Winthrop Estate Fountain, photo by Kevin Sprague

The weather in Lenox has been glorious this week.  The summer-like days bring warming sun to the daffodils and trees and they are blooming everywhere.  We uncovered our fountain, taking off the heavy winter tent, and we are into spring cleaning on the grounds, and getting tan too. We are looking forward to the families who will be coming for their vacations or special occasions this season and have been busy on email, being in touch with the guests to answer questions, and make plans and reservations.  Spring time brings a flurry of activity from everyone thinking about the summer.    Happy Spring!

The mark of a great respite, be it a week or weekend, is the sense of renewal you achieve. The Winthrop Estate is a place you will recharge your life batteries, rediscover your love for each other; it’s a place where you can suspend judgment and live in a dreamy state without interruption, where the most that is asked of you is to choose which entertainment you wish to enjoy.  Here you are not itinerant tourists, but pampered guests of the mansion.  Imagine having no interruptions, tasks, dishes, or lists– just the joy of vacation.

Skiing in the Berkshires

Imagine the possibilities…after a day of skiing at one of the local ski resorts such as Butternut, Catamount or Jiminey Peak, you are mesmerized by the Berkshires beautiful mountain scenery.  You experience the excitement that comes with shushing down the mountainside with the snap of brisk air-  its a dream ski day.

After the invigorating day outdoors, there’s nothing more luxurious and inviting then returning to the Winthrop Estate where you options include slipping away into the sanctuary of a warm bath with candles softly glowing, a glass of your favorite wine and classical music in the background, a good book by the library fire and hot chocolate, a massage scheduled for eight o’clock to soothe your muscles– an hour of bliss.

A winter weekend at the Winthrop Estate, enjoying friends and family, is a magical, wonderful getaway… .you’ll remember it always.

Fun in the Snow, a winter family vacation smile

What fun kids can have in the snow!  Dress them up, and send them outside.  At the Winthrop Estate, they can step onto the back lawn and tumble, build, sled, chase eachother, throw snowballs, make snow angels and more.  An hour later, then will return, unwrap their wet layers, and collapse by the blazing fire with hot chocolate and cookies.  Ah… a family winter vacation in the Berkshires at the Winthrop Estate.

The Christmas Tree at the Winthrop Estate

The whole family, all 24 of them, gathered in Lenox at the Winthrop Estate a few days before Christmas.  They brought bags of gifts for the kids and home-made cookies to share.  They made the estate their home for the holiday.  They sang Christmas carols, they enjoyed meals (that they didn’t have to cook or clean up after, as the estate took care of that), they stayed up late talking after the little ones went to bed upstairs.  The kids went sledding on the great lawn, and got dizzy on the tree swing, then came in for hot chocolate.  Most everyone enjoyed an afternoon nap, whether it was in their beds or a leather chair by the fire in the library after reading a book.  The Winthrop Estate is a magical place for families to enjoy each other over the holidays.

Library at the Winthrop Estate

On every weekend the estate is used, whether it’s a destination wedding, a family vacation, a retreat or a concert, people find their way to the Library, which is just off the foyer, to play board games, read by the fire, or enjoy a conversation.  Sometimes they listen to the tube-amplified MacIntosh radio with AudioResearch amps on AudioPhysic speakers, sitting in the soft leather chairs and sometimes they just watch their child enjoy himself.  Photo by Konrad Brattke

Winthrop Estate Foyer, ready for the party

This foyer picture looks South, through the French doors to the verandah and Great Lawn. This room stays quite cool in the summer, and was lovely on hot days even before we added the a/c. The building is mostly a stone façade on the first floor, and this room does not get much passive solar hear and it is the coolest place in the whole house. I remember hanging out with friends in the foyer the first year we were at the estate, before we did any restoration, one summer evening marveling at the heat outside. Now the estate is fully air-conditioned and we revealed the wood floor you see here a few years ago. This space is very popular for mingling and socializing. It’s ready for you. Photo by Konrad Brattke

Verandah with Mist, early morning

This picture was taken in 2004 and continues to evoke the morning magic of being at a country estate. When you see the mist rising from the ground in the morning, and rising up from the valley to the west, you can hear many birds singing.

The Three Muses, our fountain, in Autumn

This picture of the fountain of the Three Muses, made of marble from Baci, Italy, was taken in the fall when the Copper Beech Tree just to the east of the fountain was a rich burgundy. The trunk of the Copper Beech is probably more than four feet in diameter. The area under the branches is covered by a soft mossy green covering and the roots poke thorough in a few places and leaves can grow off them right near the ground. A few of the roots hold water after a rainstorm and I have seen birds bathing there.

Stunning New England Fall Foliage

You don’t have to go driving to see the trees turning. You can sit on the verandah and look west to see this vista. This picture was taken in late October, 2008. Each year we try to guess the peak of foliage in New England and each year no one can quite agree which week it is when you are in it. It’s only in hindsight that we know the “peak”. It depends on water and warmth and sun, and I love watching the trees change for many weeks during the fall in Lenox. The estate has a tree map noting the many types of trees on the property. We have some specimen plantings from about 80 years ago, including some rare Ginko Biloba trees.