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Town Of Lee In The Berkshires Offers Eclectic Shopping, Great Views Of The Hills

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If you’re heading to the Berkshires for leaf-peeping, be sure to block out some time for exploring Lee, Mass. The town, about an hour and a half from Hartford and located right off I-90, is a country cousin to nearby, more chic Lenox and Stockbridge, but has a special charm that’s hard to resist.

“It’s a fun little town,” says Michelle Murphy, communications associate at the Berkshire Visitors Bureau. “People often discover it as they’re passing through and are pulled in by Lee’s classic Main Street. It’s hard to resist stopping for some window shopping.”

She’s right. The “Gateway to the Berkshires,” as Lee is called, has a lot to offer — especially if you love interesting shops and cute cafes.

Once I parked my car, (there’s parking right on Main Street, as well as in lots around town), I was immediately drawn to Finders Keepers, a combination antiques/vintage/consignment store at 53 Main St., with more than 3,000 square feet of furniture, home décor accessories, art and other treasures (Facebook.com/FindersKeepersLee).

From there, I strolled up the street to Sparrow Singing, a new vintage clothing shop at 93 Main St., (Facebook.com/sparrowsinging), then headed to the Starving Artist Creperie & Café, at 40 Main St., for fortifications.

The café, tucked alongside the Good Purpose art gallery, is open for breakfast and lunch and features a seasonally-changing, reasonably-priced menu of soups, salads and baked goods and terrific sweet and savory crepes (starvingartistcreperie.com).

There are plenty of other dining options in this pedestrian-friendly downtown.

“Within a one-mile walking stretch of Main Street in Lee, there are over seven nationalities represented in Lee’s restaurants,” says Murphy. “French, American, Indian, Peruvian/South American, Italian, Mexican, and Vietnamese.”

Retro Chic

While you’re strolling, be sure to notice the architecture here. The original part of the beautiful Lee Library, 100 Main St., for example, was built in 1907 and is the only remaining “Carnegie library” building in the Berkshires.

After a couple of hours browsing, I got back in the car and headed up Route 20 to the Retro Pop Shop, a funky, eclectic little emporium on the outskirts of town. It features all things ’50s and ’60s — vintage signs, soda collectibles, clothing, kitchen wares and other mid-century modern nostalgia (RetroPopshop.com).

Be warned, all the classic milkshake machines and sundae dishes will have you craving ice cream. Go next door to the Local-Lee (as in, “locally,” get it?) Scooped Ice Cream Shop. Open on the weekends, it features a menu of killer homemade ice cream (don’t miss the coffee-Oreo). If you’re feeling lucky, you can sit down at the chessboard set up outside and try your hand at a game.

I was feeling the need for a little more culture, so I headed instead to St. Francis Gallery, at 1370 Pleasant St./Route 102, in South Lee. The art space housed in a 130-year-old chapel building retains the character of the former St. Francis Church outside and features a modern gallery inside.

The current show, “The Berkshire Collection” features works by local artists and runs through Oct. 26. Hours are Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Look for the life-sized figure of Jack Benny, complete with violin, outside the door; saintfrancisgallery.com.)

Wrap up your visit with a stop at Lee Premium Outlets (premiumoutlets.com/Lee). The center features more than 60 stores, including Michael Kors, Banana Republic and Coach. The shopping is great, and so are the views of the nearby Berkshire Hills.