Rock 'n Roll is here to stay in Cleveland, Ohio: The Hall of Fame!
by gaelkm - Written: Aug 23 '02 (Updated Aug 23 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wonderful! So much to see and do if you like Rock 'n Roll at all!
Cons: Prices were high. They can close early without warning. We felt a bit rushed.
The Bottom Line: Great place to see if you like Rock and Roll or almost any kind of music! Plan to spend most of the day here.
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| gaelkm's Full Review: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum |
On our recent trip to the Midwest, with two teenagers along, how could we pass up the chance to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio? Actually, this is one place I really wanted to go to myself! nudge, nudge, wink, wink
The exterior of the building looks to be made entirely of glass. I had no preconceived notions of what it looked like, so it was a complete surprise. It is located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, within view of the Terminal Tower and teetering on the edge of Lake Erie! Indeed, the day we went there, was a blustery and rainy June day and the lake was churned up with high waves splashing on the edge of the bluff next to the museum.
There was a special display in the plaza area in front of the museum of about a hundred life-sized guitars, all decorated in psychedelic colors.
After paying our entrance fee (and this is another story in itself: see below**), we were issued a wristband for “security purposes” and to show that we had paid. This is a huge place with tons to see, so we started out on the first floor. Nothing is left out here if it has anything to do with rock and roll (or anything related to it).
Once inside, it was quite a sight. The structure is four stories high, and large portions of it were completely open. [At one point, my husband sat downstairs on the first floor, off to the side on some chairs, near the snack shop, waiting for us. We were at the top of the 4th floor escalator and he looked like an ant down below us!]
There is a large section on the main floor (known as the Exhibition Hall) devoted to the Legends of Rock. Here we saw the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE Exhibit. They had on display Jimi’s old family photos, some of his brightly colored costumes from the psychedelic 1960’s, and even an old couch from the family home. Of course, no Hendrix exhibit would be complete without including some of his legendary guitars.
In this section of the Museum is also a Jimi Hendrix Theater, which features a 15-minute program of footage of Hendrix playing from a live concert. Truly a one of a kind artist!
There is a section, which showed us the sights and sounds associated with cities that have influenced and shaped rock and roll over the years. Here also is an interactive exhibit where we were able to access some of rock and roll’s most influential songs and recordings. Another area that was very interesting especially to me, was the section, which was arranged by genre. This enabled the viewer to see which artists have had the greatest influence on their particular type of music.
The Beginnings of Rock and Roll: “The Mystery Train”, is a 20 minute film, which educates viewers on the earliest seeds of how rock and roll developed and was born! We found out that rock and roll first began to take shape way back around the 1930’s with an early sort of ragtime combined with gospel, folk music, rhythm and blues, which first developed out of the Depression era. This trend progressed to the 1950’s beginning with early rock n rollers such as, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Buddy Holly.
“Kick out the Jams” is another short and interesting film, which shows the way rock has evolved over the years to what it is today.
Everyone who is anyone in rock and roll is represented here. There is also an area that is dedicated to the current new hot artists. It’s displays change regularly to reflect the latest in rock and roll. Included here is mention of MTV.
Country music is also given a section of appreciation here, as is jazz, gospel, soul and bluegrass to name but a few. I actually got “lost” in the museum, because there is so much to see. Your eyes and ears are so busy taking in all of the sights and sounds that you do tend to become immersed in it, at least I did!
There was a large area devoted to the legends of rock and roll. Represented here were current and past artists such as: ZZ Top, Madonna, U2, the Doors, Led Zeppelin and the Who, and many, many others.
Of course there is also an enormous section devoted to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley as well as the Father of Soul, James Brown, not to mention a large area dedicated to the Beatles.
One of the most interesting areas for me was the John Lennon and Beatles exhibits. There was a film, which showed the era of the Beatles, from the height of their popularity, including Beatlemania, to their disbandment in 1970. Yoko Ono donated many of John Lennon’s personal items to the museum, including his eyeglasses, clothing, letters in his own handwriting, as well as his artistic creations.
Near here was an area dedicated to Jim Morrison, former lead singer of the Doors. The artifacts told the story of his life, from elementary school report cards on up through police reports describing his wild antics on stage, which were sent to his father.
Another point of interest to me was the wide variety of costumes that were on display in the museum. Everything from David Bowie’s sequins to Brittany Spears skimpy tops to Michael Jackson’s glove and wild outfits are on display. I couldn’t believe how small many of these costumes were and someone near me commented on the same thing. These artists are tiny and thin people!
Albums Just about every album, every group worth mentioning ever had is here. 45’s, LP’s, CD’s biggest hit record sales: you get it all here!
Different displays comparing and contrasting song titles, group titles, who was with what group and when, everything imaginable is represented here!
There is even a section called: “One-Hit Wonders” of rock and roll…and we all know how many of those there have been!
Guitars! There are so many legendary guitars here. They are all beautiful and unique.
The Museum Store: No trip would be complete without a visit to the store. My sons bought some guitar picks, and some key chains. I got a couple of postcards. We were very conservative on our spending at this highly priced gift shop.
**On the day that we went, the Museum was closing early. I was a bit annoyed, because we didn't find out until after we had paid. We basically only had a few hours before they scurried us out. We also found it rather amusing because we noticed that many caterers came in and were busy setting up tables, wine glasses and hors doeurves. When I asked an employee what was going on, she tried to downplay everything, saying, “oh nothing much, we just need to close early this evening.” Guess they were afraid I would become an instant groupie! (We later found out that the artist known as "MOBY" was to have a reception there.)
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is located at One Key Plaza, Cleveland OH 44114
Hours: Open 10 a.m., 7 days a week. Museum closes at 5:30 p.m., every day (Wednesdays it is open until 9:00 pm.)
Prices: Adults ages 12-54: $15.00
Children: Ages 9-11: $11.50
Seniors: Ages 55+: $11.50
Children 8 years of age and younger are free.
Call 216-515-1228 or 888-764-ROCK for more information.
Website: www.rockhall.com
*Note: AAA discounts…One of my small disappointments is something that was basically our own fault. As we entered to pay, there is a very small sign that I didn’t notice about receiving a 10% discount on your Price of Admission if you are a member of AAA (Auto Club). I didn’t see this until we were exiting the Museum. Considering that we paid $15.00 per person to get in, this could have saved us a small amount of money. (No amount of whining helped, believe me, I tried!)
Thanks for reading!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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