Pittsfield

By plane

• Albany International Airport (ALB), Albany, New York. (About away)
• Bradley International Airport (BDL), Windsor Locks, Connecticut. (About away)

By car

Pittsfield is on Routes 20 and 7, accessible via Interstate 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) Exit 2.

By rail

Pittsfield is a rail stop on Amtrak Lakeshore Limited service, which operates daily between Boston and Chicago. Trains stop at the , which also serves as a hub for local buses.

By bus

Pittsfield is served by several intercity bus lines offering regular service to Boston, New York, Albany, Hartford and points in between.

• The Pittsfield Visitors Center, 111 South Street (Route 7) in the lobby of the newly renovated Colonial Theatre downtown, +1 413 443-9186, x232 or x324.
• The Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center, 1 Columbus Avenue, the hub for the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority. The BRTA offers service stretching from North Adams above Pittsfield, down to Great Barrington below it. Service runs roughly from 6AM to 7PM, with trips usually running once an hour, though it can vary by route. There is no service on Sundays. Fares are $1.25 per city traveled, with half-fare for seniors, and discounted to $1.05 if you buy a 20-fare passcard. The buses are generally clean and quiet, and only heavily occupied during rush hour times.
• Rainbow Taxi can be reached at +1 413 499-4300.
• Arrow Taxi can be reached at +1 413 499-8604

You will need to call a taxi in order to be picked up, instead of flagging one. Be warned that during inclement weather or rush hour the wait for a taxi to arrive can easily be a half-hour or longer.

• Walking is also an option, as the city is fairly small and safe. Many parts of the city are reachable with an hour or less of walking, especially if you're staying at the Crowne Plaza.

Note that if you have a library card from one of the libraries in the C/W MARS network, or know someone who is willing to use theirs for you, you can get free or reduced cost passes to several of the museums and historical homes/sites listed here.

• Albany Berkshire Ballet

  address: 51 North Street
  Professional ballet company, performs classical and contemporary dance.
• Artscape, a self-guided tour of artwork in downtown Pittsfield.

• Arrowhead, Home of Herman Melville

  address: 780 Holmes Road
  Melville's home from 1850 to 1862, where Moby Dick and other works were written. House tours, gardens, nature trail, exhibits, museum shop.

• Berkshire Artisans

  address: 28 Renne Avenue
  Municipal arts center.

• Berkshire Athenaeum

  address: 1 Wendell Avenue
  History and genealogy. Free or reduced passes to many attractions are available if you have a library card.

• Berkshire Lyric TheatreChorus performs at various locations.

• Berkshire Museum

  address: 39 South St
  The region's only museum of art, science and history.

• Berkshire Music Hall

  address: 58 Union Street
  A 1912 vintage theatre presenting local and national productions from music to drama.

• Berkshire Opera Company

  address: 297 North Street
  Performs at Koussevitzky Arts Center, Berkshire Community College

• Colonial Theatre

  phone: +1 413-997-4444
  address: 111 South Street
  A historic theatre with an ornate, turn-of-the-20th century interior. Declared a National Historic Treasure, it was restored in 2006. Weekly theatrical and musical performances.

• Hancock Shaker Village

  address: 1843 West Housatonic Street
  A widely acclaimed destination named The City of Peace by its residents, this Shaker community disbanded in 1960 and sold the buildings and over 900 acres to a group that formed a nonprofit preservation organization. This Shaker site is in remarkable shape, and features a unique round stone barn. It now encompasses about 1,200 acres and 20 restored buildings. While the Village is based in Hancock, and that town gives the Village its name, a substantial part of the Village is in Pittsfield. See other Shaker villages in the northeast United States through the itinerary Touring Shaker country.

• Pittsfield Dukes

  address: 105 Wahconah St
  Plays at 105 Wahconah St. New England Collegiate Baseball Team plays at historic Wahconah Park.

• Silvio O. Conte National Records Center

  address: 100 Dan Fox Dr
  Primarily of interest to genealogists.

• South Mountain Concerts

  address: 730 South Street
  Chamber music since 1918.

• Town PlayersPerforms at Berkshire Community College. October - May. America's oldest community theater.

