Something for everyone at Sheep Hill
Editor’s Note: This is the ninth in a summer-long series in which Advocate Assistant Editor Judith Fairweather, a Berkshire County native, explores the county as a tourist would (no special media accommodations) and visits places she has never been. Read about all of her visits at blogtheberkshires.com.
By JUDITH FAIRWEATHER
WILLIAMSTOWN — On a Saturday in early August, Sheep Hill, home of the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, was holding a concert and candle float event with Lui Collins. The information about the event said to bring a picnic and a blanket, and that dessert and drinks would be provided. So I packed the kids in the car, stopped at the Store at Five Corners for some chips and sandwiches, and we headed up, not really sure what we would find.
The sign on Cold Spring Road (a k a Route 7) marks the place well. We found parking right at the bottom of the hill, not realizing there was additional parking up top. We were met with a breathtaking view of the open space and hillside after our climb.
The farmhouse, dating back to the early 19th century, sat to our left. Now the Mary & Craig Lewis Center for Nature and Rural Heritage, it houses a lending library, local history and nature exhibit, classroom space and also has binoculars and field guides for loan while on the property. But perhaps more importantly with two kids in tow, it also houses beautiful bathrooms.