Berkshire Natural Resources Council Receives Grant To Improve Trailheads

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LENOX, Mass. — Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) has been awarded $180,000 from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism's (MOTT) Destination Development Capital (DDC) Grant Program to enhance the visitor access and wayfinding at several of the most-visited BNRC reserves across the Berkshires. 
 
The MOTT award requires a 1:1 match, and the Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust recently provided BNRC with a $75,000 grant to support the project and help meet the match. 
 
The project will upgrade trailhead infrastructure, improve accessibility at selected sites and enhance wayfinding so residents and visitors can more easily and comfortably enjoy the region's conserved lands year-round. 
 
"This project reflects exactly what the Destination Development Capital Grant Program is designed to do, which is to strengthen the places that matter most to our communities while preparing them for the future," said Kate Fox, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. "BNRC's thoughtful approach enhances access to some of the Berkshires' most beloved trails while incorporating climate-resilient features that protect these landscapes for years to come. Investments like this help ensure that residents and visitors can enjoy safe, welcoming, and sustainable outdoor experiences across the region." 
 
The grant funds will support targeted improvements: 
  • More welcoming and informative trailhead kiosks and signage 
  • Accessibility improvements at selected trail entrances 
  • Parking changes at busy trailheads 
  • Incorporating climate-smart features like permeable parking surfaces, native plant rain gardens, and usage of durable, sustainable materials 
"In the Berkshires, outdoor recreation is increasingly a key reason people come, and a key reason they stay," said Jenny Hansell, BNRC president. "We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll administration and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism for recognizing that conserved lands are central to the Berkshires' visitor experience and our local quality of life." 
 
The award is part of a broader investment by the Healey-Driscoll administration to strengthen tourism infrastructure across Massachusetts. Through the DDC program, MOTT funds capital projects that expand, restore, or enhance destinations such as museums, historic sites, and outdoor recreation areas that support local economies. 
 
"With this funding, we can make it easier for people to get outside, whether they're seasoned hikers, families with young kids, or someone visiting the Berkshires for the first time," said Doug Brown, BNRC's Director of Stewardship. "Improved parking, clearer signage, and accessibility improvements may seem like small details, but they can be the difference between someone turning around or feeling confident enough to explore." 
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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