BECKET — A whiff of mystery and even the risqué wafts around the Dream Away Lodge, the restaurant and music venue with a colorfully sordid past that sits plumb in the midst of Becket State Forest.
Though the heart of the building was built in 1790, a 1940’s-era porch addition (and neon sign) lend a mid-century, roadhouse vibe.
“It’s always been this renegade, highly theatrical experience in the middle of the woods,” says Daniel Osman, the former actor who has owned the operation since 1997, “kind of a juke-joint on the mountaintop, where the party just spills outside onto the lawn, into the garden and onward into the forest.”
After its history as alleged brothel and speakeasy, it entered rock ’n’ roll lore when Bob Dylan and his Rolling Thunder Revenue crew, including Arlo Guthrie and Joan Baez, visited in 1975 not only for dinner and a jam session, but to film several scenes for Dylan’s infamous film “Renaldo and Clara.”
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A living room serves as performance space in winter months, with audiences crammed onto couches and ottomans. In summer, an outdoor fire pit is popular, and concerts on the adjacent lawn create a cozy festival vibe. Though there are weekly shows, Erin McKeown’s July 14 performance highlights a mid-month festival.
For a schedule of upcoming music events at Dream Away Lodge, visit www.thedreamaway lodge.com.