By Tim Brosnan, Staff Writer

Raoul Desy, a tinsmith at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass., works his magic in an authentic erly 19th century environment. The village is a good starting point for a New England craft tour because the crafts peiople are well-versed in the historical details of their trades and many of the items they make are used in the village. The village is open year-round.

Every autumn, like swallows returning to Capistrano, the "leaf peepers" descend on New England seeking peak foliage, maple syrup and cider.

They're legion for as long as the leaves are up, but, come mid-October, the leaves start to drop and the peepers ride their tour buses back home.

New England's landscape then turns a different face to the cool, blue northern sky - not as colorful, not yet snowy, but rugged and every bit as inviting. It's when the off-season rates kick in, and the highways clear up.

It's also when a few savvy travelers hike in to take advantage of an abundant, interactive, often practical and completely nonseason-specific outlet for most of their discretionary cash:

New England's artisans.

Peeping for potters.

"There's a potter under every rock here," quips glassblower Robert Burch. He looks a little dangerous poised between the twin gas-electric furnaces he uses to melt sand in the foothills of southern Vermont, so we don't argue.

Then Burch chuckles, pauses and recants, "Maybe I shouldn't say that. I used to be a potter myself."

Spend a few days driving around New England, though, and you're apt to think Burch was right the first time.

There does seem to be a potter under every rock, just as there seems to be a glassblower under every sunlit tree and a painter, a blacksmith, a furniture maker or a sculptor toiling under every toadstool.

All of which, in case you hadn't guessed, makes hunting for craft studios in the northeastern United States about as difficult as falling off a log.

So we resolved to buy crafts only after we'd met the people who'd made them.

Good move.

Good because it introduced us to "real" (albeit frequently transplanted) New Englanders at work in their natural surroundings.

Good because it gave our previously "planless" trip meaningful direction.

Every jewelry maker from Bar Harbor to the Berkshires knows a fiber artist who knows a paper maker who knows several mixed-media types, each of whom is just a short, scenic drive away from the next.

And every artisan, regardless of raw material, knows a good place to eat, to walk or to spend the night.

Open door policy.

Robert Burch's glass-blowing studio is best found by calling ahead for detailed directions. Located several turns from a secondary road in Putney, Vt., it tends to attract only what Burch calls "serious" visitors.

Which isn't to say strangers are unwelcome in Burch's converted 18th century stagecoach station workshop. Wielding gobs of glass he molds into objects of surprising beauty, Burch puts on quite a show for anybody intrepid enough to find him.

"This way, we get to meet people as individuals, really talk to them," Burch says. It's a quality over quantity ethic reflected (and refracted) in his work.

Ten minutes away in Brattleboro, Alan Steinberg and two other ceramic artists makeup the Brattleboro Clayworks, a tiny co-op studio and showroom where Steinberg has worked since 1983.

Typical of other artisans we visited, Steinberg welcomes visitors to his studio. He says he enjoys the delight others take in his creative process.

In two weeks, 24 area artisans will share their talents with the rest of us during their annual open house: the Putney Craft Tour and Sale.

Now in its 18th year, the tour takes place Nov. 29 and 30.

It's free and an excellent way to cram lots of crafts into a short, well-organized period.

He doesn't stand under a spreading chestnut tree, but the village blacksmith at Old Sturbridge Village does wield a mean hammer.

Historical perspective.

The best place to begin any craft tour of New England might be at the beginning, or nearer the historical beginning at any rate, at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass.

Visitors to Old Sturbridge Village can interact with "history interpreters" at work in a wide variety of crafts from the first half of the 19th century.

The tinsmith, the cooper (barrel maker), the cobbler (shoemaker), the blacksmith and, of course, the potter, ply their trades in an authentic period environment open year-round to the public.

These crafts people are conversant in the historical details of their crafts and much of what they make - the bowls, the lamps, barrels and so on - are used in the village.

Also, like their 20th-century counterparts elsewhere, what they make is for sale.

Masterworks.

About an hour east of Sturbridge is Stockbridge, site of the 36-acre Norman Rockwell Museum complex.

We discovered the museum almost by accident during a side trip to the Berkshires, but take our advice — go see it.

Unlike other art museums we've walked through where we recognized a handful of paintings, this museum is a feast of the familiar.

So familiar, in fact, it sometimes gave us chills.

There, leaping from hundreds of original oils first seen as cover illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell's genius is palpable and his contribution to American culture becomes crystal clear.

Many of the props depicted in Rockwell's covers for the Post, as well as photographs of the human models who sat for the paintings, are on display.

The museum also is host to touring exhibits by other artists and Nov. 9 through Jan. 26 features "Dick & Jane: Illustrations of an American Education."

It promises to be a treat for anybody who can remember seeing Spot run.

The rest of it.

Elsewhere in the Berkshires, in towns like Lenox (summer home of the Boston Pops) and West Stockbridge, are the places where Steinberg says "the tourists line up on the interstate" looking for crafts.

West Stockbridge, for example, is a town that seems to exist solely for the purpose of selling all manner of handmade things to people with out-of-state license plates.

There's plenty to do and see in the Berkshires, plenty of crafts and antiques, but, scenic vistas notwithstanding, we found the atmosphere to be too commercial for our taste.

So we moved on - back to Vermont, to New Hampshire and, for several days, along the coast of Maine - peeking hopefully under every sea-swept rock and toadstool for signs of creative life.

Needless to say, the turnpikes and interstates weren't our major modes of transportation for this trip, and those who might follow in our footsteps should figure a generous fudge factor into their schedule.

At intervals between every place we planned to stop were several other places we hadn't anticipated, and half the fun of such a trip as ours is never knowing exactly what (or who) the next day will bring.

Boxed "highlights"

If you're going

Robert Burch and his wife, Nancy Gagnon, are the contact people for the 18th Putney Craft Tour and Sale Nov. 29 and 30 in Putney, Vt. There 's no charge for the tour. Call (802) 387-4032 for a brochure.

For information about Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass., call (508) 347-3362. Village hours Nov. 5 through Dec. 31 are Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets (good for two days admission are $15 for adults, $13.50 for seniors and $7.50 for children 6-15. Children younger than 6 are admitted free.

For information about the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., call (413) 298-4100. November through April the museum is open weekdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults and $2 for children 6-18. Children 5 and younger are admitted free.

Where to stay

The Susse Chalet motel chain is a good economical alternative to bed & breakfast inns, which typically start at $85 to $100 per night in New England. Susse Chalet's rooms average $50 a night. Their reservation line is (800) 524-2538.

Located throughout New England, Susse Chalet has many properties to choose from, especially in the Boston area.

A good directory of bed & breakfast inns in New England is Recommended Country Inns: New England" by Elizabeth Squier, (Globe Pequot Press, $14.95).

In Stockbridge, The Red Lion Inn has excellent rooms starting at $72 a night for two people during the off-season (Nov. 1 - April 30). Its firehouse suite ($300) is housed in an actual firehouse depicted in one of Norman Rockwell's paintings at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Call (413) 298-5545 for reservations.

Visitors to Old Sturbridge Village might want to stay at the Old Sturbridge Lodges or Oliver Wight House, both of which are within walking distance of the village. Rooms start at $65 a night for two people, depending on day of the week and availability. The reservation line is (508) 347-3327.

On the Internet

Old Sturbridge Village hosts an excellent Web site at www.osv.org.

A good site for people interested in all aspects of the Berkshires is http://berkcon.com.

The New Hampshire Office of Travel & Tourism Development website is at www.visitnh.gov.

The Vermont State Department of Travel & Tourism can be found at http://travel-vermont.com.