Friday, May 2, 2014

Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Virgin Traveler: Bethel Woods

And today begins a new segment of my blog called "The Virgin Traveler."

Yes, I've traveled, but not as much as I always dreamed of doing. There are so many things I haven't seen in the Hudson Valley, in the United States and in the world. What's stopped me? Life. As a single mom of three kids, either money or time has been tight. We have taken various trips to Disney (one of my favorite places), Vermont, Atlantic City and more, but I've always wanted to have a bigger scrapbook of places I've been to by now in my life.

So I've decided it's time. No I didn't hit the lotto and am now traveling the world. Instead, I'm taking it one step at a time. Little by little. Town by town. This summer, my kids and I (now teenagers) are taking local trips. Two of them are working summer jobs now and one also has an summer internship, so it was hard to arrange a larger vacation this year. So, instead, we made a list of things we wanted to see or do in the Hudson Valley area.

Our first stop: Bethel Woods, the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. They were hosting a new exhibit with photography, memorabilia and clothes from Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. Photographs inside the museum are not permitted, but we took a photo outside and at the memorial they have on the grounds. After watching the movies inside, we were almost able to picture exactly how the event went outside.

I also didn't know that Janis Joplin was an amazing artist and I never took such a close look at Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. My son, who is graduating high school this year and heading off to music school, was enthralled.

The museum is good for any age, of course, but I think the tweens/teen set would enjoy it once they have a basic understanding of what Woodstock was. Then take them over to hear about it in detail.

Visit www.bethelwoodscenter.org.

As a writer, of course I'm always looking for story ideas in my travels too. My goal when the kids get older is to hit the road and do some travel writing. Cheers to a new beginning!