" Bill wasn't as the president of the berkshires visitors bureau is joining us now so that we can talk a little bit about all these wonderful places here armed. I guess the first time I heard the berkshires as a Florida boy was when James Taylor sang that song. About the turnpike from Boston to Stockbridge or the other way around and I've come here over the years many times I know there's wonderful attractions but what's the history of this area as a resort. A little over a hundred years ago many of the very prominent wealthy families in New York. We're looking for a place to escape in the summer. And so they came up to the beautiful glorious Berkshire hills and they started building what are we now call the Berkshire cottages. Now these cottages. Were now huge palatial mansion but in those days. With no. Progressive income tax people just started building bigger and bigger homes and there was almost a competition. And some of these glorious homes are now resorts and many of the other large mansions have become. Great attractions I'm familiar with one which was recently restored which is called the mount that belonged to the writer Edith Wharton. I think it was built around 1900. And then I also know that these great American sculptor and Daniel Chester French spent Summers here and had a magnificent studio he's of course the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial and the minuteman statue in Massachusetts who -- some of the other luminaries. The berkshires have always been sort of a magnet for creative minds so there are a lot of authors like Hawthorne and Melville in the as you mentioned Edith Wharton's now tell us about Norman Rockwell's presence here in Stockbridge right. Yes in Stockbridge and again his creativity was inspired by the area and he actually lived in Stockbridge had his studio in Stockbridge and did a lot of his work. In Stockbridge and today -- Norman Rockwell Museum stands in Stockbridge and what they've done is take his original studio. And moved it onto the premises with the same orientation. To the sun. How many people know about Norman Rockwell from his Saturday evening post magazine covers some of these famous paintings that he made. That famous one where the little boy's having shot and the other one where the artist is now looking. Round the corner of campaigning in extreme self have a triple self portrait yeah big one that we all love is the Christmas scene because this is a very popular christmastime destination yes and then of main street of Stockbridge Norman Rockwell pain in obtaining of christmastime at the main street and this is reenacted every year here in the berkshires. Where people gather they bring their vintage cars they set -- just as in the painting that is one of his most famous paintings. And it it's as a year round destination there's also a lot of recreational possibilities in the berkshires we have great skiing. Downhill skiing as well as cross country skiing. We have snow issuing we have hiking then and fairer months we have golfing and biking Whitewater rafting boating. And a variety of other things. The Boston symphony orchestra has made its summer home at the shed here in Tanglewood for many many years. So this is also a big music scene in the summertime isn't it. Yes in addition to theater and dance the music is just phenomenal the Boston symphony. Brings people here from New York and from really all over the world all summer long it's our single biggest attraction. Draws almost 400000 people a year and the nineteenth century religious sect that we call the shakers. They also had a presence around here. Right and Hancock shaker village is an elegant restoration of life as it was during the shaker time everything is done the same way -- interpreter is. And it's scenic and a very good historic experience. And the art scene around here is very impressive. Well there's a great connection between Williams college and the sterling and Francine Clark art institute and that they Clark art as we call it. Has the largest. It has over thirty. Four original rent laws on the premises just great great collection of impressionist art one of the best in the country."