Things to Do in Cohoes

Skyline Country Club is a semi-private club that welcomes golfers with sweeping views of the Berkshire mountains and glimmering waters that intersect the grounds. Elevation changes and blind tee shots are frequent throughout the 6,075-yard course, as seen on the 4th hole, which rewards precise tee shots of roughly 110–165 yards with an easy 110-yard shot to the green. The par 5 12th, the course's most difficult hole, forces players to drive onto a tight fairway along the straight 490-yard layout that ends with a false front, a greenside slope that often tricks golfers and sends balls rolling back toward the player like an industrial-grade pop-a-shot. After finishing the course with two consecutive par 4's, golfers can retire to the Club's pub for drinks and eats on the open-air deck, which offers views of the surrounding landscape.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Total length of 6,075 yards from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole

Even after dusk in the summertime, visitors to Engelke Farm are riding ziplines, whizzing through the air at 20 miles per hour. Suspended 60 feet in air, the cables allow exquisite views of golden cornfields and rolling, tree-dotted hills. Those content to remain earthbound can peruse the greenhouse, pluck strawberries and blackberries from the pick-your-own produce patches, or wander the cornfields, challenging scarecrows to staring contests.

The proprietor and chief guide behind Hilltown Wilderness Adventures, Marla BB, invites patrons to hitch their dreams of adventure onto the backs of her alaskan huskies for mushing, skijoring, and outdoor excursions in the Berkshires. Her hallmark attraction is mushing through both snowy hills and on dryland tracks—a unique offering for the region that has earned her attention from media outlets such as Mushing magazine and Animal Planet.

The skijoring and sled-dog school teaches novices how to captain a team of dogs either in a sled or on skis, which can give them give them a way to skip long ski-resort lift lines. Marla also leads day excursions through DAR State Forest, Chesterfield Gorge and Westfield River, and the Deerfield River Watershed, keeping bikers, hikers, kayakers, and bird watchers safe as she is a certified wilderness first responder and an expert in swift-water safety and rescue.

Having set up camp at The Mount Brace Outdoor Club and Flight Park, Let’s Go Paragliding sends its students skyward under the guidance of owner Benoit Bruneau. A certified instructor, Benoit was named the 2010 paragliding instructor of the year by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. At his facility, Benoit oversees introductory paragliding lessons, and for more advanced students, tandem flights, personal training, and training programs. Let’s Go Paragliding also stocks high-quality paragliding equipment and gear.

The Blandford Ski Area has remained a family mountain for 75 years through its commitment to education and gentle terrain. Crisscrossed with beginner and intermediate trails, the basin serves as a fertile development ground for burgeoning skiers and boarders, and a venue for après-ski live music. Children as young as age 3 practice their snowplow in the Ski with Me program, and sportfolk with energy to burn hit the terrain park or stay after sundown for night runs lit by floodlights. When natural snow runs short, machines kick into gear to slick slopes in fresh powder or the corn oil favored by the Blandford alpine racing team.

The 10 silver screens housed inside the newly renovated North Adams Movieplex 8 flicker with first-run Hollywood films. Standard format flicks are heightened by the addition of digital sound and unobstructed views courtesy of stadium seating, and 3-D movies give viewers a chance to immerse themselves in the action and appreciate their favorite Fonda from limitless angles. The theater is located in the heart of downtown North Adams, situating it within walking distance from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.