High-falutin' fun

Weekend of the Gilded AgeThere be mansions in those there hills! The mansions in Lenox are a tangible reminder of the gilded age the Western Mass. town once enjoyed. This weekend, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum and the Lenox Chamber of Commerce celebrate the excess (or invite naysayers to cluck at the wastefulness) of those days, including a reenactment of the pretentious "tub" parade of horse-drawn carriages that mimics the exit parade the wealthy put on as they moved out of Lenox for the season. The tub parade is free, but most other events (the picnic, the soiree, etc.) have admission fees, from the $5 ice cream social to the $175 celebration honoring Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Company on Saturday night. Fri noon-7:30 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Prices vary. 104 Walker St., Lenox; 130 miles from Boston. 413-637-3206. www.gildedage.org

Design Home tour and auction This Friday through Sunday, Oct. 26 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays), you can tour a designer home in the Five Lanterns neighborhood of Plymouth. The home is designed around the theme of indoor/outdoor living (think courtyards, patios, outdoor fireplaces, and arbors), and is chock full of the best furniture and handiwork. An online auction for items and services on display in the home will benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $20 advance, $25 at door. The Pinehills, Plymouth; 39 miles from Boston. 508-209-2000. www.pine hills.com

Rocktoberfest The only thing better than rocking out to the blues of the Chris Fitz Band and the self-defined rock/metal/glam of Camarojuana is rocking out while sampling authentic German brews and Bavarian-style food (bratwurst, sauerkraut, German potato salad, German chocolate cake, etc.). Cranmore Mountain Resort's Rocktoberfest is free, but a $2 donation benefits the Eastern Slopes Ski Club, a charity that provides ski time to local children. And of course, the beer is pay-as-you-go. 4-9 p.m. $2 suggested donation (plus the cost of beer). Cranmore Mountain Resort, 1 Skimobile Road, North Conway, N.H.; 138 miles from Boston. 800-786-6754. www.cranmore.com

MDI Garlic Festival Since 1998, this Maine garlic festival has been sharing good food for a good cause. The proceeds from this year's pig roast and smorgasbord of all things garlic will benefit the SPCA of Hancock County and the West Eden Village Improvement Society of Town Hill. Round out the day with music, a wine tasting, a canine agility show, and a dog biscuit competition and you've got the makings of a Monday morning water cooler story (if you don't so reek of garlic that your co-workers grant you a wide, wide berth). Rain date is Sunday. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $20 door, $15 in advance. Smugglers Den Campground, Southwest Harbor, Maine; 281 miles from Boston. 207-288-0269. www.nostrano.com

Archaeology weekend During Archaeology Weekend, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum celebrates the area's historical waters with films, a shipwreck tour, a canoe trip into an ancient Native American village, and ongoing conservation lab tours. Films include "Spitfire," the story of the last gunboat from Benedict Arnold's 1776 fleet, and a documentary about the legacy of the birch bark - there will be a replica of the 1609 birch bark canoe on hand at the LCMM. See website for pricing and schedule. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, 4472 Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes, Vt.; 207 miles from Boston. 802-475-2022. www.lcmm.org

Summer's over, and so is Road Trips.

Campus Calendar resumes next week.