Tanglewood
From late June until early September, the world-famous Tanglewood music festival across the street has concerts almost every day. Since traffic gets crazy on our little one-way roads ahead of big shows, one of the best things about the Apple Tree is that you can walk there in just about ten minutes.
Note that we are up a fairly big hill, so if you stroll at a more dignified pace, that may feel longer! We do have a golf cart to take you up and down the hill, though we can’t drop you right at the Tanglewood gate because of their strict rules.
The Tanglewood grounds typically open at 9 a.m. (check today’s schedule for specifics), so our favorite approach is to pack a picnic (get stuff at Guido’s!) and stroll over there early before it gets crazy. The grounds are beautiful and well worth a visit even in their own right. (They’re generally open 9–3 p.m. on days without concerts.)
To take full advantage of staying so close, we generally don’t recommend driving somewhere else to get dinner before a show. But if you are driving, we recommend parking in the West or Upper West lots. After the show, Tanglewood traffic cops often make West St. a one-way street, so guests exiting other lots may have to take a detour through town before they get back to the Apple Tree.
Key Tanglewood spots
| Walking time | |
|---|---|
| Main gate The ticket counter and entrance to the grounds, with concessions just beyond. | 9 minutes |
| The Shed The open-air Koussevitzky Music Shed is the site of all the big concerts. You can buy assigned seats in the shed, or buy lawn seats outside the shed. | 12 minutes |
| Ozawa Hall There are often smaller opener concerts at the more modern Ozawa Hall, which similarly has both assigned seats inside and a hill where you can sit. | 18 minutes |
| Linde Center Educational lectures and intimate concerts. | 20 minutes |
Helpful links
- Tanglewood events — See the calendar and buy tickets.
- Tanglewood Today — Specific timing for the different parts of today’s offerings. Only has information about the current day.
