My poorly-timed first day of travel caused me to arrive in North Adams after dark. Fortunately, I could still see a lot of the town by streetlights.
Take a drive along North Adams’ Main Street (just one block south of Route 2) and you’ll see plenty of church steeples. The biggest one (in the admittedly poorly-framed photo above) is the First Baptist Church, and just beyond it, the First United Methodist Church.
The best reason to visit North Adams after sunset is to get a picture of the spectacular neon marquee at the Mohawk Theater. The Mohawk operated from 1938 until the 1980’s. After it shut down, preservation efforts saved it from the wrecking ball, and now, work is still underway to restore it.
If you visit North Adams during daylight hours, consider a stop at MassMoCA, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The museum is housed in a complex of 26 historic manufacturing buildings, and welcomes 120,000 guests a year. Check out their current exhibits here.
North Adams is near the western portal of the Hoosac Tunnel. This incredible engineering feat was completed in 1875, a quarter-century after work began. The tunnel is 4 3/4 miles long (7.6 kilometers). 193 workers lost their lives during its construction. You will find more information than you could ever need on this website.
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