For all its renown, Woodstock [1] remains a small village, with a population of about 6,000. Its main thoroughfare is Tinker Street, which according to legend is named after a tinker’s wagon that sank into the mud here one fine spring day.
Where Tinker Street meets Rock City and Mill House Roads is the village green, often filled with teenagers wearing the tie-dyed T-shirts and long granny dresses of their parents’ generation. Nearby is the Millstream, immortalized in Tell Taylor’s classic song, “Down By the Old Millstream.”
Dozens of small shops, galleries, and restaurants crowd the streets of Woodstock. Among the oldest is the Woodstock Artists Association (28 Tinker St., 845/679-2940, www.woodstockart.org [2], noon–5 p.m. Thurs.–Mon.), which has exhibited the works of area artists since 1920.
Among the newest is the first-rate Center for Photography at Woodstock (59 Tinker St., 845/679-9957, www.cpw.org [3], noon–5 p.m. Wed.–Sun.), housed in what was once the Espresso Café, where Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and other 1960s-era icons performed. Tinker Street is also home to the Golden Notebook (29 Tinker St., 845/679-8000), a good bookstore.
From May to December, visitor information can be picked up at the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce (10 Rock City Rd., near the village green, 845/679-6234, www.woodstockchamber.com [4], 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Fri.–Sun.). For hotline information on lodging and dining, call 845/679-6234.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-york-state/the-hudson-valley/mid-hudson-valley/the-catskills/woodstock
[2] http://www.woodstockart.org
[3] http://www.cpw.org
[4] http://www.woodstockchamber.com