BUSINESS MONDAY: Spotlight on Race Brook Lodge—a rustic resort with historical roots and a modern ethos
BUSINESS MONDAY: Spotlight on Race Brook Lodge—a rustic resort with historical roots and a modern ethos.
by Michael Cobb, The Berkshire Edge
February 5th, 2024
This family-owned and -operated "diamond in the rough" has been welcoming guests for over two decades. It also has a robust calendar of events—live music, dance parties, kid's clubs, and film nights among them.
“We’re committed to this land and property. We love it and believe in it. We love that people can come and be immersed in nature; guests can hike and come back, sit by the fire, and have the ultimate relaxing nature experience with sublime dining. If they’re coming from the city, they can return rejuvenated.”—Casey Rothstein-Fitzpatrick, “director of vibe control” at Race Brook Lodge
Located at the foot of Mount Race in Sheffield, Massachusetts, Race Brook Lodge offers lodging, dining, live music, weddings, wellness and yoga retreats, family gatherings, and corporate events. Outside are hiking trails with terrific views from the top of Race Brook Falls and access to the Appalachian Trail. Across the brook is a farm garden that (from spring to fall) grows much of the produce for the on-site restaurant, The Stagecoach Tavern—named for its history as a watering hole for weary travelers along the Hartford-Albany stagecoach route.
This combination of nature, history, community engagement, and farm-to-fork food epitomizes what makes the Berkshires unique.
The modern iteration of the Lodge was started in 1990 by “Captain” David Rothstein, who had deep roots in the Berkshires. An architect who studied at Yale and worked for Louis Kahn, Rothstein had always been interested in music and inviting spaces. In 1967, he and some business partners bought the legendary Music Inn in Lenox, known for hosting the preeminent jazz musicians of the 1950s, and turned it into a hotbed of 1970s counterculture, booking notable artists such as Jackson Brown, Arlo Guthrie, and Emmy Lou Harris.
A decade after purchasing the circa-1750 Race Brook Lodge buildings, Rothstein acquired the Coach House and Tavern property and has been caring for the 100-acre compound ever since.
Passing the torch to a new generation
Today, proprietor Casey Meade Rothstein-Fitzpatrick (his mother is Nancy Fitzpatrick, co-founder of Main Street Hospitality and retired owner of the Red Lion Inn) continues the family business and tradition.
Proprietor Casey Meade Rothstein-Fitzpatrick. Photo courtesy Race Brook Lodge
“I took over management of the hospitality operations and stewardship of the property in 2014. I am passionate about hospitality,” Rothstein-Fitzpatrick says, adding that the particular circumstances of the Race Brook Lodge property and facilities were attractive for its proximity to great hiking trails, forests, and waterfalls. “Hotel guests and groups can very easily immerse themselves in nature.”
Pointing to the event barn and other gathering spaces, he says he was “interested in the potential for curating cultural events and other interactive programs and gatherings of all kinds. These two elements keep me inspired and devoted to this property moving forward.”
Although Rothstein-Fitzpatrick has been immersed in the hospitality business since he was a child, he had been immersed in documentary film and event production and non-profit management prior to 2014—gaining skills that apply to his new role.