble, carved into an arch by the force of glacial melt water over 13,000 years ago; one of the best places in New England to demonstrate the effects of glaciation. The bridge spans rushing Hudson Brook as it twists and tumbles through a steep 60-foot deep gorge.
Noted Romantic writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, visited here in 1838 and recorded his experience about Hudson's Cave (or Falls) in An American Notebook "The cave makes a fresh impression on me every time I visit it ... so deep, so irregular, so gloomy, so stern." The site was an active commercial quarry from 1810 to 1947, producing coarse-grained white marble used in local buildings and cemeteries. From 1950 to 1983 it was a privately-owned and popular roadside tourist attraction off the Mohawk Trail. Natural Bridge became a state park in 1985, to preserve its unique geologic features.
http://blackswaninnberkshires.com/
7:30am-9:00am: Exploring both Santarella Gingerbread House & Ashintully Gardens
9:00am-10:00am: Travel to BishBash
10:00am-11:30am: Bishbash Falls
11:30am-3:00pm: Travel to Heritage Museum & Gardens
3:00 pm -5:00 pm: Heritage Museum Gardens
5:30 pm: Check in/Dinner
https://goo.gl/maps/MCLhr2vbh2D2
English-born sculptor Sir Henry Hudson Kitson (1863-1947) studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, then emigrated to the USA and set up house 5 miles (8 km) SE of Lee MA in the tiny village of Tyringham , once the site of a Shaker community.
With a 45-foot (14-meter) ceiling, stained glass windows, a goldfish pond, and an 80-ton (73 metric ton) concrete-and-asphalt-shingle roof, Santarella is a unique fantasy structure that looks much smaller and simpler than it is. The 20th-century construction incorporates several much older farm structures, including two silos and parts of a barn. Behind the studio are elaborate gardens, which you can visit in summer.
http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/berkshires/ashintully-gardens.html
Against the backdrop of a sheltering Berkshires valley, during summer and fall wander through an intimate environment of outdoor sculpture and elegant gardens nourished by a gurgling stream. The 30-year creation of contemporary composer John McLennan, Ashintully Gardens are a serene retreat in the Berkshires surrounded by forested hills and traversed by a rushing stream. Mr. McLennan’s emphasis on elegant form and proportion in music is expressed through his garden design, which helped Ashintully earn the Hunnewell Medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
The gardens blend several natural features – a stream, native deciduous trees, a rounded knoll, and rising flanking meadows – into an ordered arrangement with both formal and informal beauty. Among the formal you'll find are the Fountain Pond, Pine Park, Rams Head Terrace, Bowling Green, Regency Bridge, and Trellis Triptych. Urns, columns, and statuary ornament the garden, while foot bridges, foot paths, stone stairs, and grassy terraces connect various parts of the garden.
A short trail up the hill leads to the ruins of the a Georgian-style mansion. In 1903, Robb and Grace de Peyster Tytus discovered the Tyringham Valley on their honeymoon. Soon after purchasing the 1,000 acres that they named Ashintully (Gaelic meaning “on the brow of the hill”), they built a Georgian-style mansion on the hill. The prominent home came to be known as the Marble Palace among local residents because of the way the pure white sand that was used for the stucco reflected the sunlight. In 1952, it burned down after being inhabited by two generations of the Tytus-McLennan family, but its Doric columns remain as testament to a bygone era. The present-day ruins command a striking view of distant Berkshire Hills.
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/bash-bish-falls-state-park.html
In the extreme southwest corner of the state is a cluster of state parks noted for their spectacular scenery and breathtaking views. Located here is Bash Bish Falls, one of Massachusetts' most dramatic and its highest single-drop waterfall. Cascading water tumbles through a series of gorges and a hemlock-hardwood ravine forest, and then drops about 60 feet into a sparkling pool below.
Bash Bish Falls is located next to the 4,169 acre Mount Washington State Forest which offers 30 miles of trails, including the South Taconic Trail and wilderness camping. They both adjoin New York's 5,000 acre Taconic State Park, which offers full service camping, amenities and access to Bash Bish Falls by a moderate difficulty uphill foot trail. Nearby 1,356 acre Mount Everett State Forest offers informal picnicking at Guilder Pond. From the top of Mount Everett visitors may take in a view spanning the three states.
http://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/
Heritage Museums & Gardens is comprised of three galleries and expansive gardens located in historic Sandwich, Massachusetts. It includes galleries for American Folk Art, a vintage carousel, automobiles and traveling exhibitions.
The gardens feature a collection of thousands of rhododendrons, including a collection of the world-renowned Dexter variety. Their typical bloom time is from Memorial Day Weekend to mid-June. Other horticultural areas of interest include: holly, daylily, herb, hosta, and heather gardens, as well as more than a thousand varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers.
The grounds also include the Old East Mill, a windmill built in Orleans, Massachusetts in 1800, and extensively restored in 1999-2000. In 2002, a labyrinth was also added to the grounds, designed by Marty Cain, one of the best-known labyrinth designers in North America. Also located on the grounds is the Hart Family Maze Garden and the Cape Cod Hydrangea Garden.
Nighttime Destination: Heritage House Hotel
http://www.heritagehousehotel.com/
8:00am-9:00am: Common Grounds Cafe - Breakfast
9:00am-11:00am: Travel to Garden in the Woods - 1.75 hours
11:00am-12:30pm: Garden in the Woods
12:30pm-1:30pm: Travel Home
http://hyanniscommonground.com/
The folkloric story of the Prince and the Pauper presents an admirable theme. These two unlikely characters have been brought together on “common ground.” For there is truly only one way for the barriers that have divided humanity for thousands of years to be broken down in reality. It is through expressing a LOVE which lets us see beyond our differences into the hearts of others. Only then will we be able to truly find common ground. This peacemaking love has been sought by many as the solution to many of the world’s problems. But, unfortunately, common ground has rarely been found. For without tapping into the SOURCE of this love (the source is the Eternal God himself), even the most valiant attempts, by the most noble souls, seem to be thwarted.
We here at Common Ground Café, are striving to provide for you more than just delicious, wholesome food in a restaurant with a catchy name. “Common Ground” represents our desire to stand together with you in that place where men’s hearts can finally find peace.
http://www.newfs.org/visit/Garden-in-the-Woods
Only 21 miles from Boston, Garden in the Woods is a living museum of rare and common native plants, set on 45 acres. Two miles of paths meander over glacier-sculpted ridges and through narrow valleys. A pond, a wooded bog, several springs, and a brook bring a diversity of wildlife into the garden. Adults and children will find plenty to see and do here.