Set within nearly 2,000 bucolic acres in upstate New York, The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a $100 million outdoor performing-arts center and museum. Located on the site of the original 1969 Woodstock concert, the center is a 90-minute drive from New York City, and a perfect destination for a daytrip or getaway weekend. The center hosts a summer concert series on its multiple stages. Some shows are large and boisterous, others are small and intimate—but they all promise to be a great time.

August 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, the historic music festival that became one of the most famous pop-culture events of the 1960s. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will commemorate the milestone with the Bethel Woods Music Festival Heroes of Woodstock concert on Aug. 15, 2009, featuring performances by the Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Ten Years After and many others.

Sat., Aug. 15, 2009
Bethel Woods Music Festival, starring Heroes of Woodstock

The Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Mountain, Tom Constanten and Country Joe McDonald

Pavilion Stage
5 p.m. Show Time; 4 p.m. Doors; 3 p.m. Parking
$69, $40 Reserved; $19.69 Lawn

The Museum at Bethel Woods, an integral part of the larger Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, is an interactive multi-media experience that explores the unique experience of the Woodstock festival and the 1960s. The self-guided exhibit highlights the social, political, cultural and musical transformations of the time, as well as its legacy today.

The museum takes a thorough look at the history of the time—providing a stroll down memory lane for those who lived through it and giving an overview for younger generations. The 6,728-square-foot permanent exhibit gallery includes 20 films; five interactive productions; 330 photographs printed on panels and murals; 300 artifacts (164 are on permanent display); and video/oral histories from performers such as Arlo Guthrie, Richie Haven, Warren Haynes, Phil Lesh, Ray Manzarek and Peter Seeger.

The museum’s films include:

1968: A Year That Shook America—Produced by the History Channel, this 10-minute film examines the important events that shaped this tumultuous year that was 1968, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the Vietnam War protests and man’s first visit to the moon.

A Musical Revolution—Narrated by Dennis Elsas, this film covers the dramatic transformation of rock & roll through the ’60s.

The Festival Experience—Projected by nine video projectors on four screens measuring 62 feet wide by 50 feet high, this breathtaking 11-minute film places the viewer in the Woodstock crowd to experience the people, music and sights of the three-day event.

The museum’s interactive productions include:

The Top 40—Visitors can listen to excerpts from the greatest songs of the era.

Personal Stories—Two booths are available for guests to leave a personal story about their experiences with Woodstock, the ’60s or the Museum at Bethel Woods.

The Music After Woodstock—Snippets of the best songs written after Woodstock that have carried forward the legacy and themes of that time.

WOODSTOCK FUN FACTS

• The Doors considered playing when they thought the festival would be held in Central Park—they decided against it when they learned the event was being held in upstate New York.

• When the Grateful Dead played in the rain, several band members received shocks and bass player Phil Lesh heard a helicopter transmission through his guitar.

• The event was moved from Wallkill, N.Y. to Bethel, N.Y., just 31 days before it began.

GENERAL MUSEUM INFORMATION

TICKET PRICES:
Adults (18 and up) $13
Senior (65 and up) $11
Youth (8-17) $9
Children (3-7) $4
Child 2 years and under, free with adult

HOURS:
2009 Summer Hours
Sat., May 23 through Mon., Sept. 7, 2009
Daily, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

2009 Fall Hours
Thur., Sept. 10–Sun., Jan. 3, 2010
Open Thur.–Sun., 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

HOLIDAY HOURS:
Columbus Day, Mon., Oct. 12, 2009, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Dec. 28-30, 2009, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
 
Museums tickets will be sold each day until one and one-half hours before closing time on regular open days and until 1 hour before concert start time on typical concert days. Please call 866/781-2922 to verify museum hours on concert days.