October 2024
Visiting the Harvest Festival at the Berkshire Botanical Garden – West Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Botanical gardens can offer a great escape to relaxation during a busy trip and showcase the natural beauty of the area. Located right in the heart of the Berkshires in Stockbridge is the Berkshire Botanical Garden which is one of the oldest botanical gardens in New England dating back to 1934. During the garden opening season which is typically from May to November, there are stunning garden displays that feature over twenty gardens spanning over 24 acres to explore from roses to herbs to wildflowers to greenhouse, and so much more. In addition, the garden center is open year round and hosts workshops and events.
Our visit to the Berkshires coincided with the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual Harvest Festival which has been in operation since the garden’s founding. We purchased tickets online in advance – which also came at a several dollar discount at $10 – as I read this festival is extremely popular in the region. The event advertised that there would be ample opportunities for food, games, crafts, and more.
We arrived around TIME and it was indeed, mobbed. The garden staff were clearly prepared to accommodate the mob of people and had adequate parking within walking distance to the gardens. The queue to pay for admission was also mobbed but lucky us we paid online with a $5 discount and we waltzed right into the festival. We found a map of the festivities to formulate our plan and it was indeed a very large event spanning both sides of the road that intersected the garden’s property.
The first half of the festival was full of craft booths, food trucks and activities. Now that I have been properly introduced to bear butter, I grabbed a rather expensive container of it. Bear butter is a combination of almond butter, vegan protein, cacao nibs, goji berries, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and coconut flakes – and it is delicious. There were also a few garden shops one of which offered the purchase of plants.
Across the street, the rest of the festival continued. Our first stop was instead the small museum where a giant bake sale was going on where you could get simple apple cider donuts to full sized pies. We picked up a few items before continuing on. More food booths awaited us along with live music and kid activities including pumpkin painting, a bounce house, hay jumping and much more . On the opposite side were portions of the gardens which I can only imagine being beautiful when in full bloom.
We ended up spending just under two hours here exploring the festival which is a perfect way to enjoy the fall season. The festival was very crowded but the grounds are big enough to disperse them. If your trip coincides with this iconic event, definitely include it as a part of your itinerary!