• The Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade

  address: South Street to Wahconah Park via North Street
  Named by USA Today as "one of the best parade venues in the country", it has floats, bands, balloons, and processions from all over Berkshire County, and attracts thousands of attendees to the normally quiet city (a notable sight in and of itself). If the 4th falls on a Sunday, the parade will be held on the 5th instead.

• Absolutely ExperientialHigh Ropes Course, Climbing Tower and Zip Line. Kayaking and other guided Berkshire adventures.

• Berkshire Sculling AssociationBrubank Park, Onota Lake. Instruction and rentals are available appointment only.

• Bousquet Ski Area/Play Bousquet

  address: 101 Dan Fox Drive
  21 trails, 98% snowmaking. Day and night family oriented ski school. Rental skis and snowboards. In the summer water slides and other activities are available at Play Bousquet.

• Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary

  address: Holmes Rd.
  Trails, observation building, guided activities. Managed by Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

• Onota Boat Livery

  address: 463 Pecks Road
  Hourly, half-day, and full-day boat rentals on Onota Lake, including row boats, canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, fishing boats and pontoon boats. Fully stocked tackle and live bait shop, including MA fishing licenses and an awesome selection of ice-fishing gear. Open daily, year-round. Visit our website for current rental rates and directions!

• U-Drive Boat Rentals

  address: 1651 North Street
  Boat rentals on Pontoosuc Lake.

• Wild N Wet Snow & Water and Bike Rentals

  address: 1402 North Street
  Route 7, Pontoosuc Lake.

• 3rd Thursdays

  address: Downtown Pittsfield
  A recurring town festival in which art displays, concerts, various activities, and sidewalk booths are held/shown one day of each month in the summer/fall in the Downtown area around North Street and Park Square. Many downtown businesses will also offer special discounts to customers on the festival days even if they don't feature booths or activities.

• U-Drive Rent-A-Boat

  phone: +1 402 281-4196
  address: 1651 North Street
  Rentals for pontoon boats, canoes and kayaks. Up to 14 people can enjoy a Pontoon Boat.

Tennis courts

Herberg Middle School, 501 Pomeroy Avenue.

Lakewood Park, Newell Street.

Pittsfield High School, 300 East Street.

Ponterril Tennis Courts, East Acres Road.

Taconic High School, 96 Valentine Road.

Public golf courses

• General Electric Athletic Club

  address: 303 Crane Ave

• Pontoosuc Lake Country Club

  address: 38 Kirkwood Dr

Biking and Hiking

• Pittsfield State Forest

  address: Cascade Street
  Trails, biking, birding, swimming (no lifeguards), non-motorized boating.

• Allendale Shopping Center

  address: 5 Cheshire Road

• Berkshire Crossing

  address: 555 Hubbard Avenue
  One of the main shopping centers in the region. Has Walmart, Home Depot, Barnes & Noble, and Staples as its main stores. Note that the parking lot is rather byzantine and can be annoying to navigate in if you're not familiar with it.

• Stop and Shop Plaza

  address: 660 Merrill Rd
  This plaza includes Stop and Shop, TJ Maxx, Radio Shack, Dollar Tree, and others. Note that the plaza is divided into two sections, the southern section with Stop and Shop as the main store, the northern part with TJ Maxx.

• Dalton Avenue Plaza Shopping Center

  address: 457 Dalton Av
  Price Rite, Jo Ann Fabrics, and other stores. Also has the restaurant China Wok.

• Bed Bath & Beyond

  phone: +1 413 447-1970
  address: 665 Merrill Road
  National chain, offers a wide variety of home goods

• Dick's Sporting Goods

  address: 635 Merrill Rd
  National sporting goods chain
• See also the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough off Rt. 8. If you're travelling via the BRTA, note that this counts as a two-city trip even though the mall is literally just over the Lanesborough border. If you want to save a couple bucks, it is allowed to get off before the border (or even back at Allendale) and walk, though beware that there will be no sidewalk and no crosswalks.

• Knee Bones SteakhouseAllendale Shopping Centre.

• Kelly's Diner

  address: 860 Dalton Ave
  Breakfast, lunch, best sausage in town.

