(U)Topia Inn

Covering your carbon footprints in the Berkshires.

“Eco-friendly” isn’t just a trendy catchphrase at lesbian-owned Topia Inn, a serene, smoke-free, 10-room Berkshires retreat in arts-minded Adams, Mass.: The inn is powered with solar panels and biodiesel fuel. Nana Simopoulos and Caryn Heilman gutted the former ski lodge to its 1880s bones and went totally green in the renovation, from the nontoxic clay coating the walls to the stylish recycled glass countertops and hand-tufted New Zealand wool carpet. Shoes must be checked or covered at the door when you enter this (nearly) carbon footprint–free haven, where themed rooms (Moroccan, Zen, Iroquois, etc.) are each designed by a different artist and include botanically scented body products, organic mattresses and linens, and either a spa tub with chromotherapy or rain shower with aromatherapy steam. The inn sits a few steps from the historic Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, an 11.2-mile pathway through the Hoosic River valley, perfect for cross-country skiing in the winter and biking or Rollerblading after spring thaw.