Temporary Tourist

Mabel Choate was somewhat of a maverick for her time. Unmarried, she frequently toured abroad, alone, amassing a vast collection of items from her travels in Europe and Asia. She enjoyed parties and children, hosting both frequently at Naumkeag.
The dining room is set as it would have been for a Victorian dinner party; Mabel’s room — the master bedroom once used by her parents before their deaths — features a breathtaking art deco light fixture installed by Mabel. From Chinese porcelain collected by Mabel to a 16th-century wall hanging, the house documents the lives of the Choate family from the late 1800s through Mabel’s death.
But the property is much more than just the house. The 46-acre property is a joy to explore. This year, that task is made easier through a new program for kids called “Look Closely with Kipper” as well as a new audio tour included in the admission price.
Kipper, one of Mabel Choate’s favorite dogs, leads kids on a scavenger hunt that allows an organized, self-directed tour of the gardens, which were expanded under the direction of Mabel with landscape architect Fletcher Steel from 1926-1956. Designed for 4- to 10-year-olds, my 9-year-old daughter, Caroline, willingly became my test pilot for the new program on a recent visit.
We started through the arched garden gate to the left of the main entrance of the house. “This is cool,” she breathed, as we stepped through to find the Afternoon Garden to our right, a panoramic view of the mountains before us and the South Lawn, graced by a towering 250-year-old oak tree, a favorite picnic spot for the Choate family and the reason they purchased the property, to our left.
We paused in the garden to orient ourselves to the backpack provided for the scavenger hunt, finding a three-ring binder with our directions as well as a clipboard with a map and other activities like a word find, a word scramble and a maze. Caroline was eager to find the things we were supposed to look for, like the glass pieces used by the builders between the bricks at the front of the house that were meant to shimmer in the sunlight.
We both marveled at the way the black glass used to create a pool in the Afternoon Garden gave the illusion of much greater depth and laughed at the photograph of the real Kipper, included in the binder, that looked like he was walking on water.
Our adventure took us to the famous Blue Steps, somewhat misnamed because the steps are in fact stone. The name is derived from the blue fountains, each set within an arch, found at the landings. They were breathtaking viewed from the bottom up.
We were both somewhat disappointed to find the fountain in the Evergreen Garden empty; Caroline, on the evaluation that came with the program, said, “Water in the fountain would make it more exciting and beautiful.”
Our last stop, and probably the most intriguing, was the Chinese Garden. We entered through the sharp turn of the “Devil’s Screen” — legend has it that the Devil can only go in a straight line, so the tricky entrance ensures the Devil cannot enter — to find a space filled with some of Mabel’s oriental treasures. It contained many fascinating elements, from a temple built of concrete and teak to a circular Moon Gate and Oriental trees and plants.
Part of the scavenger hunt includes activities at various points, from puzzle building to the chance to create a drawing or read a book. Each activity box was full and well housed in a sturdy plastic container. Because the day was so hot, we did no more than peruse the contents before moving on to our next stop. Even so, the garden tour took more than an hour.
The audio tour, which we sampled at various points on our journey, was provided by a small unit hung on a nylon cord you can wear around your neck. At each desired location, you put in a code number to access the information about the site. The presentations were very thorough, providing great detail, but I found it too much to deal with in conjunction with our Kipper backpack, binder and clipboard as well as my reporter’s notebook, pencil and camera. I would definitely return to try the complete audio tour on a less hectic day.
We headed off to the coolness of the guided house tour. Our guide, Emily, was friendly, approachable and very well versed in the history of the family as well as the house. We started on the back terrace, entering the main hall from the rear. It is incredible how well preserved the home is and the attention to detail that has been observed in any necessary restoration. For example, the tin ceiling in the dining room has been replaced, but Emily had a portion of the original ceiling to show us.
Downstairs we viewed the dining room, butler’s pantry (the kitchen is in the basement and is currently under renovation; Emily said it is expected to open next summer), the library opening on to the Afternoon Garden, the formal drawing room and Joseph Choate’s study, tucked in the northern corner of the house away from the hustle and bustle.
It was easy to imagine the women and men in their Victorian garb picnicking on the lawns or enjoying a formal dinner. In each room, photos of the Choate family allowed us to see them as they enjoyed their summers in the Berkshires.
The house is graced by two Norman turrets, inspiring the feeling of being in a castle. The best upstairs guest room, on the south front corner of the house, makes use of that turret as a sitting area. How wonderful it must have been to be a guest in that house — to awaken in the four-poster canopy bed, ring the button by the bedside and then relax on the divan while waiting for the staff to bring the breakfast you had chosen from your breakfast menu the night before. The guest room on the north side of the house makes use of the turret as well; Caroline and I both agreed we would surely have loved to have lived there.
The third floor contains rooms that were reserved for servants as well as visiting children, complete with a nursery and a room for the governess. Every room was completely furnished just as Mabel had left it.
Although the tour took about an hour, the time seemed to go by too fast. I could have spent hours there looking in detail at the fascinating items in each of the rooms.
Naumkeag is an incredible treasure for its completeness. What an amazing gift Mabel Choate bestowed on the Berkshires! And in addition to learning another piece of Berkshire history, I also became acquainted with another woman I could identify with — an educated woman who loved to travel yet didn’t conform to the expected norms of her day.
The Trustees own close to 100 properties in Massachusetts, including 12 others in the Berkshires that range from the Col. John Ashley House and Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield to Mountain Meadow Preserve in Williamstown. It is heartening to know that such a group exists with the mission to protect and preserve historic properties and open space for future generations. I look forward to visiting more of the Trustees’ properties in the future and sharing the history of the Berkshires with my kids.

Naumkeag, at 5 Prospect Hill Road in Stockbridge, is open daily through Columbus Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last tour starting at 4 p.m. The cost is $12 for adults and $3 for children 6-12 and includes the audio tour of the gardens, a guided house tour and the Kipper backpack rental for the kids. Trustees of Reservation members are admitted free. Info: thetrustees.org or 413-298-3239.