• One West

  address: One West Street, Pittsfield MA
  Located at the Crowne Plaza

• The Underground

  address: One West Street
  Entertainment nightly.

• Patrick's Pub

  phone: +1 413 499-1994
  address: 26 Bank Row
  Bar and grill, generally well reviewed. May be busy with slow service at times, but good food.

• Juice & Java

  address: 2 South Street
  Free Wi-Fi.

• Daddyo's Diner

  address: 511 East Street

• Teddy’s Pizza & Family Restaurant

  address: 508 East Street
  Family-owned and run pizza house & bar.

• Dottie's Coffee Lounge

  address: 444 North St

• Digital Blend

  address: 76 North St
  Coffee drinks, wraps, beer, wine.

• The Lantern

  phone: +1 413-448-2717
  address: 455 North Street
  Bar and burgers

• Wheeler's Market

  phone: +1 413-464-8342
  address: 1654 North Street
  Deli and convenience store, includes beer and wine. Across from Pontoosuc Lake.

• 99 Restaurant and Pub

  phone: +1 413-236-0980
  address: 699 Merrill Road
  Family-friendly bar & grill

• Jimmy's Restaurant

  address: 114 West Housatonic Street
  Italian

• The Roasted Garlic

  phone: +1 413 499-9910
  address: 483 West Housatonic St
  Wood-fired pizza, bar & grill. Highly reviewed, pleasant atmosphere.

• Flo's Diner

  phone: +1 413-442-3567
  address: 1245 W Housatonic St
  Breakfast and lunch. Expect a long wait.

• Port Smitt's Lakeway Restauran

  phone: +1 413 236-5727
  address: 370 Pecks Rd
  Highly reviewed, good food. Can be very busy, so it is best to make reservations on weekends. Might not always be the best atmosphere for young children.

• Methusela Bar and Lounge

  phone: +1 413-344 - 4991
  address: 391 North St
  Wine bar with a rustic/chic theme

• Mission Bar & Tapas

  address: 438 North Street
  Tapas bar with Spanish small plates, Iberian wines and music.

• Tavern at the A

  phone: +1 413-448-9009
  address: 303 Crane Ave
  Full pub menu and bar. Catering and special event bookings are available. Weekends come alive with musical entertainment. The grounds feature an 18 hole golf course.

• Heart of the Berkshires Motel

  address: 970 W Housatonic St
  Located along Rt. 20. No-frills motel; free wi-fi. Reviews are mixed.

Hotels and motels

• Crowne Plaza Hotel

  phone: +1 413 499-2000
  address: One West Street
  One of the tallest buildings in Pittsfield

• Best Western - Berkshire Hills Inn & Suites

  address: 1350 West Housatonic Street

Camping

• Pittsfield State Forest

  address: 1041 Cascade Street
  Mid-May to Mid-Oct. 31 campsites.

• Bonnie Brae Cabins & Campsites

  address: 108 Broadway Street
  48 sites.

Pittsfield is for the most part a sleepy city with a low crime rate, and usually safe to walk through even after dark, but you may want to exercise some caution while on the side of the city west of North Street late at night, or when in the neighborhoods along and off of Linden, Lincoln, and Tyler St. and Dewey and Madison Av.
Also of concern is the PCB contamination caused by General Electric's toxic waste dumping during the middle decades of the 1900s. While much of it has since been cleaned up, there are still a few areas that are not safe for human activity. One main one is the Housatonic River, which is still dirty and contaminated; do not fish, swim, wade, etc. in the river waters or any ponds or flood plains that spring from it. The other main one is Silver Lake. While it looks cleaner and is worth driving past because the area is scenic and has many geese and ducks, it too is not safe for swimming, wading, picnicking, etc. There are a few other areas still contaminated as well, mainly around the river; basically, if you see a sign saying the area is contaminated or has PCBs, heed it. Onota and Pontoosuc offer plenty of safe water to frolic in, and there's no shortage of pretty places to walk in Pittsfield, so you won't be missing much.

The Pioneer Valley and Boston are both close by to the east, roughly an hour and two-hour drive, respectively. To the west, Albany is reachable with around an hour's drive.