It still happens all the time: Visitors come to the Catskills art colony of Woodstock, ask where around town the legendary 1969 music festival of the same name took place, and are met with confused stares. True, the Woodstock Festival was originally supposed to take place at Woodstock itself, but the town wanted no part of it. So the organizers searched for other suitable sites in the area, finally settling on a site 60 miles to the southwest: A 600 acre dairy farm located outside Bethel, NY. The farm may be long gone, but the music lives on at The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Located on the same hallowed ground as the Woodstock Festival, the Center is one of the Hudson Valley's most beautiful outdoor concert venues, hosting everyone from the Beach Boys to Brad Paisley to the multi-day electronic music festival Mysteryland. The Center also features a museum, open year-round, dedicated to the legacy of the 1960s.
How to get to The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
The Center is located off of Route 17B. Drivers taking the Thruway (I-87) should get off at Exit 16, and then take Route 17 West to exit 104 to meet up with Route 17B. Those taking I-84 should exit at Exit 4W to get to Route 17 West and proceed as above. General parking is free. Coach USA offers roundtrip shuttle buses on concert days departing from New York City; Ridgewood, NJ; and Middletown, NY.
Best and worst times to go to The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
The museum is open up until show time on concert dates, making it the perfect place to kill some time while you wait for the music to start, right? Well, a couple thousand other people all had the same idea. Come back on days when there's no concert taking place and you'll get to actually enjoy the exhibits.
Admission to The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Prices for concerts vary. The Museum admission free ranges from $6 to $15 depending on age, although children 3 and under are free. Museum admission is discounted during concert days for concert ticket holders. Note that the museum is closed from January through March each year.
Must see/do at The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
The best way to experience the museum is to take in as many of the 21 short films that play throughout the exhibit as possible. The films offer an unparalleled look at the days leading up to the Woodstock Festival and the Festival's aftermath, including plenty of concert footage. Leave yourself a good two hours so you can relax and watch them without rushing along.
Other places to visit near The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Swan Lake Camplands is just ten minutes away for those who want to honor the spirit of the Festival by pitching a tent under the stars. If the music wasn't loud enough for you, head to Bethel Motor Speedway for short track racing. And the Cat Stills Cafe on Route 17B, home of the award-winning Catskill Distilling Company, is a great place to have a drink and a bite to eat before the show.
Insider tips for visitors to The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Don't feel as though you have to pay to see a concert or visit the museum if you're just making a pilgrimage to the site of the 1969 festival. After all, the festival itself was free, right? Drive to the corner of Hurd Road and West Shore Road to view the Woodstock Festival monument, walk the fields that once held almost half a million concertgoers, and imagine what it must have been like that historic weekend (or, if you were there, try to remember.)
Author's bio: Brian PJ Cronin is a freelance journalist who lives in Beacon and writes about the Hudson Valley for numerous publications. You can find him online at brianpjcronin.com and on Twitter as @brianpjcronin.