Friday, January 16, 2015

Oh Yes, We Did Love Our Visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

If you are looking for something to do over the long weekend, please note The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is offering free admission and entertainment on Monday, January 19th, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio
If the architecture looks familiar...it could be because I.M. Pei,
the same designer who did the pyramid at the Louvre, designed the building.


These East German Trabant Cars from U2s 'The Zoo' Tour
hang from the ceiling and are one of the first things you'll see when you walk in.




You'll also be greeted by this 15ft. flying hotdog, a prop used by Rock & Roll band, Phish


On our way back from D.C. over the holiday break, we thought it would be fun to swing in and visit The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Let me just tell you, if you're thinking of visiting, and I hope that you are, plan for a good chunk of your day to be spent there. We visited for several hours, and it was literally just not enough time. If we hadn't have still had such a long drive ahead of us to get home, we'd have definitely stayed even longer.

Alex Van Halen's drum kit


One of the huge perks of the visit was seeing instruments, concert props, and other items that belonged to the performers. Above you can see a drum kit that was used and owned by Alex Van Halen. Every item on display had a card with it, to explain exactly what you were looking at behind the glass.


The section showcasing Jimi Hendrix was pretty extensive.
Among the collection there were drawings he did in his youth, which I thought was a nice touch.

Here you see a Jimi Hendrix handbill from 1968.
A handbill was an advertisement passed out by hand.

All-time Rock & Roll favorites were to be found everywhere, as was anticipated/expected. A fairly extensive section was dedicated to Jimi Hendrix. On display were family photographs (some from when he was a child), hand-drawn pictures, clothing, records, etc.

Janis Joplin's 1965 Porsche 356C Cabriolet was right there for everyone to see!


All around the multi-level building there were larger-than-life photos of famous people and bands.

And everywhere you looked around you there were larger-than-life paintings, photographs, etc. of performers well-known and loved. Entire sections of walls were dedicated to artist portrayal, such as the one you see of The Who above.


No Rock & Roll history would be complete without mention of Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand.'

There were also rooms dedicated to certain things/features, such as one that played Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand' show continuously on a huge movie screen. I didn't realize the show had such a long run! I do remember liking to catch an episode of it though, here and there, when I was a kid.


The Rolling Stones had a pretty large section too, as one would rightly expect. I thought the pinball machine above was really cool, it's been a minutes since I've played on one of those. They also have televisions playing live concert footage and running lyric rolls (in this section specifically for The Rolling Stones, but also in many other sections, for other performers as well).

You can see how the numbers on the item correlated with the information card on the bottom.
These Bubble Bath characters (of the Beatles) were deemed one of the rarest collectibles to own.
This is the information card for the bubble bath above.
I found these cards very helpful, and very interesting!




One of my favorite Rock & Roll bands has always been AC/DC. I saw them on tour in 1996, and it's just a love that's carried over from my youth. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had hand-written lyrics on display, among other things, and they even had one of Angus Young's school boy uniforms.

The 'blah blah blah' on the page made me laugh.
We've all done this at some point, right?
Just not usually w/lyrics that were going to become very famous. ;)


A good number of people in the Hall of Fame were there for their individual recognition, and for group recognition as well. One of those people was Joe Walsh, and when I got to his hand-written lyrics for "Life's Been Good,' I had to laugh... the blah blah blah at the end was all too familiar. We've all written that somewhere at some point right? His blah-blah doodles just happened to be on something that ended up becoming very famous. ;)

Nirvana photo on the wall

All around the Hall of Fame you could access music by the artists on display with little kiosks that had headphones attached to them. My teen daughter couldn't resist giving a Nirvana song a listen. In fact, I had to finally drag her away. ;)

I was surprised to see this was the Rage Against the Machine touring van.
Of course a lot of these artists didn't start out very wealthy, I knew that...
but seeing just how humble some of their starts were, was well, humbling. :)


The Rage Against the Machine tour van was probably the most startling item to me, though it didn't surprise anyone else in our group. I know that these now-famous groups/people did not all start out wealthy...some very far from it, but seeing the van they used to tour with greats like Pearl Jam really did surprise me. And (don't laugh) it revived in me the sense of the American Dream that some of these artists went through...it was awesome seeing how humbly they began, knowing now that they've achieved the status they'd hoped for when they started out (and then some, for many!).

