the museum at bethel woods

I suppose we'll have to plan another trip to the Catskills after April 4th to visit the museum. We were in the Catskills in January to ski. Many locals suggested we visit there and all were surprised to hear they were closed. Why wouldn't the museum stay open at least on weekends during the winter?

Off the main road - nice drive. Visited with my teenage daughter. We both had a great time. The grounds were immaculate. Interactive displays in the museum. My daughter loved the bus and the "pre-remote" TV. Concerts, walk the grounds, history timeline in the museum, gift shop, and restaurant. Would definitely go back again.

Snow covered fields and a very cold blustery day kept us off the grounds where 400,000 people experienced peace, love and rock and roll. My teenagers and my wife enjoyed this bit of nostalgia and musical history. We spent at least two hours going through the variety of exhibits. Wish we were here in the summer, it could only get better. If you're in the area, this is a must!

This is such a great time capsule! I'm 40 so this was way before my time but as a music fan this really spoke to me. None of the footage I have seen of this music festival was nearly as informative as this exhibit. The only thing I would have like to see more of was items from the artists that played that day. I just don't understand why there are no signs that said Woodstock to be found. We followed our GPS and thought we had ended up at a country club-we almost turned around and left!

No, this is not the town of Woodstock, NY. It is, however, the actual location of the 60s music concert known as Woodstock. And it is fantastic. A very nice setting, right at the concert sight, with a very attractive museum building. The exhibits take just an hour or two depending upon how many audio and video recordings one sits through. An incredibly nostalgic experience for anyone over 50. Even if you did not attend Woodstock, you will relive so much music and history. The beginning of the exhibits revisits the Viet Nam war, civil rights movement, assassinations, etc of the 60s. Not to be missed.

The grounds alone are worth visiting, but the museum is the icing on the cake. I am still amazed that this museum is dedicated to one event, but so thrilled it is. I missed the actual Woodstock event but always wanted to see where it took place. We were a large group and 2 of our members had been there in August 1969. We had a docent tour, and she was very knowledgeable about the entire history of both the museum and the event as she had attended. There is something great about a museum that honors that period of time, as having lived through it, I could personally appreciate what it all really meant. Being there in the fall was spectacular!!!! This should be on everyone's bucket list if you were lucky enough to have gone through that era. I loved it!

For those of us who remember Woodstock, this is a MUST visit. It is truly a lovely place and they were celebrating the 45th anniversary of Woodstock. The Museum is chock full of Woodstock artist items and short movies about the event. On the same property is the land/farm where Woodstock took place. I can't say enough about seeing this landmark and what a great job they did in setting up both the property and the museum.

We went upstate to see the changing leaves & decided to drop by the Museum. We weren't really sure we wanted to spend the $15 per person, but decided to go for it. Well...we ended up staying over 3 hours & really could have spent more time perusing the exhibits. I believe that anyone even remotely exposed to the music & the culture of the 60s & 70s would be glad to have visited this interactive museum. Loved the O'leary-esque bus & the concert footage. So much more information than in the movie! Loved it! Just an aside: if you are hungry (as we were) on 17B heading East there is a great Barbecue food Stand/Truck with amazing authentic smoked meats Big Kev's BBQ. The brisket is sublime!!!!

Missed the event 45 years ago and finally made it there. Amazing exhibits, videos, grounds....everything done correctly. Touring the exhibits takes a strong 1 1/2 hours if you want to read all, watch the videos, etc. Brought a picnic lunch and found picnic tables at the site of the monument commemorating Woodstock. It's located across the concert field on a little higher knob looking down to where the stage was. Very nice, peaceful, reflective setting. A definite "to do" visit for everyone. I'm sure the summer months are packed but going on a random Saturday in October there weren't many people. Checked this off the Bucket List!

Loved the museum! Plan on spending at the minimum 2 hours to take it all in. Lots of videos to watch and two small auditoriums that make you feel like you were actually there.

