Country Comfort

A high-energy cultural scene in a well-preserved Berkshire town

Baba Louie's serves organic pizza and more. (Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

DISTANCE FROM BOSTON: 137 miles

POPULATION: 7,008

WEBSITE: www.townofgb.org

ODD FACT: Great Barrington was the first town in the world to be lighted with alternating current.

Red Sox and Yankees hats coexist in Great Barrington. This village may be in the Massachusetts mountains, but it is equidistant from Boston and New York. With each being less than three hours away, an appealing thread of big-city energy is woven into a small-town tapestry of history, scenery, and charm. A Victorian "Winged Victory" statue reaches skyward at Town Hall, where a stone marks the 1774 site of America's first open resistance to British rule. Distinguished stone churches preserve a Gilded Age sensibility, and 19th-century brick bank and office buildings have come back to life as eclectic shops and sophisticated restaurants. Great Barrington has been home to notables, including W.E.B. DuBois, the historic black civil rights activist and writer; Pauline Kael, the late film critic; and Karen Allen, the actress, who has a textile arts shop on Railroad Avenue. Great Barrington's Old Trinity Church, immortalized in Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant," is now the interfaith Guthrie Center.

The flashing marquee on Castle Street is a beacon for the Mahaiwe Theater (14 Castle St., 413-528-0100, mahaiwe.org), a 1905 architectural gem built for vaudeville acts. Having been meticulously restored as a performing arts center, it keeps a year-round stream of culture flowing in the Berkshires, even after the season ends at nearby Tanglewood and Jacob's Pillow. A Judy Collins concert is slated for June 1; in mid-May the Berkshire International Film Festival holds an opening night premiere and many other events at the Mahaiwe. The Great Barrington Art Walk, a group of 10 fine art and furniture galleries in the middle of town, includes the Vault Gallery (322 Main St., 413-644-0221, vaultgallery.net) located in a former bank building. Contemporary paintings and sculptures are exhibited in the massive stainless steel vault and in the adjacent parlor. Visiting Iris Gallery (47 Railroad St., 413-644-0045, irisgallery.net), another Art Walk venue, is akin to a world tour through fine art photography. A French jetty or a Japanese oyster farm is transformed into soft geometry by Canadian photographer David Burdeny. Beth Dow's platinum palladium prints capture the perfection of English gardens. Gallery owner Alison Collins works upstairs in the old granary building. The Housatonic River Walk (gbriverwalk.org) is part of a volunteer effort to clean up the river that flows behind Main Street's buildings. The short walking trail is a work in progress.It can be entered beside the pharmacy near St. Peter's Church.

Great Barrington is a mecca for foodies, many of whom start their day at Martin's (49 Railroad St., 413-528-5455, breakfast $3.25-$8.95, sandwiches, salads and burgers from $4.75). This small place with a big menu opens at 6 a.m., with heavenly home fries and breakfast served till closing at 3 p.m. Lunch items are available after 11:30. Food is diner fare done right, plus creative daily specials. Baba Louie's (286 Main St., 413-528-8100, 10-inch pizzas $8.95-$11.95) is a cramped but fun space. All the usual toppings are available, along with soups, salads, sandwiches and a pasta dish that changes nightly. The more spacious Pearl's (47 Railroad St., 413-528-7767, pearlsrestaurant.com, sandwiches start at $10, entrees $23-$36) has the elegance of mahogany walls and a menu to match. Napa (293 Main Street; 413-528-4311, $15-$29), the new kid on the downtown block, has people buzzing about the menu created to complement the wine list. There are dozens of restaurants along highways coming into town. Mexican restaurant Xicohtencatl (50 Stockbridge Road, 413-528-2002, entrees from $14) has a porch with sunset views, and 20 kinds of tequila.

Ski Butternut (380 State Road/Route 23, 413-528-2000, skibutternut.com), built on the site of a former dude ranch, is a family-oriented winter mountain with 22 manageable trails and quad lifts so Mom, Dad, and the kids can ride together to the top. Once the snow melts, hikers are welcome and Butternut hosts events such as the annual arts festival over July 4 weekend. According to a local rumor, Cove Bowling (109 Stockbridge Road, 413-528-1220) inspired the Coen brothers' 1998 movie, "The Big Lebowski." Along with the alleys, there is an arcade with air hockey, and a quirky two-story indoor miniature golf course that appeals to a sundry crowd of locals, college kids, and tourists. Adventure Us (276 Main St., 413-528-5648) rents canoes and kayaks, and delivers them to the places where people paddle.

Great Barrington shops sell clothes that make people ask, "Where did you get that?" Lily's by Design (9 Railroad St., 413-528-7785, lilysbydesign.com), owned by a former film and stage costume designer, caters to women with a whimsically elegant fashion sensibility. Scarves, jewelry, and one-size-fits-most jackets are mostly one of a kind. Jewels, gems, and New Age books at Crystal Essence (39 Railroad St., 413-528-2595) make shoppers feel right at "Om," surrounded by sage and patchouli scents, soothing world music, and colorful walls specially painted to foster energy flow. Find comfortable clothes, body-care products, plus decorative chimes and ceramics for creating a home sanctuary. The old Berkshire Courier was once published in the 1836 pillared building that houses Rubiner's Cheesemongers and Grocers (264 Main St., 413-528-0488). Owner Matthew Rubiner offers advice and opinions about the top artisan cheese makers in New England and elsewhere. The store is stocked with European chocolates, local organic eggs and lots more. Six years ago, the owners of Worldwide Market Square (308 Main St., 413-528-6007) started a free-trade partnership with Nepalese artisans in Katmandu. The initiative has expanded to include a shop full of work from 23 countries.

The Wainwright Inn (518 South Main St., 413-528-2062, wain wrightinn.com, off-season $100-$225/high season $135-$299) has a rich history. Built as an inn and tavern in 1766, it soon became the home of one prominent citizen after another, including Franklin Pope, who co-invented the ticker tape machine with Thomas Edison before accidentally electrocuting himself in his basement workshop. According to the innkeeper, his ghost is a friendly presence in this fine old Federal-style home. Also within walking distance of downtown, Days Inn Great Barrington (372 Main St., 413-528-3150, from $79 off-season weekday to $179 high-season weekend) fits right into the picturesque surroundings, with a dark-stained wood exterior that hardly looks like a chain motel. A short drive through the countryside leads to Windflower Inn (684 South Egremont Road, 413-528-2720, wind flowerinn.com, $100-$225), a 13-room, two-story bed-and-breakfast. A stream winding through the perennial garden and a walnut banister curving up the stairs create a serene and gracious ambience. The innkeeper is a fantastic baker.

With an entertainment roster that includes talented up-and-coming regional bands as well as eclectic luminaries like Norah Jones, Odetta, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, how could Club Helsinki (284 Main St., 413-528-3394, clubhelsinkiweb.com) be anything but legendary? The bohemian ambience might be 1960s Greenwich Village, or maybe even your artsy neighbor's basement. Castle Street Cafe (10 Castle St., 413-528-5244, castlestreetcafe.com), a restaurant with celestial-themed décor, appeals to sophisticated partiers, with jazz or R&B performers in the bar on Saturday and Sunday nights, and awards of excellence from Wine Spectator magazine.