How to Hear Music at Tanglewood

The Tanglewood Music Center, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is in the Berkshire Hills of Lenox, Massachusetts. From late June until Labor Day Weekend, it offers the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Plan Your Trip

1. Check the Tanglewood website for its schedule of festival events (see Resources below). Check the boxes in front of the concerts for which you want to print out more information.
2. Review the Tanglewood website calendar for the weekend you plan to visit to see if lodging is available nearby. The calendar is updated weekly.
3. Order tickets through the Tanglewood website, by phone, by mail or through a ticket service.
4. Download maps of the Tanglewood Music Center campus and available seating at the festival site.
5. Register for meals on-the-go through the Tanglewood website. Meals are available in box, bag and picnic selections. The Tanglewood website also lists several nearby restaurants.
6. Drive from New York to Boston via the Taconic State Parkway to the New York Thruway east to the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90), Exit 2. Drive from Connecticut to Boston on Interstate 91. Drive to Tanglewood from Boston on Interstate 90 to Exit 2. From this exit, take U.S. 20 west four miles, through Lee, to Massachusetts Highway 183 south for a mile and a half until you reach the main Tanglewood entrance.

If You Can't Go

7. Order a CD of classical music recorded at the Tanglewood Music Center from the Tanglewood website.
8. Download podcasts of the concerts from the Tanglewood website.
9. Tune into National Public Radio or look for a television special on PBS.

Tips & Warnings

• Tickets are not refundable and are subject to a handling fee.
• Smoking is not permitted on the Tanglewood grounds.
• While the Tanglewood Music Center has done its best to be handicap-accessible, the Seiji Ozawa Hall lacks an elevator. Handicapped patrons should purchase concert tickets on the first floor. Visit the Tanglewood website to review what handicapped services are available.

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