An Elvis Presley jukebox
A gift to Presley from RCA Records




This was taking from a movie strip (hence the blur) playing the songs live.
There were people seated on the bench seating...still mesmerized by the King of Rock & Roll's sounds.

There was a very big area for Elvis (no surprise there). From his gospel piano singing days, to his Army uniform, to movies, records, awards, singing and more. They had a little bit of everything on display and it was great. What was most appealing to me, I think, was the video strip that was playing Elvis songs (with the lyrics popping up at the top). I wasn't the only one who was impressed; the bench seating in front of the film roll was full of people who were just mesmerized. You couldn't hear a pin drop in that room, everyone wanted to see/hear the music.

The Doors were inducted to the HOF in 1993.

Jim Morrison was larger than life on one of the photo displays. The Doors were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. If I'm correct, Jim Morrison passed away in 1971?





The evolution of how we listen to music was pretty amazing to see.
We've come a long way, in a pretty short time, don't you think?

The evolution of sound was pretty crazycool to see on display. From the radios of my grandparent's day, to the iPod I have on my desk right now, a little sampling of everything was shown.

You can see how the architecture of the building let the light in and allowed you to see
outside at every angle. I found that design to be so appealing.

The Hall of Fame inductees (signature wall).

When you head to the area that houses the Hall of Fame inductees, you'll see a signature wall. For some reason my daughter and I thought that was really cool and we went from beginning to end getting excited over the names we saw. The guys were not wanting to see the signatures for more than a few seconds and were tapping their toes for us to hurry. When they saw that we were in no hurry, they left us and we caught up with them later. ;)

The inductees section runs continuous movies showing the inductee ceremonies, has this great signature wall, and showcases inductee memorabilia.

It was an absolutely fabulous visit, and I am so glad that we stopped.

Admission to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is just $22 for adults (with discounts for children, residents, military, seniors, etc.).  Just to note a couple of things, as I mentioned at the start of this review, if you visit this coming Monday (1/19) admission and entertainment are free in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Also, I saw on their website today that the Hall of Fame inductees for 2015 have been chosen. There will be an induction ceremony on April 18, 2015.

You can learn more about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and all it has to offer, by visiting their website. You can also follow them on Facebook, InstagramPinterest, YouTube, G+, and/or Twitter.

Side Note: I saw a review over the summer for the Rock & Roll HOF over at Christy's Cozy Corners. That's what made me want to take the fam.! If you want to see her review it is here.

122 comments:

  1. What a fun thing to do. I would love to see this.

    Your hubby made me laugh out loud. He didn't look like he was having a good time at all, but I'm sure he did.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jason and I would totally get a kick out of a visit there! So much history that we could lose many hours soaking all the information in!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My husband and I spent about 6 hours in there. The place isn't that big but my husband is a musician and he had a story for everything. LOL

      Delete
  3. haha he sure had the face of stone down. Looks like tons to see there and how can you top a 15ft weiner, hmm that could sound bad

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for sharing my review :) I love it there! I wish we could go Monday, but I bet it will be packed!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can say that I've been there before. :) I went when I was in grad school. I loved it. I could have stayed all day. The girl I was with had been there many times because she lived there. I know she was ready to leave long before we left.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome! Thanks for sharing the photos. I never wanted to go until a couple years ago when Rush FINALLY was admitted. (The owner stated he didn't like them and would never let them in. But the first year fans were allowed to vote, Rush was the first to go. Take that!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! Sounds like a very fun adventure to do. It would take me a long time to look at and read everything!

    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would LOVE to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! I am such a big music fan. I could probably spend days there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When you go to Cleveland you need to spend a few days there. When we went (its 5 hours from me) we went to the Hall of Fame, then their is a science museum behind it where we saw the Titatic exhibit. Then we went to the Christmas Story house, followed by the Zoo and the Botanical Garden. I think we were there for about 4 days. We want to go back and stay downtown so we can go to Lola's. Its my dream restaurant owned by chef Micheal Symon.

