Edna St. Vincent Millay's Eden: Steepletop Open This Weekend

July 18–19 | Austerlitz, NY | $10 grounds pass, $25 guided house tour

Steepletop, the former home of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, opens to visitors this Saturday and Sunday, July 18–19, from 9:30am to 5pm, at 440 East Hill Road in Austerlitz.

Millay bought the property in 1925—a blueberry farm named after the pink, conical wildflower that still grows today—and lived at Steepletop until her death in 1950. The estate is now a National Historic Landmark shared between two organizations: Millay Arts, the artist residency founded in 1973 that has hosted over 3,000 poets, writers, composers, and visual artists over the decades, and the Millay Society, which maintains the house and gardens and manages her literary estate.

Visitors can explore Millay's gardens, fields, Poetry Trail, and the exhibition "Edna St. Vincent Millay: Life at Steepletop, 1925–1950" in the Jackson Gallery. Typewriter poet Jess Bowe will be writing customized poems in Millay's writing cabin, and volunteer Lora Woodward leads guided grounds tours throughout the day. Guided house tours run 60 minutes and are $25 per person; grounds and picnic passes are $10. The Steepletop Gift Shop will be open both days.

Millay was one of the most celebrated American poets of the early 20th century, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1923, and a figure whose political activism and unconventional personal life were as consequential as her literary reputation. Steepletop, tucked against the Berkshire foothills in Austerlitz, was her refuge and primary residence for the last 25 years of her life.

Future Open Days are scheduled for August 15–16 and October 10–11.

Steepletop, 440 East Hill Rd., Austerlitz, NY. Tickets at millay.org.