Tanglewood Music Festival by Shelley Seale

The surroundings offer a perfect setting for spreading out a gourmet picnic, which can be ordered in advance, and enjoying world-renowned music. In addition to the orchestra, Tanglewood offers jazz and pop performances, chamber music, contemporary music and musical theater, attended by more than 300,000 people each summer.

The Tanglewood estate was named for author Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote “Tanglewood Tales” at a small cottage there in 1853. In 1936, the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its first outdoor concert at Tanglewood. Four years later, Boston’s conductor Serge Koussevitzky started a private school for pre-professional musicians there. In the 68 years since then, Tanglewood Music Center has provided musical training, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra has performed in the amphitheater known as the Koussevitzky Music Shed.

“The Tanglewood Festival is one of the ‘must-see, must-hear’ experiences during a visit to New England in the summer,” says Larry Meehan, vice president of tourism with the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The grounds are incredible. They are located on an estate that faces west for spectacular sunsets. There is nothing for miles around to interfere with the music. It’s one of the richest cultural destinations in the world.”