      Delete
  9. This would be such a fun trip! It looks like a really interesting learning experience as well.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh what fun. It sounds like another visit is in order for you guys. And I would love to see it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Holy freakin' crap! That's so awesome! I'm a HUGE rock and roll fan. And I mean the good rock and roll. Not hair metal 80s garbage.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What awesome memories this probably brings back. I love Dick Clark, such a great person he was.

    ReplyDelete
  13. So neat! I would love to visit this one day with the family! Love all your pictures, wow!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This looks like a very cool museum.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would be fun to visit. I think you did a perfect job picking out the artists and scenes I would go to. I am referring this to my brother, because I know he will love it, too. How cool that your trip was so incredibly good.

    ReplyDelete
  16. How amazing Rock n' Roll is great. I bet you had a great experience.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a neat place to visit. I love the giant Hot Dog. What a great deal to get in for free on Monday.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You were pretty close to me if you were in Cleveland. We go there quite often... in fact, Wednesday... my Hubs has a check up on his knee at the Cleveland Clinic.
    I have been to the RR Hall of fame before. Very interesting place.

    ReplyDelete
  19. We spent hours there when we visited. Glad you enjoyed it too!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh wow what an amazing place to visit, so cool that all those things have been saved for us to enjoy. x

    ReplyDelete
  21. How awesome. This is something I would love to do myself. My husband has been asking for years to visit, hoping we can one day! - JEANINE

    ReplyDelete
  22. Spectacular place to visit. You saw so much there.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow what an interesting place to visit!! A must-see for any audiophile!


    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is on the bucket list! So many great musicians!

    ReplyDelete
  25. nice...we went a few years ago when we went up to watch a steelers and browns game....its a cool place indeed....

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a really cool place to visit - rich in rock and roll history! The memorabilia must have been really neat to see close up!

    ReplyDelete
  27. The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame looks like so much fun. I know that my family would love going there.

    ReplyDelete
  28. That is so cool! I have always wanted to visit there and hope to get there someday!

    ReplyDelete
  29. It was a great walk down memory lane just reading this post. I can imagine it must bring back so many memories going through the Hall of Fame. I would love to visit one day!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Oh wow this is my kind of place for sure. I love all things music.

    ReplyDelete
  31. My husband would love to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of fame! I wonder if we could justify that by connecting the trip with a homeschool 'history' lesson...lol

    ReplyDelete
  32. My husband just went here a few months ago while in Cleveland for a wedding! He loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  33. This looks like a fun place to visit and so glad you liked it. Enjoy Friday and the weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I have always wanted to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I would love to see the Elvis Exhibit!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I went there when I was pregnant and all I could remember is when the music was playing loudly the baby kicked.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I have always wanted to visit the R&R hall of fame. it is in my hometown, so I should probably go, right?!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I'm surprised this is stationed in Ohio and not somewhere like California!

    ReplyDelete
  38. My brother in law visited the museum years ago and bought my daughter a cool onesie. I'd love to visit one day.

    ReplyDelete
  39. My husband would be alllll over this. We've road tripped to Ohio many times and I can't believe we haven't stumbled upon this gem. I wanna go!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Looks like a lot of fun. The photos are great! Amber N

    ReplyDelete
  41. Oh I would love to see all the Beetles memorabilia up close. Sounds like an awesome experience!

    ReplyDelete
  42. I would love to visit. I am a music lover and it would be fun.

    ReplyDelete
  43. That must have so much fun. That is such a great experience to be up close and personal with the great artists instruments

    ReplyDelete
  44. So much fun and I love the photos! I have always wanted to go there!

    ReplyDelete
  45. This looks like a blast! I would love to visit

    ReplyDelete
  46. I love the Angus Young outfit! That rocks!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Looks like a great place to visit- my hubby would love it! Thanks for sharing..

    ReplyDelete
  48. This is fascinating! I would love to go there some day!

