Five Fun Facts: The Museum at Bethel Woods in Bethel, New York

Woodstock. Whether you’re a child of the sixties or not, just hearing the word conjures up images of peace signs, hippies with long, tousled hair and swarms of people rocking out to The Who and Janis Joplin. The festival took place more than 40 years ago, but a visit to The Museum at Bethel Woods helps keep those Woodstock memories alive for those who were there that summer of 1969 and those who wish they were.

Ninety miles north of New York City in Bethel, New York, the museum is located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. It tells the story of the sixties and Woodstock in an immersive multimedia permanent exhibit that features the sights, sounds and culture of the decade. Speakers and film series complement special exhibit themes to provide additional insight and broader perspectives. From June through early September, Music and history play on at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts at during concerts at the outdoor amphitheater pavilion stage.

After visiting The Museum at Bethel Woods, you’ll be full of interesting tidbits of little-known information about the festival. Here are five pieces of trivia to get you started:

The Woodstock festival is a misnomer. The festival was moved from Wallkill, New York to Bethel, New York just 31 days before it began.

The birth of a metropolis. 400,000 people attended the concert, and by the time Woodstock began, Bethel was one of the largest cities in New York State.

Playing through a storm. The Grateful Dead played in the rain. Several members of the band received shocks during their performance and bass player Phil Lesh heard a helicopter radio transmission through his bass while playing.

Off-the-cuff songwriting. Richie Havens had to play so long that he ran out of material and improvised what became one of his biggest songs: "Freedom."

A rare glimpse. Never-before-seen Woodstock festival footage is shown in a 21-minute film in the museum theater.

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Photos top to bottom: Bethel Woods Museum and Festival Field, credit Nick Zungoli. Museum Interior, credit Richard Law. Museum Timeline, The Museum at Bethel Woods.