To the visitor it appears as if stately Williamstown (pop. 4,754) is simply a nickname for the immaculate and graceful campus of Williams College—even the main commercial block is basically the corridor between dorms and gym. From their common 18th-century benefactor, Ephraim Williams (who insisted the town’s name be changed from its original West Hoosuck), to the large number of alumni who return in their retirement, “Billsville” and its college are nearly inseparable. The town-gown symbiosis has spawned an enviable array of visual, performing, and edible arts, yet fresh contingents of ingenuous youth keep all the wealth and refinement from becoming too cloying.
Singer Sewing Machine heir Robert Sterling Clark's huge art collection ended up in Williamstown in part because of the Cold War. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the threat of a Russian nuclear attack seemed real enough that being as distant as possible from likely bomb targets was a critical factor in choosing a permanent repository. Today Clark Art Institute (daily July & Aug., closed Mon. rest of year; $10 in summer, free rest of year; 413/458-2303), at 225 South Street, is the town’s jewel, displaying display paintings by Winslow Homer and an extraordinary collection of Impressionist works, including more than 30 Renoirs. Also worth a look is the excellent and wide-ranging Williams College Museum of Art (closed Mon.; free; 413/597-2429) on Main Street opposite Memorial Chapel (that mini Westminster Abbey).
Williamstown can claim another gem, this time in the natural art of relaxation. Luxurious Cunard Lines used to serve its ocean-going passengers water exclusively from Williamstown’s Sand Springs (Memorial Day–Labor Day; $7.50; 413/458-5205). Since the 1950s, a family-friendly swimming pool complex has opened on the site, on the north side of town at 158 Sand Springs Road, all summer long.