    ReplyDelete
  49. I so want to visit there! Thanks for taking us on a virtual tour - love the photos!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Thanks for sharing all these awesome pictures, awesome place to explore. My boys would love this.

    ReplyDelete
  51. I love rock & roll. I'd love to go visit someday!

    ReplyDelete
  52. My husband and I really need to get there. I know we would absolutely love this place. Great blog post!

    ReplyDelete
  53. Wow it seems like this is such an interesting place - makes me want to go there as well, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  54. It sounds like an amazing time indeed. My sons would so love to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I would too. We will have to plan a trip there this year. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Great pictures! It looked like a lot of fun.That would be a place I would love to visit myself.

    ReplyDelete
  56. OMG! The Rage Against the Machine touring van! This place is so epic! I would love to visit this place one of these days. :)

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hubby and I visited there, such a great place. When we were there we were not allowed to take pictures. I suppose the rules change. Thanks for sharing these great pictures!!

    ReplyDelete
  58. I totally agree the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is so much fun! We have visited a few times! We LOVE Rock n ROLL - FUN TIME!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Absolutely brilliant I would love to visit there looks like so much fun :-)

    Have a rocktastic weekend

    ReplyDelete
  60. We went to the Hall of Fame in 2013. We were just talking the other day about going back to Cleveland for a visit. The Hall of Fame was a bit weird for me. As we climbed higher, I started to get really sick to my stomach. Apparently I am afraid of heights now. It was so weird. When we were there they had the special Rolling Stones exhibit. It was pretty cool.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Great pictures Rosey. I would love to visit the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame someday!

    ReplyDelete
  62. I'd like to visit there. I don't really know mane of the people/bands but it would be neat getting to learn more about their impact on society.

    ReplyDelete
  63. How fun! I would love to check this out! I love all the pictures! Thanks for sharing them with us :)

    ReplyDelete
  64. I'm sure that's a totally cool place to visit! Love the glimpse you gave us!

    ReplyDelete
  65. What an exciting outing. Girl, I should come hang out with you... This was such fun to read too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You would def. be able to get a great 'perspectives' shot for your photo series. That building is really cool looking. :)

      Delete
  66. I had no idea there was such a place in Ohio! It looks like tons of fun, especially for those musically inclined.

    ReplyDelete
  67. This is a place i would like to visit.. we talked about going, but have not made it yet. Blah Blah Blah.. lol

    ReplyDelete
  68. I'm so incredibly jealous that you went here! I've always wanted to and will be planning a trip there ASAP!

    ReplyDelete
  69. Looks like a fun museum. If I'm ever in Cleveland . . .

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2015/01/dog-fence-diy-containment-made-easy.html

    ReplyDelete
  70. What a cool spot! I have actually heard of this museum but have never been there. Thanks for the great review and photos.

    ReplyDelete
  71. These are the places why I want to travel. I want to see museums and places!

    ReplyDelete
  72. Ok, I can tell my boyfriend would be in heaven there! He is such a music history person and he'd be COMPLETELY into this. We'll have to take a side trip there!

    ReplyDelete
  73. I love historical things like this..I hope I can go someday. Thanks to you I feel like I was there. Great pictures! -Jillian Fisher

    ReplyDelete
  74. This looks like a great place to take the whole family. That is nice that they are offering free admission.

    ReplyDelete
  75. I love visiting museum when we travel! That looks like a fun museum to fvisit!

    ReplyDelete
  76. Looks like a great place! would love to check it out some day!

    ReplyDelete
  77. What a great place to visit! I bet there are so many sights to see there! Looks like you guys had fun.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Sounds like fun! You guys always take the best trips :)

    ReplyDelete
  79. Gosh - seems like it was a whole lot of fun - love the beattles figures too haha!

    ReplyDelete
  80. Now this is a place I want to see. I want to go and take lots of photos!

