Recuperation journey: Saturday excursion to Stockbridge

The historic Red Lion Inn on Main Street in Stockbridge, Mass.

  The Inn gift shop entrance. I didn't dare venture inside!

I invited my son on a day trip last Saturday to celebrate his often-overshadowed Thanksgiving week birthday. 

It saddens me that for years his special day seemed to get lost in the Turkey Day shuffle.

So we put our heads together, came up with a few places to visit, and decided on Stockbridge, a town just over the state line.

The weather cooperated - it was cold but sunny. 

The historic Red Lion Inn - operating since 1773 - is one of the focal points along Main Street. We were too late for lunch - we had visited the nearby Norman Rockwell Museum first - and we were two hours too early for dinner! So dining there wasn't meant to be. 

Quoting from the Inn's website: "Among noted guests are five presidents: Cleveland, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, and Franklin Roosevelt. Other guests have included Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Thornton Wilder and more modern legends from John Wayne to Bob Dylan."

We strolled along Main Street and took some photos, but we forgot our plan to take a selfie. I did, however, happen to catch Cameron's reflection in a shop window.

We visited the beautiful Norman Rockwell Museum that's only a short drive away from downtown.

It was fascinating to browse through a room filled with Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post magazine covers. He had created 323 of them over a 47-year period.  

Since it's the Christmas season I was drawn to the ones featuring Santa, some of which are below:

We walked through several rooms containing Rockwell's original art works, many of them instantly recognizable. 

It was a fascinating museum that we plan to revisit someday. 

If you enjoy history and want to take a step back in time take a trek to Stockbridge, you won't be disappointed. 

Note: This post is just for fun and is not a paid endorsement!