Third-Best Music Museum in America is in Upstate New York, Poll Says

The original Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held in 1969, is arguably the most famous music festival ever. Held in Bethel, NY, two hours southeast of Albany, the event featured thirty-two artists performing over a three-day span, and the hosts welcomed well over 400,000 spectators onto their property to see it.

To put it simply, from the perspective of music, it changed the world.

Given how popular and memorable Woodstock was, it seems fitting that the museum commemorating its history would also be regarded among the nation's best.

Apparently, readers of USA Today agree with me about that.

The Museum at Bethel Woods, which sits within the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, was recently named the third-best music museum in the United States, according to USA Today's 10Best Readers Poll.

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As described by USA Today, you can visit the site and be transported back in time via their main exhibit that takes visitors through the 1960s with pictures, music, and films.

The museum is set to re-open for the season on April 1, 2024. Tickets for adults cost $20 when bought in advance, or $22.69 on the day of your visit. Kids under the age of five get in for free, while kids ages 6-18 can get tickets for $5 daily.

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Here is where The Museum at Bethel Woods was ranked among its peers:

1. Johnny Cash Museum, Nashville, TN
2. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH
3. The Museum at Bethel Woods, Bethel, NY
4. Woody Guthrie Center, Tulsa, OK
5. GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live, Los Angeles, CA
6. GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, Cleveland, MS
7. Patsy Cline Museum, Nashville, TN
8. Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Bristol, VA
9. Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix, AZ
10. The Blue Ridge Music Center, Galax, VA

Results of this poll were shared on February 23, 2024. Information from New York Upstate was referenced in the writing of this article.