Location: Pittsfield
Top Things to do in Pittsfield
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What to do and see in Pittsfield, Massachusetts (MA): The Best Things to do Good for a Rainy Day
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. The population was 44,737 at the 2010 census. Although the population has declined in recent decades, Pittsfield remains the fourth largest municipality in western Massachusetts, behind only Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee.
Restaurants in Pittsfield
1. Barrington Stage Company
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 268 reviews
Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is a professional award-winning Equity theatre presenting top-notch musicals, masterful classics, thought-provoking new work, cabarets and youth theater on four stages from May through October as well as a New Play Festival in February. Co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, BSC is perhaps best known for premiering William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s Tony Award-winning musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and was voted Best Theatre by "The Berkshire Eagle" readers in 2011 and 2012. BSC welcomes groups and offers senior and youth discounts.
Reviewed By RalphH42 - Williamstown, United States
I just saw Barrington Stage's presentation of the Creative Place international's production of Jefferey Sweet's excellent and timely play, Kunstler. Ingratiatingly acted by Jeff McCarthy who is ably supported by Erin Roche, the play has been lovingly directed by Meagan Fay who allows McCarthy to delve into the soul of the great man. The set, lighting and sound designers (James Fenton, Betsy Adams, and Will Severin) do splendid work in keeping us riveted to the play, which moves swiftly through its 90-some minutes. A smart and important production.
2. Elle Day Spa
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 28 reviews
At Elle Day Spa, you will find a blend of traditional Eastern therapies with Western knowledge that will indulge your senses and giving you the ultimate relaxation. Which will rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit. Spa Packages /Gift Cards available
Reviewed By T5038OQrobertw - Berkshires, United States
I highly recommend this day spa. The staff is both professional and personable. I went for the Swedish massage. The massage that I had was geared to the areas in my back and leg that I was having issues with. The Swedish massage was available from a half hour to longer intervals. It is certainly a very relaxing environment. Again, I would highly recommend this facility and the services they offer.
3. Dory & Ginger on North
4. Museum Facsimiles Outlet Store
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
When you want something beyond ordinary . . . An eclectic mix of some things you need, some things you don't need but just want and many things to make your home and life more pleasant. Doing dual duty as an outlet store for Museum Facsimiles, Pittsfield USA manufacturer supplying boutique stores, and an outlet for the cool things we find.
5. Guido's Fresh Marketplace
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 85 reviews
A family-owned independent marketplace featuring beautiful produce, natural and specialty food, prepared food, a full-service florist, meat and seafood, and wine and beer.
Reviewed By Harte_Family - Ottawa, Canada
Visited here to grab a few groceries on vacation and loved it ! Soooo many vegetarian, vegan, and organic options, and lots of prepared food too. Will definitely be back
6. Beacon Cinema
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By thomaskQ214XT
Incredible experience. So clean! Very comfortable heated seats that recline fully. Excellent staff. Volume was a bit high. That’s it.
7. Herman Melville's Arrowhead
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 170 reviews
Open on Saturdays only from October 19 through December 14, 10am - 2pm. Visit the home where Herman Melville and his family lived from 1850-1863. Melville wrote "Moby-Dick" here as well as many other notable novels and short stories. Main season is from May-October with daily tours, programs, hiking trails and museum shop.
Reviewed By michaelz107 - Falmouth, United States
Visited in August 2018 and loved it. (I indicated August 2019 because the system requires a date and the selection is limited!). This is a house in which Melville lived in the mid-1800s. You can go into his office and even see the view of a nearby mountain that is said to have inspired Moby Dick, Mount Greylock.
8. Colonial Theatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 94 reviews
Reviewed By pine3castle
The 2017 Barrington Stage Company performance of "Pirates of Penzance" featuring Will Swenson was outstanding. This year he is appearing in "The Royal Family of Broadway." Pittsfield is home to and close to so many venues that it sometimes is difficult to choose among performances. Many Broadway shows get their start in the Berkshires. We also saw "Typhoid Mary" which was spot on and beautifully acted on the St. Germain Stage. If you love theater, Pittsfield will not disappoint.
9. Berkshire Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 294 reviews
Established by Zenas Crane in 1903, Berkshire Museum integrates art, history, and natural science in a wide range of programs and exhibitions that inspire educational connections between the disciplines. In association with the Smithsonian since 2013, Berkshire Museum is part of a select group of museums, cultural, educational, and arts organizations that share the Smithsonian's resources with the nation. Located in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at 39 South St., the Berkshire Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $13 adult, $6 child; Museum members and children age 3 and under enjoy free admission.
