Woodstock, the music festival that took place in 1969 on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, was one of the most iconic moments in U.S. arts and culture history. We’re paying tribute to Woodstock throughout the day on-air on Tuesday, October 26th by playing music from iconic performers like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and more. But, that’s not what this article is about. We’re diving into the exciting arts and culture of the other Woodstock!
If you haven’t heard, we’re giving away a deluxe winter wonderland vacation to Woodstock, Vermont. You can find the details and learn how to enter here. In addition to its breathtaking landscape and downtown that looks straight out of a postcard, what many people might not know is that Woodstock is rich with galleries, theatres, architecture, museums, and other institutions dedicated to the arts.
ARCHITECTURE
Woodstock, Vermont has four main covered bridges around town. This architectural feature gives the town much of its picture-perfect charm. One of them, the Lincoln Covered Bridge, built in 1877, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as it is one of the nation's only standing examples of a wooden Pratt truss building style. Another one of the four is Middle Covered Bridge. Built in 1969 and over 130 feet long, it was the first covered bridge to be built by the state of Vermont in 80 years at the time it was placed.
THEATRE, CINEMA & LIVE MUSIC
There are many local community arts centers and organizations that strive to bring performing and visual arts to Woodstock and neighboring towns. These include Pentangle Arts, Artistree, and Barnarts Center for the Arts. These groups all have programs geared towards all ages. The Townhall Theatre hosts many of these events, with past Pentangle Arts shows including Fiddler on the Roof, CATS, The Wizard of Oz, The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret, and Hair.
Concerts are often held at the Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock. The town is also a short ride away from Hanover, New Hampshire which houses venues like Hopkins Center for the Arts and Bema, an amphitheatre in College Park of Dartmouth College. And in the nearby White River Junction, Vermont are Northern Stage and Engine Room.
MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES
There are many interesting museums and historical sites all within driving distance from Woodstock.
For those interested in science, there is the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, Vermont, and the Montshire Museum of Science. For a hands-on learning experience, there is a dairy farm exploring Vermont’s rural past called Billings Farm & Museum and the New England Falconry. And continuing on the nature theme, one can pay a visit to Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Vermont’s first national park which was built around a mansion.
More of a history person? There’s the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site where his childhood home was, and the Old Windsor Constitution House.
ART GALLERIES & ARTS EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
It comes as no surprise that artists such as famous American painter Ivan Albright have made Woodstock their home. The landscape is inspiring, and the area’s many galleries showcase the growing community of artists. The Hall Art Foundation in Reading, Vermont is a larger collection, with a rotating display of contemporary art. For smaller galleries, there is The Woodstock Gallery, Collective - The Art of Craft Inc., Farmhouse Pottery, Opal & Chip Evans Pop-up Art Cafe, and Shackletonthomas furniture and pottery, just to name a few.
Along with some of these opportunities to see art comes the chance to make it. There are workshops on pottery and glassblowing available at Simon Pearce Factory Store and some of the above galleries such as Shackletonthomas have hands-on events.
Find out more about the trip we’re giving away to Woodstock, Vermont here, and be sure to enter soon— our grand prize winner will be drawn at 6 pm on Friday, October 29th, 2021.