    ReplyDelete
  81. I so wish i lived in the states so I could visit this place, lovely pictures. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  82. I'm going to have to admit, it looks a lot more interesting than I thought it would be! I think the pictures helped me get a better idea of what there is to see there. Looks like you had a good time ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  83. This is incredible! What an awesome experience. I would go crazy at a place like this. I love classic rock. Also, Nirvana was one of my favourite bands growing up...I played Smells Like Teen Spirit over and over until it drove my family crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  84. As someone who loves classic rock, I'd love to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame someday. Too bad I can't visit anytime soon, though!

    ReplyDelete
  85. I said before I thought it would be neat to go there...
    Now, I KNOW we need to go.
    I would enjoy it and Marc would LOVE IT
    THANKS

    ReplyDelete
  86. this is on my list of places to go, i would love the rock n roll hall of fame..

    ReplyDelete
  87. I visited here a very, very long time ago, not too long after it first opened. I would like to visit again some day.

    ReplyDelete
  88. My son has always wanted to go so bad. I told him when he gets a little bit older to appreciate it more

    ReplyDelete
  89. That looks Like a fun and educational visit!

    ReplyDelete
  90. Oh wow I wish I lived closer! Would love to take my family there. I love Janis Joplin's car. =)

    ReplyDelete
  91. Goodness, these are great pictures. I'm sure you had fun at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This would definitely be like going back in time.

    ReplyDelete
  92. I've been to rock n roll half of fame several times and love it!!! I love all the costumes from artist they have displayed

    ReplyDelete
  93. My husband would love to visit... thank you so much for sharing your great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  94. my husband would so love to go here. he is obsessed with rock. love the pics!

    ReplyDelete
  95. I've got to get there soon. There is so much to see! I'm impressed.

    ReplyDelete
  96. That is really awesome. If only we're close to Cleveland, we would surely check it out.

    ReplyDelete
  97. I have never been, but it certainly sounds worth the trip!

    ReplyDelete
  98. That looks like such a blast! My husband is dying to get there. I'm afraid once he went in, we'd never get him back out.

    ReplyDelete
  99. This is definitely on my bucket list. What an amazing round up of memorabilia.

    ReplyDelete
  100. What a historical visit! I would love to visit the Rock of Fame!! sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  101. Oh there are many interesting exhibits at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Nice! So many cool things to see. I really like the cars from the U2 tour.

    ReplyDelete
  103. This looks like such a fun place to visit for kids and adults alike! I would love to plan a trip there for my whole family!

    ReplyDelete
  104. we were there a few years ago, and loved it

    ReplyDelete
  105. This sounds like a really cool place! Thanks for sharing so many interesting photos. I like the Rage tour van :)

    ReplyDelete
  106. I was just talking about how badly I wanted to go here when I discovered this email in my inbox!! What a weird coincidence. I live in MD so the trek won't be TOO bad to go on a road trip this summer :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We were coming back from MD/DC when we stopped. :)

      Delete
  107. Thank you for all of the great photos! I especially loved seeing Jimi Hendrix's drawing, and I always love to see original hand-written lyrics.
    I visited many years ago (I remember that Cleveland was playing in the World Series at the time), and would love to visit again! I'm sure that there have been many changes and new additions.

    ReplyDelete
  108. I would just love to go to the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. The museum looks well worth checking out. Next time that I am in Cleveland, OH, it is a definite must visit. Thanks for the nice review, and I enjoyed the photos especially the one of the drum set.

    ReplyDelete
  109. YOU have some great pictures here!! Visiting the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame has been on my TO DO List for many years.

    ReplyDelete
  110. I have drove by there at least 3 times and it was always.... NO TIME we will do it next trip. There are so many in their that I grew up listening to their music. Elvis, I loved that man

    ReplyDelete
  111. I definitely want to get there someday. It would be fascinating to see all their displays.

    ReplyDelete
  112. So many memories there. I'd love to go back soon.

    ReplyDelete
  113. I'm old enough to know all about the inductees. It's a great place to visit if you are a music fan.

    ReplyDelete
  114. WOW I never though they had so much stuff from musical group/people My sister in law and her daughter are planning a trip this summer. I just might have to go along

    ReplyDelete
  115. That is a place I would love to visit. Too bad it's so far from me.

    ReplyDelete

Your comment is awaiting moderation. Thank you for your visit!