Did you know that the world-renowned Woodstock Festival of 1969, did not take place in Woodstock! The actual location was the town of Bethel about an hours drive from Woodstock. The festival was called Woodstock because of “Woodstock Ventures”, an investment company put money into the concert (which is actually a pretty boring reason!)
The Museum at Bethel Woods, where vibrant, interactive exhibits, programs, and events celebrate the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair and the entire decade that it came to represent, is definitely worth a trip, especially for people who aren’t familiar with the history of the festival. It pretty much tells you everything you’ll want to know. The multimedia presentations are slick & engaging.
The online visitor’s book where people who attended the festival (there were around 500,000 of them!) can leave anecdotes, was well worth the read. I would highly recommend a visit.
An interesting anecdote I picked up, is that although only around 500,000 people attended the festival, over 1.5 million people worldwide claim to have attended the event! Peace!
13 Things you didn’t know about Woodstock.
Winter Hours: October 14 – December 31
Open Thursday – Sunday 10 A.M.– 5 P.M. (Box Office closes at 3:30 pm)
I’m happy to report that, although flash photography is not allowed, visitors are now allowed to take photos! This is an amazing museum & a must see if you were a part of the 60’s as I was and, most definitely if you were not, to learn of the triumphs and the tragedies of this infamous decade. Allow yourself a minimum of 2 hours but, I guarantee, you’ll want to go back!