Music isn’t just meant to be heard; it’s meant to be experienced.

Catching a live performance is fun, but for music-loving groups looking to make the most out of their travels, the best way to experience it is to make music of their own. Fortunately, opportunities for that are abundant. Group travelers can meet performers, learn about the instruments they love, and even try their hand at crafting songs and beats of their own. These musical museums and attractions around the country provide hands-on experiences for groups looking to feel the music. 

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Nashville

In the heart of downtown Nashville, aka Music City, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum immortalizes some of the genre’s biggest talents. Its exhibits span decades of smash hits and legendary ballads, and it houses artifacts from some of the most iconic artists in country music, from instruments to ensembles. Originally opened in 1967 on Nashville’s Music Row, the museum moved to its downtown location in 2001, where it’s been entertaining Nashville visitors ever since. In 2014, a massive expansion brought the museum’s footprint to an impressive 350,000 square feet.

Interactive group programming is a specialty for the museum. In addition to touring its interactive exhibits, groups can opt to upgrade their experience for an unforgettable music-making experience. They can work directly with songwriters and producers to learn how popular songs were made, or they can take it a step further and co-write and produce a song themselves with the guidance of these professionals. The museum also offers group recording sessions and private tours of Historic RCA Studio B, where legends like Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton recorded hits.

countrymusichalloffame.org

American Banjo Museum

Oklahoma City

Few instruments get entire museums dedicated to them, so travelers might be surprised to come across an entire museum dedicated to the humble banjo. In Oklahoma City’s famous Bricktown district, renowned for its nightlife, groups will find the American Banjo Museum, a 21,000-square-foot museum dedicated to exploring the instrument’s roots and evolution over the centuries. The museum originally opened in 1988 in Guthrie before moving to its lively Oklahoma City location. It features more than 400 instruments and chronicles different types of banjos, genres of music that use the banjo and some legendary instruments. It’s also home to a hall of fame honoring banjo players whose accomplishments have shaped the course of music history.

Groups can opt for a self-guided tour through the museum’s galleries and exhibits, or they can choose a more immersive experience that includes a performance. They can gather in the museum’s concert venue, which was designed to look like a 1960s banjo nightclub. For a further upgraded experience, they can also add a sandwich or pizza lunch.

americanbanjomuseum.com

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Cleveland

Many cities vied to become the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but Cleveland triumphed, and the hall of fame and museum opened its doors in 1995, an event that was accompanied by an epic concert at the Cleveland Municipal Auditorium. In its 30-year history, the museum has remained one of the city’s most iconic attractions, welcoming more than 15 million visitors. Its unique pyramid design sets its exterior apart from other museums, and it finished a $135 million renovation in 2025 that added 50,000 square feet of space. Inside, visitors will find a hall of fame stocked with legendary figures throughout rock ’n’ roll history; a collection of permanent exhibits, like those dedicated to the genre’s origins, the trailblazers of rock, and iconic recording studios where the magic happened; and rotating exhibits designed to make way for important musical milestones.

Groups of 15 or more qualify for discounted rates. To ramp up the experience, groups can opt for a VIP Backstage Stories experience, one-hour programs that spotlight highlights from the museum’s collection, include interactive activities and use behind-the-scenes storytelling to bring visitors closer to the music. Groups can also stop at the All Access Cafe and the museum store.

rockhall.com

Motown Museum

Detroit

In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. founded Motown, the American record label from Detroit that is credited with revolutionizing the music industry and launching the pop genre. The sound that blended R&B, soul and pop transcended racial barriers and made mainstream stars out of performers like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Supremes, The Jackson 5, and The Temptations. Hitsville USA, a modest house that served as the record label’s headquarters and the home of its recording studio, Studio A, is now the Motown Museum, which is dedicated to exploring Motown’s history and its legacy. The museum was founded in 1985 and has been one of Detroit’s most popular attractions since. It includes the home, Berry Gordy’s flat and the recording studio, as well as rotating exhibits that highlight the label’s leading artists.

Tours are paused as the museum undergoes a renovation, but they are expected to resume in spring 2027. The upgraded facility will feature an expanded campus built around the original Hitsville USA house and will include more interactive exhibits, a performance theater, a larger gift shop and a cafe. The project will further expand the museum’s interactive group tour offerings, which are available for groups of 25 or more.

motownmuseum.org

Grammy Museum

Los Angeles

The first Grammy Awards ceremony took place in 1958, when it was still being styled as “The Gramophone Awards,” and the gilded gramophone trophies would become one of the most prestigious designations of musical talent worldwide. In downtown Los Angeles, where the awards are hosted each year, there’s another site where music enthusiasts can learn about the history of the music industry and the Grammys through an abundance of educational, interactive exhibits: the Grammy Museum. From galleries displaying iconic red-carpet ensembles to exhibits exploring particular genres, there’s no shortage of music memorabilia for groups to explore during their visit.

Groups of 10 or more enjoy discounted ticket prices. They can opt for a guided tour or add on group experiences like a private film screening or a hands-on demonstration about music production. While these experiences guarantee interactivity, so does the rest of the museum, where exhibits like the Sonic Playground offer guests a way to make their own music, create beats, mix samples and practice a performance. To round out their experience, groups can grab a bite at the museum’s Mike Curb Cafe. The museum is fully accessible and offers plenty of motorcoach parking.

grammymuseum.org

Musical Instrument Museum

Phoenix

Featuring a vast collection of over 7,500 instruments from around the world, the Musical Instrument Museum is a Phoenix treasure. It aims to collect and preserve every musical instrument from every country in the world and educate visitors about the music each instrument makes. It has seven geographic galleries as well as specialty and rotating exhibits that go into detail about certain musicians or instruments.

The museum offers an abundance of interactive programming fit for groups, including private guided tours and VIP tours that let visitors access areas of the museum not usually seen by the public. During these tours, groups will learn more about topics like curating museum exhibits and caring for instruments. They can also select from add-ons like choir and drumming workshops, which let them make music of their own, as well as scavenger hunts and talks from expert musicians or collectors. Groups of 10 or more qualify for these special offerings, and every group tour includes an orientation video and the opportunity to make music in one of the museum’s interactive galleries.

mim.org