I had an opportunity to stop through Woodstock New York in upstate New York after a friend’s wedding last month. Woodstock is most known for its wild rock and roll (and drug) parties and famous festival in the 1960’s. It also has a historical past as far back as the 1800s, when it played host to numerous Hudson River School painters.
The Arts and Crafts Movement came to Woodstock in 1902, with the arrival of Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead, Bolton Brown and Hervey White, who formed the Byrdcliffe Colony. In 1906, L. Birge Harrison and others founded the Summer School of the Art Students League of New York in the area, primarily for landscape painting. Ever since, Woodstock has been considered an active artists colony and today, you can still find numerous art galleries and locals doing everything from oil painting to pottery and beads.
The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York and lies within the borders of Catskill Park.Those who are old enough to remember the Woodstock Sound-Outs were staged at Pan Copeland’s Farm on the outskirts of the village (just over the Town of Saugerties line) from 1967 to 1970. These featured folk and rock acts like Richie Havens, Paul Butterfield, Dave van Ronk andVan Morrison. Together with Woodstock’s reputation as a summer arts colony, the Sound-Outs inspired the original Woodstock Festival‘s organizers to plan their concert in the town; however, the town turned down their permit and the “Woodstock Festiva”l was actually held almost 60 miles away at Max Yasgur’s Farm in the Sullivan County town of Bethel.
Today, it has remnants of its 1960’s days, but feels a helluva lot more conservative. Shops, restaurants, cafes, and art galleries are strung through the main little town.
There’s a quirkiness about the place which you can see from the heart motif, its history in arts and music and the umpteen stores selling everything from magical soaps and incense to jewelry and coffee. The below photos were taken in a fascinating little store called Candlestock that sells candles….lots of candles.
Shops and cafes line the main two drags.
The foliage was close to prime on that crisp fall afternoon and evening in late October. There isn’t much to do in the town itself however the surrounding area is beautiful and there are some nice restaurants and cafes where you can take a breather on your way to New York City. Woodstock is roughly a 15-20 minute detour and worth the stop especially if you have any connection to old fashioned rock and roll or are a wannabe hippie.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
