While Stockbridge and Lenox were developing into luxurious recreational centers for the upper crust of Boston and New York, Lee was a thriving paper-mill town. That meant that it was shunned by the wealthy summer people and thus remained essentially a town of workers and merchants. It has a somewhat raffish though not unappealing aspect, its center bunched with shops and offices and few of the stately homes that characterize neighboring communities.
The town's contribution to the Berkshire cultural calendar is The Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, which first thrived as "Denishawn," a fabled alliance between founders Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn.
Lee is 5 miles southeast of Lenox. In summer and early fall, the Lee Chamber of Commerce (tel. 413/243-0852; www.leechamber.org) operates an information center on the town common, Route 20 (tel. 413/243-4929). It can help you find lodging, often in guesthouses and B&Bs -- rarely as grand as those in neighboring Lenox, but nearly always cheaper. That's something to remember when every other place near Tanglewood is either booked or quoting prices of $300 a night.
Getting Outside
October Mountain State Forest (tel. 413/243-1778) offers 50 campsites (with showers) and more than 16,000 acres for hiking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. To get here, drive northwest on Route 20 into town, turn right on Center Street, and follow the signs.
