Great Barrington

Great Barrington is a pleasant town in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts.

Understand
Great Barrington was home to 7,200 people in 2020, and it does not feel like a tiny town at all, as it has a row of buildings around a half a mile long on Main St. (US Highway 7) and a few side streets, including a couple of nice churches. Great Barrington also has a claim to fame as the childhood home of the famous civil rights leader, W.E.B. Du Bois.

By car
From points south and north, take US Route 7 North and South, respectively. For points east and west, take I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike), which is a few miles north of town, and Exit 2 (from the east) or B3 (from the west).

By bus
Regular service on the routes up and down Route 7 from New York City to Vermont.

By train
There was once a passenger train to Great Barrington, as witness the name "Railroad St." However, it has been a long time since it was operational. The closest passenger train stops, nowadays, are in New York State and not worth going to for access to Great Barrington.

By plane
Albany International Airport is a 60-minute drive away. Hartford-Springfield Bradley International Airport is an 80-minute drive away.

Get around
You can get around the downtown area fairly easily on foot. To go further than that, you will need a car or at least a bicycle.

Do




Buy
Great Barrington is home to a successful local currency experiment. The local currency is called BerkShares. You can use BerkShares at hundreds of stores and businesses throughout the Berkshires. Using Berkshares helps local businesses and community residents by increasing the local money supply. Visitors and shoppers benefit as Berkshares can be purchased at several local banks for 90% of face value and redeemed at full value at local merchants. Berkshares banknotes are beautiful notes featuring images of local artists and historical figures.



Eat
Great Barrington has a wide variety of dining options despite the town's small size. Although the restaurants skew towards the pricey farm-to-table end of the spectrum, there are options to satisfy any price point.

Go next

 * Lenox, where the Boston Symphony Orchestra has its summer home at Tanglewood
 * Becket, a tiny town that is home to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival