In both topography and attitude, Western Massachusetts has a dramatically different character than the eastern part of the state. If the area around Boston looks toward the ocean, then Western Mass. is all about the mountains. The Berkshire range defines the region, with blue-tinted hills rising out of river valleys, and highways snaking through gorges capped with brilliant foliage in the fall. At the same time, the flat valley area along the Connecticut River has the area’s richest farmland—with its loamy topsoil supporting a diverse range of crops in contrast to the hardscrabble glacial soil of much of New England.

Historically, the western part of the state has always had somewhat of a pioneer mentality, thumbing its nose at the effete ways of the city in favor of more honest pursuits of farming and manufacturing. A trace of that remains in the political independence of the people here, who skew wildly between college-town liberals and flinty hill-town conservatives, united in the common belief that the state government is unduly tilted towards Boston. This is, after all, the area of Shays’ Rebellion—the last hiccup of the American Revolution, in which farmer Daniel Shays led a misguided revolt against the new federal government, only to be put down months later by Washington’s army.

As the cities of New York and Boston grew in industrial might, however, they looked to the hills of Western Mass. as both a sobering refuge for their children and a summer playground for socialites. As a result, the area nowadays is known especially for its colleges and artistic attractions. In the summer, especially, the hills are alive with the sounds of music (and art and dance), while fall signals the annual influx of youth.

The Best of Western Massachusetts

• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Emily Dickinson Homestead
• Shelburne Falls
• Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
• The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
• Berkshire Athenaeum
• Tanglewood
• Norman Rockwell Museum