Taghkanic Journal II

The Mount from the Walled Garden (photo by David Dashiell)

Stockbridge boasts Austen Riggs a mental health facility with a storied history. The famous psychoanalyst, Erik Erikson practiced there and James Taylor referenced it in his song, "Knocking 'Round the Zoo."  Of course only minutes away is Lenox which boasts one of the most beloved classical concert venues in the country and Tina Packer's Shakespeare & Company. Summer camps preponderate in this idyllic part of Massachusetts (with its many lakes) which is also the site of Edith Wharton's residence, The Mount and let's not forget Arrowhead in Pittsfield, where Melville lived. After you drop your kids off at Camp Taconic in Hinsdale, you can repair to Tanglewood. One recent night the program included a magical Boston Pops rendition of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town, performed under the stars.