Sheffield

The first settlement of any size encountered when approaching from Connecticut on Route 7, Sheffield occupies a flood plain beside the Housatonic River, 11 miles south of Great Barrington, with the Berkshires rising to the west.

Agriculture has long been the principal occupation of its residents, and still is, to a degree. Everyone else sells antiques, or so it might seem driving along Route 7 (also known as Main St. or Sheffield Plain). The meticulously maintained houses cultivate an impression of prosperous tranquillity.

May through October, stop by the Colonel Ashley House, Cooper Hill Road, in Ashley Falls (tel. 413/298-3239). Built by the colonel himself in 1735, this modified saltbox is believed to be the oldest house in Berkshire County. Ashley was a person of considerable repute in Colonial western Massachusetts, a pioneer settler, an officer during one of the French and Indian Wars, and later a lawyer and a judge. The house is open from 1 to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Admission to the grounds is free; tours of the house are $5 for adults and $1 for children 6 to 12. To find it, drive south from Sheffield on Route 7, then veer onto Route 7A toward Ashley Falls. Bear right on Rannapo Road. At the Y intersection, turn right on Cooper Hill Road.

Getting Outside

The 278-acre nature reservation called Bartholomew's Cobble, on Route 7A (tel. 413/229-8600), lies beside an oxbow bend in the Housatonic. A "cobble," by local definition, is a "scenic, rocky eminence rising from the valley floor." These 6 miles of trails cross pastures, penetrate forests, and provide vistas of the river valley from the area's high point, Hurlburt's Hill. Picnicking is permitted. Birders should take binoculars. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset, and the small natural-history museum is open daily from 9am to 4:30pm. Requested donations are $5 for adults and $1 for children 6 to 12. To get here, follow the directions for the Colonel Ashley House , except at the end of Rannapo Road, bear left on Weatogue Road.

Antiquing

Sheffield lays justifiable claim to the title of "Antiques Capital of the Berkshires" -- no small feat, given what seems to be an effort by half the population of the Berkshires to sell collectibles, oddities, and true antiques to the other half. These are canny, knowledgeable dealers who know exactly what they have, so expect high quality and few bargains.

Darr Antiques and Interiors, 34 S. Main St. (tel. 413/229-7773), specializes in 18th- and 19th-century English and American furniture. Farther north along Route 7, Dovetail Antiques, 440 Sheffield Plain (tel. 413/229-2628), features American clocks. Continuing along Route 7, on the left at the edge of town, is Susan Silver (tel. 413/229-8169), with meticulously restored 18th- and 19th-century English library furniture (desks, reading stands) and French accessories.

There are at least two dozen other dealers along this route. Most of them stock the free directory of the Berkshire County Antiques Dealers Association, which lists member dealers from Sheffield to Cheshire and across the border in Connecticut and New York. Look, too, for the pamphlet called The Antique Hunter's Guide to Route 7.

Sheffield on Stage

From late June to late August, the nonprofit Barrington Stage Company (tel. 413/528-8888; www.barringtonstageco.org) mounts musicals, comedies, and dramas at the Consolati Performing Arts Center, on Berkshire School Road and other sites. The Tony-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, was given its premiere by the company before it moved to Broadway. On five Saturday evenings in July and August, the Berkshire Choral Festival, 245 N. Undermountain Rd. (tel. 413298-3926; www.choralfest.org), performs classical works at the Berkshire School in Sheffield.