Egremont

egremont well-preserved and well worth a visit

From left: Baldwin Hill Elm, The Egremont Village Inn.

Situated on the main route

and bearing the “Welcome to Massachusetts” sign, Egremont is, for many travelers, a first glimpse of Berkshire County. It was incorporated in 1775— the same year General Knox passed through on his way to deliver artillery to Boston—but dates to the original treaties signed along the Indian Line in the 1730’s. Thanks to another General (Hugh Smiley), creator of the Old Egremont Society, the buildings and culture have survived intact. By the 1930s, Egremont had become a popular motorcar destination for being “the real New England.” And while today’s automobiles look a lot different, the view from them is much the same.

EAT/DRINK | Egremont remains a go-to destination for locals and visitors alike. Long-running establishments include the perennially popular Old Mill (opened in 1978), drawing devoted fans to its circa-1797 grist mill building and familiar menu, while John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant (1990) gets raves for its upscale farm-fresh cooking in a historic home.

Mom’s Country Café is a bustling diner that’s been dishing out phenomenal breakfast and lunch fare for over 30 years. The adjacent Egremont Market makes a great sandwich to go—and stocks basics for your rental.

In 2016, Egremont made headlines when the close-knit Keene family from New York City restored a dilapidated old barn along Route 23, creating The Barn at the Egremont Village Inn, which rapidly became a renowned venue for dinner, drinks, and live music and comedy performances (plus karaoke). More recently, co-owners Nick Keene and Jenny Rubin opened Sara’s Place (named for Keene’s mother, who died in 2021) in the Inn, serving coffee, breakfast, and lunch Wednesdays through Sundays.

Be sure to check out the curated selection of “real wines for the people” and work from local artists at the South Egremont Spirit Shoppe, in an updated building that once housed a manufacturer of axles for horse-drawn carriages. Then climb the stairs from the parking lot to Devine, the first (and only) cannabis shop in Egremont. Over in North Egremont, regulars flock to the Old Egremont Country Store for daily lunch specials from the deli. It also stocks a variety of locally made products, from maple syrup to books by local authors as well as artwork. SHOP | Families have been coming to Kenver for snow sports gear and garb for over 60 years, and in 2014 the handsome, weathered-brick emporium began proffering accessories for the home and a special room devoted to pets.

If quilting is your “sport” of choice, you’re in luck: Brookside Quilts, located at the junction of Route 23 and Sheffield Rd., sells new and vintage quilts along with all the supplies you need (sewing machines, threads, rotary cutters, and the like) to DIY. You’ll find an eclectic array of candles, decorations, cards, wrapping materials, and gifts of all kinds at The Shop by Only in My Dreams Events, a wedding and event planning service. And it’s worth browsing the holiday annex in the back, which is decorated to the hilt and features themed board games and other festive kitsch.

The owners of 41 Main Antiques (and Mix on Main, in Sheffield) specialize in 20th-century furnishings and accessories but have an eye for pieces and collectibles from all periods. For now the shop is open by appointment only. Acorn: A Brooklyn Toy Shop, launched in 2004, has recently landed in Egremont. The cheery spot stocks handcrafted toys, artwork, and apparel for children in a lovely restored home.

STAY | Why not book one of seven comfy rooms—some pet-friendly—at The Egremont Village Inn, so you can “wind down your day and party all night in a restored barn while eating perfect pub food, sipping amazing local drinks, and listening to great Berkshire-based and national touring artists performing a few feet away”? (Sold!) The original one-room house was built before the Revolutionary War and over time grew in stature and size until it began operating as a guest house in the 1940s. History sleeps here.

The Inn at Sweet Water Farm may have a Great Barrington mailing address (and GPS locale), but is in the nationally registered historic village of North Egremont, some four miles from the center of GB. “It’s a country charm thing . . . worth the confusion.” The B&B serves homemade breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to the leisurely hour of 11 a.m.—and is open to non-staying guests with advance reservation. While not an active farm, there is a gaggle of hens that lay the eggs that you get to eat.