Hi! I'm Howard Rust and you just found my site telling you what's great about the Woodstock, New York area--one of the world's most interesting places to live. What's so great about it?
Did you know that cities ranked by number of professional recording studios are: 
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Nashville
- Woodstock!!
If you are a musician, that's just one great thing about Woodstock. There are many musicians here, the famous and the unknown, from rock to jazz to folk to classical. Numerous rock, jazz and contra dance events are put on, as are the classical Maverick Concerts. Tiny Woodstock even has it's own Chamber Orchestra! Regular jams and parties can be found and new friends made. Every once in a while, huge bands recording at the studios will appear at the local clubs to try out their new material. Or locals like Rick Danko or John Sebastian will jam together at the gorgeous Bearsville Theater.
Maybe you are an artist. Guess which town in the United States has the highest percentage of professional artists?
That's right, Woodstock! Woodstock also has the well known Woodstock School of Art, the Woodstock Guild, which runs the Byrdcliff retreat and the Kleinert James gallery, and the Woodstock Artists Association. Catskill Art and Office Supply has many art materials and supplies right in town.
If you're into the theatre, there's plenty here in the famous Byrdcliff Theatre, performance art and plays at the Kleinert James Gallery, and many other local and regional performances and theatre groups.
Enjoy the mid-summer evening splendor of the Woodstock Shakespeare Festival (which is free) or audition your child at the Woodstock Youth Theater. Many playwrights and theater professionals also live in Woodstock.
We also have an Art Movie Theater, the Tinker St. Cinema.
OR MAYBE YOU'RE PART OF THE 
As Woodstock abounds with poets and writers, there's no shortage of poetry, book signings and other literary events. Browse through the books at The Golden Notebook, Many Feathers Bookstore, The Bookmart, KTD Tibetan Buddhist Bookstore, Mirabai Books, and Blue Mountain Books and Manuscripts. The community is very proud of the excellent Woodstock Public Library which is an unusually rich resource for the arts, the history of the area, as well as good reading on just about any subject.
By day, enjoy the mountains, turkeys, deer and wild flowers, interesting people everywhere. The Ashokan Reservoir has a special biking, skating and walking blacktop that runs along the water. Woodstock also abounds in rocky streams to splash in, trails to hike and great stores to shop in. In addition, it is only a short distance from skiing. By night, seek out the world class restaurants, night clubs and other hot spots.
For those looking for more serious retreats, there are many centers of discovery and spiritual work: the Zen Monastery, and Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, The Phonecia Pathworks Center, SpiritEarth in Saugerties, the Omega Institute (across the river in Rhinebeck)
In the Summer, there's an excellent Day Camp with a swimming program and other summer camps offering enriching experiences to fill many sunny hours with fun. There's free swimming and picnic spots along the creek at the Big Deep Swimming Hole on the Town's property. There are numerous places to go horseback riding, tubing, mountain biking, hiking, and bird watching with the Minnewaska State Park and the Ashokan Reservoir being amoung the area favorites. Oh, and don't forget to take a sailboat or riverboat ride on the Hudson. In winter, the area abounds in snow sports like sledding, skiing, and ice skating, while year-round activities include the Wonderworks play park in Woodstock and the nearby Catskill Corners which showcases the world's largest kaliedoscope.
Festivals flourish here with themes linked to the Spring equinox, Summer Solstice, and peak during the several Harvest Festivals--the Corn Festival and the Pumpkin Festival to mention two. Later on, of course, Christmas and Channukah holidays bring the year to a grand finale.
Educational experiences include the reknowned NYCA (New York Conservatory of the Arts), In the North Woods provides alternative educational and home school experiences out of doors, and Phoenicia Elementary the home-styled public elementary school that is swiftly becoming a magnet school for the area, and many After-school programs available throughout the Onteora School District. Several private tutors who teach the full spectrum can also be found in the area.
Restaurants
- Bear Cafe
- Little Bear
- Joshua's
- Clermont
- Blue Mountain Bistro
- New World Home Cooking
- Bread Alone Cafe
- Gypsy Wolf
