New England road trip: Fall colors, charming towns on U.S. Route 7
Fall colors burst on Mount Greylock and create a vibrant backdrop in Adams, Massachusetts. Credit: Getty Images/DenisTangneyJr
For a leisurely but dazzling fall foliage trip off the beaten byway, take a leaf from poet Robert Frost and tour a road less traveled: U.S. Route 7.
The mostly two-lane rural road in Western Connecticut and Massachusetts hits peak foliage in mid-October and early November, offering a quieter day trip alternative to Vermont's Route 100 and New Hampshire's Kancamagus Highway. It ranks among the Old Farmer's Almanac top 20 fall color destinations in the United States this year, while offering just about everything you'd expect on a New England leaf-peeping expedition — except crowds.
"If you’re looking for a fall trip that feels like yours alone — where you can wander, explore, and discover at your own pace — Route 7 really is the perfect drive I’d send you on," Rachel Lenda, director of tourism for the Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism, said in an e-mailed statement. Lenda said that U.S. 7 "winds through river valleys, covered bridges and storybook towns that most visitors never stumble upon" with "no traffic to distract you from the view."
Fall colors reflect on the Housatonic River in Connecticut. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/DenisTangneyJr
Beginning in Norwalk, Connecticut, and rolling through the scenic Housatonic River Valley, U.S. 7 boasts charming lodgings and restaurants, quaint shops, a scenic railway, e-bike and river kayaking rentals, and mountain hiking trails. Its leafy lanes feature historic sites dedicated to former residents Norman Rockwell, classic novelist Edith Wharton, and African American civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois.
"It's a ribbon of beauty, history and discovery," Kate Fox, executive director at the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, said of the stretch of U.S. 7 spanning her state’s Berkshires region.
Here is a guide, heading south to north, that might make all the difference for crowd-avoiding foliage fans.
Connecticut
Connecticut’s 78-mile stretch of U.S. 7 ambles through picture-postcard communities like Kent and Cornwall before ending at the Massachusetts border in North Canaan, Lenda said. The attractions include a family farm, a scenic waterfall and an iconic covered bridge.
Newtown
About 10 miles east of U.S. 7, at Castle Hill Farm, a100-acre family farm, harvest pleasures include fresh produce, a petting zoo and a 7-acre corn maze. "We have a very special hayride out to the cow pasture and see the cows from the wagon," said Stephanie Paproski-Kearns, a family member. Munch on apple cider doughnuts and pick your own pumpkin at the fall festival on October weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ($5-$13; 1 Sugar Lane, 203-774-4440, castlehillfarm.net)
Brookfield
Adult classes are held on the scenic campus of Brookfield Craft Center. Credit: Brookfield Craft Center
Browse the gift store at Brookfield Craft Center for handcrafted ornaments, jewelry, pottery and fiber works, take a class in woodworking, sculpture, weaving, jewelry-making and even blacksmithing (registration required), and peruse 150 artists’ efforts in the gallery. (Class prices start at $29; 286 Whisconier Rd., 203-775-4526, brookfieldcraft.org)
Kent
Follow a paved path through a covered bridge and descend stone stairs for a view of cascading Kent Falls in Kent Falls State Park. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/Holcy
You’ll want to get out and stretch your legs along the Housatonic River, which U.S. 7 follows north. One popular fall activity, according to Lenda: hiking a paved path through a red covered bridge and descending stone stairs for a view of cascading Kent Falls at Kent Falls State Park. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. ($10-$15; 462 Kent Cornwall Rd., Kent, 860-927-3238, ctparks.com)
Kent Falls Brewing Co. is a working farmhouse brewery nestled in the hills of Kent. Credit: John Suscovich
Nothing completes a hike like a fresh beer. Sip four 2-ounce tastings, a can, or a draft of ale, lager, or IPA at Kent Falls Brewing Co., a working farmhouse brewery, nestled in Connecticut's hills. Leashed dogs are allowed in the outdoor area around the tasting room. (33 Camps Rd., 860-398-9645, kentfallsbrewing.com)
Cornwall
The Historic West Cornwall Covered Bridge has stood for almost 160 years. Credit: Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism
Litchfield County in Connecticut’s northwest corner is "a top choice for fall foliage seekers," Lenda said. Among the quaint local towns: West Cornwall, where the 172-foot long, 15-foot-wide Historic West Cornwall Covered Bridge has been carrying traffic across the Housatonic for almost 160 years, according to cornwallct.org. Explore the leafy hills on a rented e-bike from Covered Bridge Electric Bike (For ages 16 and older; $60 for two hours; 860-248-3010, coveredbridgeebike.com). "We give everyone a map that takes them on River Road along the Housatonic River," said Spencer Bousquet, who works at the bike shop. Added Bousquet, "It’s really nice in the fall and the trail ends in Falls Village, which connects to the Appalachian Trail." Or rent a canoe, kayak or raft for a paddle on the Housatonic River at Clarke Outdoors (163 Route 7 Sharon-West Cornwall, 860-672-6365, clarkeoutdoors.com) Post-paddle, browse the shops and galleries in West Cornwall's center.
