Averaging half a million visitors a year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is far and away the most visited attraction in Cleveland, Ohio and the most visited hall of fame in the United States. Opening its architecturally stunning doors in late 1995, the foundation itself has been active since 1983 inducting nearly 250 performers, songwriters, disc jockeys, and other notables who have had great influence on rock and roll music for at least 25 years. Although technically a museum, the Rock Hall is really so much more. With hundreds of interactive exhibits, live concerts, round table discussions, meet n’greets, and lots of other great activities, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a full day of hip shaking, head banging, horns showing fun.
Clearly music is the central theme at the Rock Hall and music is what you will certainly get from the dozens of headphones scattered throughout the museum. Listen to the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, contemporary artists like Shakira and Ludacris, or expand your horizons with tunes from Rockin’ the World. This seven story 150,000 square foot shrine to rock and roll has so much going on it’s hard to know where to stop first. The third floor is where you’ll see the actual Hall of Fame replete with signatures of all the inductees, a multimedia presentation of how they affected music as we know it, and of course a sampling of some of the songs they’re responsible for. Both permanent and temporary exhibits feature one of a kind artifacts. Some are funny and exciting like James Brown’s red satin rhinestone bedazzled tuxedo jacket; others are more thought provoking and somber like a piece of the plane recovered from the Otis Redding crash site in 1967. They even have Janis Joplin’s famous psychedelic 1965 Porsche 356c Cabriolet restored in 1994 to all its former glory.
The few items listed above are not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all of the fascinating, interesting, and wonderful things the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has to offer. Open everyday except Christmas and Thanksgiving (what a great way to spend Black Friday) expect to spend several hours lost in the mesmerizing history, celebration, and triumph of rock and roll over the ages. From Jackson Browne to Ruth Brown, Buffalo Springfield to Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters to Earth, Wind and Fire the Rock Hall is the place to be for music lovers everywhere.
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