Reviewed By kzsull01 - Windsor, United States
My husband and I visited the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on Sunday, May 12th, 2019. We have visited the museum multiple times and have always enjoyed it for its great mixture of various different types of science, history and art artifacts. Both the special and permanent exhibits, which change on an on-going basis, have been very interesting, informative, and educational, providing a nice opportunity to learn about multiple subject areas, definitely worth the visit. This time we really enjoyed the very impressive ‘Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion’ special exhibit, which has been extended from May 19th to September 8th. We highly recommend this exhibit, even after encountering an unexpected May snow storm traveling to the museum to see it. It was quite inspirational!! All the write-ups throughout the Berkshire Museum, describing the items on display, were very informative and nicely done. The museum had something for everyone, children as well as adults alike. It took us a little over an hour and a half to see the museum based on the amount of time available to us this time, but we could have easily spent over 2 hours there to fully absorb and appreciate everything the museum had to offer. We parked on the street in front of the museum, which was quite convenient and free. Special Exhibit: ‘Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion’: This exhibit was a great tribute to the 500th year anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci: It allowed you to explore and try-out approximately 40 full-size, true-to-design working models of his Renaissance inventions, and the 500-year-old drawings used to construct them. The exhibit nicely depicted da Vinci as an accomplished writer, scientist, inventor, engineer, architect, botanist, theorist and teacher using both art and science in a complementary way in his many works. A nice timeline was used to highlight his life and accomplishments from 1452 – 1519. His machines on exhibit were based on incredibly amazing notebooks where he recorded, ideas, observations, experiments, illustrations, sketches and drawings based on such themes as paintings, architecture, mechanics and anatomy. Several different subject areas tied to da Vinci’s inventions were illustrated in the exhibit, including, motion as the cause of every life, with the practical use of motion tied to the earth, air, fire and water in the machines that he built. Among his uses of motion were: ‘Motion of Water’ using a water saw and showing water as the driving force of all nature; ‘Motion of Fire’ and heat using a mobile machine gun and armored tank; ‘Motion of Air’ using an anemometer to measure the force of air and ‘Flying Across the Stage’ with machines for performance; and ‘Motion of Earth’ with a spirit of growth, balance and beauty from a linear perspective. Several exhibits showed various other aspects of Da Vinci’s accomplishments. The ‘To Evaporate Like Smoke’ exhibit illustrated his technique called sfumato, which he used to paint the Mona Lisa for a natural appearance. His methodical process and the experimental techniques that he used to paint the ‘Last Supper’ shown in the exhibit ‘Not a True Fresco’ were quite interesting. ‘Birds on the Wing’ showed the machines he created based on observation of nature, including the flapping wings of birds. The ‘Skin and Bone’ exhibit showed his strong interest in human anatomy and associated accomplishments. The ‘Measures of a Man’ exhibit provided interesting details about his famous ‘Vitruvian Man’ drawing. The ‘Blink of an Eye’ exhibit explained the dimension of depth in his paintings which was caused by an eye disorder, strabismus, where he was not able to maintain eye alignment. This disorder helped in depicting 3-dimensional objects and scenes on a 2-dimensioanl surface in his artwork. His ‘Mirror Writing’ was also depicted in his mirror images created with backward letters by writing right to left as a result of being left handed. This exhibit was quite impressive, definitely well done, and a very comprehensive view of da Vinci’s accomplishments. Special Exhibit: ‘Berkshire Now by John MacDonald’ – This was a small exhibit but included some beautiful landscape paintings painted using a very unique technique. Permanent Exhibits: As always, we started in the lower level to see the aquarium and reptiles on display. This time the aquarium was a bit different from previous visits. We really enjoyed the seven different types of poisonous dart frogs in various colors as well as the leopard spotted geckos. We also liked the various types of fish, turtles. snakes (including a boa constrictor and a python), a tarantula and some very interesting sea horses as well as other types of geckos and frogs among other species. Both children and even adults could enjoy the aquarium, which is always a very nice place to explore. The ‘Window on the World: A Look into the Permanent Collection’ exhibit included art from various places around the world at different points in time, as well as more local area objects. This included Arctic Mirages (1900 – present); New York City (1850 – 1950); Italy (509 – 27 BCE); the Barbizon School in Rural Paris; Pittsfield (1800 – 1965), including old Elm Ware; Porcelain from the Tang and Ming Chinese Dynasties (618 – 906) and (1368 – 1644), unique Roman Glass, Edison’s Gem home phonograph and many interesting items from museum founder Zenas Crane’s original collection, including the Berkshire Museum’s Traveling School. This was a nice trip back through time in various parts of the world.. The ‘Innovation’ exhibit was quite educational, informative and inspirational with impressive innovations from the local Berkshire area. Subject areas included: Crane Security Paper for currency; the Shaker’s radical simplicity and the use of explosives to complete the Hoosac Tunnel, among several other innovations. The exhibit answered the question: What is Innovation? It also described the innovation process, addressing such aspects as motivation, inspiration, rewards, learning from mistakes, overcoming obstacles, unexpected outcomes, success and much more. The 'Curiosity Incubator' included the Egyptian mummy Pahat and asked such questions as: Could you have Egyptian Blood? or Does your DNA trace to Pahat’s DNA? This was quite interesting and educational, including the displays related to preserving the past. The ‘Berkshire Backyard’ exhibit provided good background on area mammals, birds, fish, insects and flowers. In addition, the exhibit on the Rocks and Minerals from the surrounding Berkshires, was quite nice and included interesting displays related to fluorescence and testing minerals for radioactivity. This museum had a lot to offer, was worth the trip, and we will definitely go back again.
10. Herman Melville Memorial Room
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
