Epic Museum Trip: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio

I love a museum.  Honestly, where ever I go, if I’m going to be there for a decent amount of time, I check out what museums are available.

I was in Cleveland, Ohio.

What an experience.  My daughter Melody and I each got to check a destination off the list when we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,

The Architecture Is Iconic

I have to start with the outside of the building as most of us would know it anywhere.  It’s a beautiful building on the water with great landscaping.  Outside the building, before you even get near the doors, you see the iconic “Long Live Rock” in red.

Inside The Rock Hall

The first floor is where you check in. Tickets are purchased on line.  There is a small food court and an amazing gift shop,  Pro tip, there is a clearance section where I got my Rock Hall T for about 20 dollars cheaper than in the main store.

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They Say Start In The Basement.  Don’t.

I highly recommend going to the basement last.  Start on the second floor.  That’s where you’ll find people singing and playing instruments.  It's called "the Garage". There are a few cool pinball machines as well.  Each floor is a fun and unique experience.  Once you get to the 4th floor, that’s where you see the hall of inductees.

Each band/performer is displayed under the year they were inducted and there are etched autographs in the glass.  It was just so cool.

After that there’s one floor alllll the way up, then you head down to the basement.

The Basement Is Where The Magic Really Happens

Walking in to the basement of the Rock Hall is everything you think it will be, then it’s more.

When we visited, there was a hip hop display first thing.  That’s when it really hit that we were at the Rock Hall.

As you walk through history, it really starts to hit you as to where you are. There was a section going back to the earliest roots of rock, then sections all the way up to modern times.

I loved where you could see the rock hysteria through the ages.  I don’t mean people excited about rock, I mean the people who wanted rock gone.  It’s stunning how often it happened when you can look at it all at once.  I think there’s at least once in every generation where they try to take rock away.

The Displays That Were Biggest For Me

I think the one that hit hardest was Elvis.  My parents were big fans, so I’m a big fan.  He has a whole section that includes and outfit and a motorcycle.

A smaller than I would have imagined Tom Petty exhibit also made me really happy.  I was surprised to NOT see anything from Def Leppard and only one guitar from Van Halen.

Then there was Michael Jackson.  I nearly fan girled out when I saw the Grammy outfit and the Thriller jacket.  It was seriously surreal. My daughter was quick to point out he was a pedophile. (Super fair and super true.) Just as quickly I pointed out that in my generation, Thriller was an iconic album, and no matter what a bad person he was, it was still amazing to see these outfits.  They're in the gallery below.

All-in-All Totally Worth the $35 for Admission

I'd go again in a heart beat.  You can see a fraction of the pictures I took in the album below.