naumkeag

You can get a real sense of what the "cottages" (estates) might have been like in the Berkshires during the late 19th century into the 20th century. Beautifully preserved, gorgeous grounds, breathtaking views, and wonderful history that shares the ongoing love affair with the Berkshires.

Naumkeag is a prime example of what the Berkshire cottages were like. The property is currently undergoing a massive renovation of the entire site......buildings and grounds and gardens. A very impressive visit to be sure.

Tour was very, very good with knowledgeable guide. You can picture our own little American version of Upstairs/Downstairs. Combine with other attractions in the local area for a great day. The grounds are nice to stroll with the blue themed waterfall, and the linden walk. We love it.

I agree with the previous reviewer that this home was built and decorated by a family with piles of money and little taste. If you are a student of architecture you will find it interesting, of you are looking for beautifully appointed rooms and gardens you may want to skip.

The admission of $15.00 which is actually quite reasonable for attractions was worth every penny and more. The guided tour was full of information of the history of the house and the family that lived there. Since everything including the furnishings are original it felt as though the family was going to be entering at any time. Although the gardens had gone by when we visited it was easy to see just how beautiful they would be at the height of the season. We have already made plans to go back to see them in bloom. Between the tour and viewing the gardens my husband and I spent 3 hours there. Our only regret was that we hadn't brought along a picnic lunch to enjoy while gazing at the fantastic view. One word of caution, the gardens are not connected by walk ways so strolling the grounds could be treacherous in heels or for those who need assistance in walking. I wouldn't recommend this for young children as they would be bored but it is a great place for couples or families with older teenagers.

A dark dreary place on a cloudy day. Imagining the day to day lives of the downstairs staff that kept it running. Upstairs is a vulgar mishmash of styles. Furnishings and gardens must have kept an army of designers and landscapers busy for years. Excellent example of what too much money and not enough good taste could achieve in Mr. Twain's "gilded age". Not worth the admission price as more interesting examples of this periods "cottages" exist elsewhere.

Having come from the UK we were expecting impressive Kew Garden style gardens, but were a little disappointed. We enjoyed looking at the curvaceous path at the back of the property but found the Japanese garden a bit sad. We were given a tour of the property and an insight into the lives of the Choate family. We were particularly struck by a portrait of J H Choate Jnr., as he ressembled the son of a close friend of ours back in the UK! The tour guide gave us an interesting tour and adapted it to a very mixed age audience, which kept everyone's interest going. We felt that the admission price ticket, however, was a little costly.

We discovered that our membership with the Trustees of Reservations got us in free! But it would have been well worth the price of admission. This 19th-20th century home with gardens is nothing short of spectacular. Go see it.

This summer home of the Choate family has something for everyone: gardeners, history buffs, artists, collectors. From the architecture to the furniture, to the meticulously groomed grounds, this Trustee of Reservations property delights everywhere you look. We were here on a beautiful fall day and the views of autumn foliage were spectacular. Our guide, David, was bright, well spoken and informative. Our two hour visit flew by. A must see!!

In the center of Stockbridge sits an old house and landscape with fountains, serpentine shrubbery, gardens. Very quaint.

The architects of Naumkeag are great favourites of mine and viewed from the road it promises a great deal. It is a really grand house, not a summer cottage as I would know it, but internally it is dark and sombre. While no doubt this is to do with keeping it cool in summer it also derives from the Choate family's selection of somewhat tawdry furnishings. This is the problem and attraction of house museums, they are as attractive as the taste of the family who occupied them, though conversely they allow us to recognise tastes and lifestyles of different generations. Fletcher Steele's garden design is much celebrated but it comprises components that hardly form an integrated whole and the source of their great fame and celebration somewhat eluded me. However, the property is well worth a visit for the house, the turned woodwork on the stairs and the marvellous views.

There are so many beautiful towns and places in the Berkshires that you could see for free. With that said, I would still pay $15 to see Naumkeag. I went for the first time a couple of days ago and my husband had to stop me from visiting again the very next day lol. The grounds are gorgeous and the 1 hr house tour is very interesting. Our tour guide was witty and very informative. My favorite room was the dining room with its tin ceiling. Our tour guide painted the prettiest picture of the dining room during sunset. The room's candle light and sunset would illuminate the tin ceiling and as the sun goes down, guests can take in the beautiful rolling hills as their backdrop. I could almost feel it and wish I was able to experience that moment in person. Naumkeag is only open from 9-5pm until mid or end of October so I don't think any guests can experience that sunset in person. But hey, check out of a few of Naumkeag's pictures to see if you would be interested. It's all even better in person.

Sister in law and boyfriend were visiting from PA so we were looking for something different. While Naumkeag House is 1.5 hours away by auto it was well worth the journey and would definitely be repeated. The gilded house is a "cottage" so it was not as elaborate as a gilded home. Our guide was informative, knowledgeable, and pleasant if a bit too scripted. The real reward to us was the gardens. Looking out the windows at the autumnal Berkshire foliage was delightful and walking through the restored grounds was breathtaking! This is a not to be missed Stockbridge site!!!

We were told about Naumkeag while at the Rockwell museum and decided to check out the gardens. We toured the house and gardens and were greatly surprised--it was beautiful and the tour was fascinating. It is a beautiful house and the gardens are unique--well worth the price of admission.

Excellent house tour plus wonderful gardens enhanced by a free audio guide which provides so much information on the garden design and plants