My Visits to the Site of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival

Visiting the site of the original 1969 Woodstock Music Festival would be a treat for anyone old enough to know anything about it. It was touted as “three days of peace and music” (it was actually four: August 15, 16, 17 &18) and there was no violence. Drugs, yeah, but no violence.

There was never – and never has been since – a stellar lineup as there was here. Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, The Who, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Canned Heat, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Arlo Guthrie, Ten Years After, Santana, Sly & The Family Stone, Joe Cocker, and many, many others.

Sure, they attempted a 25th anniversary “Woodstock 2” in 1994 that failed bigtime. The kids were from a different generation and didn’t know or understand the vibe that the original had. Therefore, there were fights and vandalism...and the whole thing did not go well in the end.

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I’ve been there a few times and acquired a piece of the original 1969 stage. Plus, I got to sit on the exact same bed that John Lennon and Yoko One did their “Bed-In for Peace” in June 1969..

The concert site is actually in Bethel, 60 miles from the actual town of Woodstock, which is SO cool to visit. The shops are mostly run by the old hippies and you’ll find some of the most unique items for sale, many homemade. The town is also home to the Woodstock Theater, where some well-known actors made their debuts: Larry Hagman (“JR” on Dallas) and Diane Keaton to name a couple.

It took about a whole day to drive there, but it was well worth it. If you are a Michigander who is familiar with the 1969 event, or just plain love Rock history, then you definitely should make it a point both: the concert site and the town.

Below is an image gallery with photos of my various trips there.