Fun Facts About Woodstock, Vermont

Covered Bridges

Woodstock, Vermont, has three covered bridges that span the Ottauquechee River. One is right in the middle of town, and guess what—it is called The Middle Bridge!

Wassail Weekend

Woodstock, Vermont, gets into the holiday season during Wassail Weekend, a celebration of winter’s sights, sounds, and spirit. Events on and around the Village Green include caroling, a bonfire, and a parade.

Paul Revere Bells

Woodstock is the only town with six church bells manufactured in Paul Revere’s foundry. Four of those very bells are still in use today.

First Mechanized Uphill Ski Conveyance in America

In January 1934, the first rope tow in the United States began pulling skiers up a hill on Clinton Gilbert’s Farm in Woodstock. A Model-T truck engine powered the rope tow. It took five days to build and cost $500. Skiers paid one dollar to get pulled up the hill and ski on Gilbert’s Hill. The site of the first rope tow is marked by a historic marker a short distance out of the village on Route 12.

Woodstock Music Festival

In 1969, there was a famous music festival, but this festival was not held in Woodstock, Vermont. Instead, it was held on a Bethel, New York dairy farm. Also, the actual town of Woodstock, NY, was about 60 miles away from Bethel.

Tourism

Woodstock is a tourist destination known for its historic charm, outdoor activities, shopping, dining, and arts community.

No Power Lines

Laurance and Mary French Rockefeller had the village’s power lines buried underground. To protect their ridgeline views, the town adopted an ordinance to create a Scenic Ridgeline District to preserve its aesthetics and views. It was updated in 2007.

A National Park

The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is in Woodstock and is the only United States National Park System unit in Vermont (except for the Appalachian Trail). The park preserves where Frederick Billings established a managed forest and a progressive dairy farm.