bidwell house museum

We like to visit venues close to home. Often we first visit when house guests are interested in the region: the 4-state region; Berkshire county and Monterey and the environs. So going on our own preempted the deferral; we wished to explore now. We set off on a winter day: sunny, little wind, full snow cover and the dog. We drove to the Bidwell house at the end of Art School Road off of Tyringham Road in Monterey. The main parking field was not plowed so we parked off the road in a small plowed neck of the main area. Our snow shoes were very helpful navigating the steep hill from there up toward the house and the beginning of Royal Hemlock Road. This was a former center of Monterey and adjacent to the Hartford Albany Turnpike. There is an information board at the start of RH Rd. Once there is is a gentle, undulating road in the deep woods. In fact as you near the end of RH Rd you are almost at the border of Tyringham. We passed a carin designating a former sap house (if I recall correctly). There are intermittant semi-open areas that have been moderately logged by way of enhancing the land and trees. This ongoing forestry of the +200 acres is also described at the trail-head information board. We had a lovely time; were outside on a winter day; and learned a bit more about the Bidwell House and our neighborhood. The museum is seasonal and closed in the winter but very worthy of a return visit during its season. Recommended.

We visited Bidwell House early September 2014 on our trip through the New-England States. When we arrived we saw that the Museum was not open that day so we admired the gardens when a lady arrived in her car and asked us where we came from. We told her we were from Great Britain. And soon we found that the museum was opened for us and we had a lovely tour of the house and grounds because "everybody comes here for a reason". We remember Bidwell House as truly impressive and certainly unforgettable.

We visited the Bidwell House Museum on Thursday, 10/9/2014, for an afternoon tour. The museum docent was very knowledgeable. And the house was a great example of colonial home life. The small entrance fee was very reasonable. In, addition to the tours, which take about an hour, there were various walking trails on the 192 acres of real estate that visitors could also access. May not be handicapped accessible due to the stairs and steps. Would need to confirm that prior to arrival. Be sure to use GPS and the directions on the website, as it is out in the country and difficult to find otherwise.

Recently visited the Bidwell House and was absolutely blown away by the knowledge level of the docent on duty. She did a beautiful job showing the group the house. We learned so much about early American history. The house itself is worth seeing and is nicely restored to what it would have looked like in the 1700s. The grounds are lovely and the nature trails are definitely worth an hour or two of your time to explore.

I loved everything about my visit to the Bidwell House. The drive back to the House is lovely, the setting beautiful, the docents knowledgeable and charming, and the tour itself detailed and informative. I learned quite a bit about the House's history and past owners, as well as about the history of the area in which the House stands. I visited on a bright, sunny, hot July day, and my self-guided tour of the grounds was also terrific: the grounds themselves were lovely, and there were a couple of shady spots for perching! I plan to return during my next stay in the Berkshires, and recommend a visit to anyone with an interest in American/local history, historic houses, American decorative arts, etc.

The Bidwell House was well worth the visit. Our guide made the visit, she inserted so many interesting facts. The house is beautiful and the grounds feel so authentic to the time. We loved it and still talk about the visit. Geri Cyr

The Berkshires in MA offer many places of interest, and the Bidwell House in Monterey, MA should be on every visitor's list of definite places to see. The history of the house is fascinating in its own right, but how it came to be such a lovingly preserved historic site is another equally fascinating story. Visitors to the Bidwell House are treated like long-awaited guests as they are carefully taken through the rooms, with artifacts and architectural details expertly explained. The grounds are lovely with well-tended paths and a heritage garden. There is a seasonal calendar with many worthwhile events during the summer and fall months. This is a venue with something to offer to everyone, from families to history buffs and to those looking for a great way to spend a few hours or an entire afternoon.

We enjoyed the tour of the museum and learning about its rich history. Unlike most historic houses we have visited, we really got a sense of what it was like to live "well" in the middle of nowhere in rural colonial Massachusetts. Our guide was knowledgeable and interesting. We had a great time.

We greatly enjoyed our visit to the Bidwell home. The guides were enthusiastic and well informed on the history of the home, it's inhabitants and the area. There are many unusual artifacts at the home, and it's setting and gardens are worth the drive up into the pretty hills of that part of Massachusetts.

We visited the Bidwell House on a humid, cloudy day this summer and were thrilled to a lovingly-restored, well-maintained historic house in the Berkshires. We enjoyed a guided tour of the home by a guide who clearly adored and understood the property. This was a wonderful surprise, well worth the trip.

The Bidwell House Museum is an exquisite treat for anyone interested i New England history or architecture or rural life in 1750 and beyond. It is also totally beautiful and has paths and areas for a picnic.It is one of the most friendly museums I have ever encountered. It is fascinating on many levels and could interest a focused child or young adult and certainly any adult. Truly, it is a hidden marbel!

The house is beautifully restored, and the material collection is amazing. Every room offered an interesting story and time-period authentic furnishings. The grounds have as much history as the house itself. The guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I highly recommend finding this gem nestled in the woods of Monterey!

Bidwell House, perched high on a hill in Monterey MA, was once the heart of a community on the turnpike from Boston to Albany. Today, it stands alone, beautifully and lovingly restored to its 18th-century habit and well-maintained by a private foundation. For those of us who grew up in an 18th-century house, it's like going home. A wealth of information is forthcoming from the well-informed docents, including high-school interns in the summer months. We think a tour of the cellar is a highlight of a visit to Bidwell, as it gives a sense of the massive masonry required to support what looks like a modest-sized house of that period. Lovely well-cared-for gardens display plants -- herbs, flowers, vegetables -- period to the house. And the drive there takes you through a beautiful part of the Berkshires.

Tucked away in a small town in the Berkshires, the museum is worth a visit for its collections and beautiful setting. There are many special programs in the season as well as guided tours. In addition to the surrounding perennial and vegetable gardens, there are extensive walking trails on the almost 200 acre property. The nearby small town of Monterey has a general store with a cafe.

This is an interesting old house built by Rev. Bidwell way back in the mid seventeen hundreds. It is spacious with much higher ceilings than is typical of the day. It has been faithfully restored and furnished with furniture selected for the time. One amazing thing we found out in the interesting tour was that Rev. Bidwell kept a complete detailed inventory of the contents of the house which was used to furnish the house. Very few historic houses have such a guide. The tour guide was knowledgeabe and it is well worth spending an hour or two at the Bidwell house. The four of us were the only ones on the tour, which is scheduled every hour on the hour. The house is quite a way from the main highway at the end of the side road.