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The Museum at Bethel Woods
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
5 reviews for The Museum at Bethel Woods
5 reviews in English
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Review from Michelle C.
Kouts, IN
7/5/2010
I agree with Matt F. on a lot of what was said in his review.
To me, the Museum at Bethel Woods is about preserving those historical memories that will be gone in 20-30 years as a generation passes on. The museum is about providing that history to people that may not know what Woodstock or Hippies were. The museum is about building the connections together in a way that help people to understand why those three days were a changing point in history.
I usually do a lot of glazing over of information at museums but I read everything on the wall and watched every video and it was interesting to think about the level of perseverance that went into actually making Woodstock happen.
Plus, anytime I get to visit a place where something magically historical happened, it makes me happy. -
Review from Matt F.
New Haven, CT
1/13/2009
I couldn't disagree more with the one other review of this place. I think the museum is classy, as any reputable museum ought to be. I also think it tells the right story...we all know what Woodstock was, and this place attempts to fill in the sociological and cultural gaps around those three muddy August days. Why did Woodstock happen? Why do we still talk about it? What impact did it have? This museum talks to these points, often through the voices of local citizens and artists who were there, and also shows a fair deal of concert footage.
Parking is ample and there is a small café, although I can't vouch for the food. There is a gift shop, as the other review indicated, and it serves its purpose just fine. Finally, the admission price is fair and I don't believe locals are (or should be) entitled to a discount...upkeep for such a place can't be cheap, especially considering the harsh seasonal business cycles that characterize upstate NY. For all of the private money that went into bringing Bethel Woods to fruition, the least we can do is proudly support it.
This museum, and the amphitheater for that matter, is world class and something for Sullivan County to be extremely proud of. This isn't merely the "hippy museum" that Senator McCain tried to characterize it as, and I only hope that they are both around for many, many years to come. -
Review from Simone L.
Monticello, NY
5/17/2011
If Jonathan F. went through this museum in 30 minutes, he didn't stop to read much or look at anything. This is a world-class facility -- and for a museum that just opened less than 5 years ago, they have put together an outstanding combination of artifacts and information. To understand Woodstock, you have to understand the 60s too. Context is everything, and this museum places those historic 3 days in the context of a turbulent and changing social time. Nothing can accurately reproduce the experience of being at Woodstock, but this museum is the next best thing. Everyone I know who was there in 1969 said the museum brought it all back for them. And the cafe has new management with good food! DO CHECK the seasonal hours on their web site BEFORE YOU GO; it's open Thurs-Sun in the spring and fall, and 7 days a week in the summer.
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Review from Jonathan F.
Walton, NY
9/13/2008
I was disaapointed bu this place, It is a new museum at the site of the Woodstock Festival in August 1969, it foucuses on that event, and attempt sto tocu on the larger 60's cultural scene...... I did not learn much about Woodstiock though. There was little memorabilia too. I got there in teh mroning and it was fairly crowded. That doesn't bother me too much I am just pointing it out because i have read that this place gets real crowded, and know that some would want to know that..... The admission was over 10 and could have beeb less.... The gift shop was nothing special either. It would have been nice if they at least had all the cds that are not out of print for all the artists that played the festival. They did not have anything close to that.... I did not even get too see Pete Townsend hit Abbie Hoffman with his guitar, but alas, and admiteddly, that incident was not captured on film (to common knowledge at least).
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Review from Lauren R.
West Hartford, CT
7/3/2009
I, unfortunately, could not attend the Woodstock Festival, seeing that I didn't even exist at that point....I wasn't even born until '86. However, seeing the museum and seeing the site where everything happened was amazing for me. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was interesting to hear about some of the other political things that were happening then. The only bummer was that there was no photography allowed in the museum. They added a new exhibit in the downstairs area which is kind of like a time line of John Lennon and Yoko's Bed-in. Even though I'm not really a Beatles fan, I still enjoyed this. One of my favorite parts was this computer that they have for people to leave messages about their experiences at Woodstock. It was definitely really interesting to read some of those. I highly recommend going here and seeing for yourself.