Massachusetts
"There’s something timeless about traveling U.S. Route 7," Fox said of the main thoroughfare through the Berkshire Mountains and historic communities like Stockbridge and Pittsfield. "Along the way, travelers can explore cultural treasures, natural wonders and iconic American landmarks," Fox said.
Great Barrington
Visit the boyhood home of W.E.B. Du Bois in Great Barrington. Credit: Getty Images/Barry Winiker
The W.E.B. Du Bois National Historic Site offers self-guided tours, from dawn to dusk, of the celebrated author and African American civil rights leader's boyhood homesites. "A woodland path with interpretive signs terminates at the site where Du Bois’ boyhood home once stood," said Dan Bolognani, executive director of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area. (Free; 612 S. Egremont Rd., 860-435-9505, duboisnhs.org)
Stockbridge
The Norman Rockwell Museum is home to one of the largest collections of the famed illustrator's works. Credit: Norman Rockwell Museum
A go-to for Americana, the Norman Rockwell Museum houses one of the largest collections of original paintings and drawings by the legendary illustrator, who lived in Stockbridge for the last 25 years of his life, according to the museum staff. Tours are offered of Rockwell's carriage barn studio. (9 Glendale Rd./Route 183, 413-931-2221; nrm.org, $35).
Lenox
The Mount was the country home of writer Edith Wharton in the early 1900s. Credit: Getty Images/HABesen
House and garden tours of The Mount showcase the impressive mansion of "Ethan Frome" author Edith Wharton, the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize. ($22; 2 Plunkett St., 413-551-5111, edithwharton.org)
Pittsfield
A look inside the carpenter's workshop at the Hancock Shaker Village Museum. Credit: De Agostini via Getty Images/DEA / C. P. RICCI
Time, indeed, stands still at Hancock Shaker Village, what Fox said is a "religious community known for its craftsmanship and simplicity." The former 19th century utopia is now a preserved 750-acre "living history museum," featuring displays of the unique Shaker furniture style, a milelong hiking trail and a working farm with gardens and livestock. ($20, $8 ages 13-17; 1843 W. Housatonic St., 413-443-0188, hancockshakervillage.org)
Arrowhead, also known as the Herman Melville House, is where the celebrated 19th-century author lived with 11 family members and wrote some of his best-remembered works, including "Moby Dick." In the house currently home to the Berkshire County Historical Society, tour rooms restored to Melville’s era with "artifacts owned by the Melville family such as his traveling trunks," said Lesley Herzberg, executive director. ($20; 780 Holmes Rd., 413-442-1793, berkshirehistory.org)
There's plenty of shopping along North Street in downtown Pittsfield,. Credit: Getty Images/DenisTangneyJr
The Berkshires’ most populous city buzzes with a lively downtown art, shopping, dining and entertainment scene on North Street, the Upstreet Cultural District. Download a digital tour of local sights, including 30 outdoor murals, said Rebecca Brien, managing director of Downtown Pittsfield Inc. (413-443-6501, downtownpittsfield.com) Feeling thirsty? Hot Plate Brewing Co. serves draft IPAs, pizza and pretzel snacks and hosts trivia nights (1 School St., hotplatebeer.com)
Adams
Put on your sturdy shoes to conquer Mount Greylock; at 3,491 feet, it is the highest point in Massachusetts. The summit's sweeping views offer a 90-mile panorama of the surrounding countryside. Drive to Greylock’s’ Veterans War Memorial Tower for "a quintessential outdoor New England experience," Fox said.
"The Berkshire Scenic Railway offers a charming ride through the region’s history and landscapes," Fox said. During peak season, take the Railway's Fall Foliage Trains, boarding a vintage diesel-powered locomotive for a one-hour, 10-mile chug through northern Berkshire County. ($24, $13 ages 3-12; Departures at Adams Station, 4 Hoosac St., Adams, Oct.18, 25 and 26, berkshiretrains.org)
