West of U.S. 7, outside Manchester, the Equinox Skyline Drive leads to stunning views of parts of four states and the province of Québec from the top of Mount Equinox.

Two villages, Manchester Center and Manchester (or Manchester Village), attract many visitors. But the two are quite different. Manchester Center teems with bargain-hunters combing through the merchandise in a cluster of factory outlets. A short distance south is Manchester Village, a venerable arts colony and summer home of the rich and famous. Large, pristine old homes sit back from marble sidewalks. Worth visiting in Manchester are the restored Equinox Resort & Spa, built in 1769; Hildene, a beautiful estate built by President Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln; and the Southern Vermont Arts Center located on the 407-acre former estate of Gertrude Divine Webster. The center's acoustically splendid Arkell Pavilion offers a wide range of music, dance, and lecture presentations.

In Old Bennington, a street lined with impressive 18th-century homes leads up a hill topped by a 406-foot limestone shaft. Bennington Monument commemorates the Revolutionary War battle between the Green Mountain Boys and British troops.

The Bennington Museum has a collection of paintings by Grandma Moses; it also contains the schoolhouse attended by the famous painter. Collections include early American pottery and glass; among its most important artifacts is one of the oldest-known Stars and Stripes.

Just across the Massachusetts border is Williamstown, home of Williams College. The Sterling and Francine Clark Museum, near the campus, houses a truly amazing display of paintings, drawings, and sculpture by European and American masters. The museum is especially noted for its collection of works by the Impressionists.

The Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts are not as high as the Vermont and New Hampshire mountains, but several ski areas along Route 7 attract a lot of local snow lovers each winter. In summer the hills are alive with summer theaters as well as with the sound of music.

Passing through Pittsfield, head west to the Hancock Shaker Village. Stroll through 200 years of history at the 20 buildings here, as costumed interpreters depict the lives of this austere religious group.

Berkshire villages have been popular summer homes for those with more worldly ambitions, too. New England authors and artists have settled here since the late 19th century. Nathaniel Hawthorne lived at Tanglewood, in Lenox, now home of the Tanglewood Music Festival.