This was an informative visit - lots of information about the woodstock festival as well as pop culture and politics of the time. I would think it's a mecca for those who lived during that era. The positive: there are MANY interactive exhibits and films keep your attention. Lots to learn. And fun to see current recordings of individuals who attended. The negative: the restaurant was closed, and the gift shop was a disappointment. Many t-shirts and junk - I was prepared to drop $$ for some high quality gifts and little captured my interest. We went from the museum to the actual site and had a great conversation with a gentleman who lived it. He was groovy and far-out, man!

This is a great little museum. If you lived through the 60s (I did) it brings you back to relive those unique times. If you're too young for that, you will get a lot of very interesting historic perspectives on a wild period in American history. Either way, this museum does a fine job of not just telling the story of the epic Woodstock music festival, but also setting the historical perspective for the times.Important tip #1: Many museums are filled with display cases full of artifacts, but that's not the focus here. In fact, I would have liked a bit more of that in addition to what's here, and some of what is displayed is too small (e.g., copies of documents that are too hard to read because of their size). But the real strength of this museum is in its videos, many of which are fairly short (4 minutes) but do a great job of telling the Woodstock story. I recommend that you allow about two hours to do this museum, and take the time to watch all the videos and see the film.Tip #2: Check out the area downstairs near the rest rooms. There's a great quote from Mrs. Yasgur on one of the walls.Tip #3: Don't eat at the museum cafe if you have limited time. You order your food and then wait for the kitchen to prepare it, and in our case that took more than 15 minutes just for a sandwich. The food was okay but definitely not fast.After seeing the museum be sure to ride down the road a short way to see the hillside where the stage was and where the audience sat, as well as the historic marker.

I was not sure what to expect at the museum, but I was very pleased. The exhibits and the films/videos/interactive screens were wonderful to view, very colorful and informative. I learned stuff I never knew! We spent about an hour and a half but could have stayed longer. The landscaping was lovely. The only reason why I am not giving this place 5 stars is because of the overpriced items in the gift shop. I mean $60 for a hoodie? $30 for a T-shirt? Come on. They are losing business from the items being overpriced. Of the three of us there, we all said "that's too much!" and would not buy. It was so "anti-Woodstock". I hope they reconsider their prices as more people would buy souvenirs if the cost was more reasonable.

My husband and I visited the Museum on our way back home from the Catskills and loved it! It was great to re-live the 1960's with all the music, pictures, clothing, etc. Even though we never attended Woodstock, it was so much fun to see everything and remember what the 60's were like. We especially liked the school bus, VW beetle, and the custom-made OCC chopper. We spent so much time in the museum we never got to see the rest of the grounds where Woodstock made history. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to go back and visit again!

We've been to many concerts at Bethel Woods, but never visited the museum until last weekend. The museum shows the history of the United States, and the events leading up to the festival, using still photographs, movies, audio recordings, as well as record album covers, newsprint, posters, an old school bus, and a VW beetle. People could flow about the exhibits as they pleased, either stopping to read or listen, or bypassing them. Sometimes the spotlighting on the displays wasn't bright enough for these old eyes, or the white printing on yellow pastel backgrounds made reading difficult, but you could take the time to read it carefully. Near the end of the self guided tour, a large screen movie showed excerpts from the concert, with music. The museum was very nice, and it does take quite awhile to go thru it if you stop to read, listen, and view everything there. But that's what you are there for. If you just want to see the festival, rent the movie. There are volunteers on staff to expand on any questions you might have on the exhibits, and they are present throughout the museum. There is a small snack bar, a large dining hall where a wedding reception was about to take place, and a gift shop. Downstairs they have and area for rotating / visiting exhibits, and an "Orange County Choppers" Woodstock motorcycle is on display. Adult tickets are $15 apiece. Wheelchair accessible. Beautiful grounds. A monument at the site of the original festival is about 1/2 mile north. To get to it, do not exit onto Rte 17B, but follow Hurd's Rd. out of the parking lots (left turn) and go to the stop sign. The monument is at the corner, and there is a small parking lot there. Couple the museum visit with a summertime concert, and you'd have a beautiful day.