Six Cool U.S. Cities: 4. Great Barrington
The Guardian - Rachel Dixon - Vibrant Great Barrington is half-way between New York and Boston, making it a good small town break between big cities. It has a strong community feel, its own regional currency, BerkShares (berkshares.org), and local food champions such as Berkshire Grown (berkshiregrown.org). Allium restaurant (alliumberkshires.com) in the centre serves locally sourced food, and has a late-night cocktail bar. Smithsonian magazine recently named Great Barrington the best small town in America, for its museums, historic sites, gardens, orchestras and art galleries.