Musical Instrument Museum

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is one of the best music-related museums in the world and a top all-around museum in Phoenix. Between 7,000 and 8,000 musical instruments from 200 countries are on display at any given time with a video showing craftsmen making them as you approach each exhibit. This sounds like an unforgettable experience!

The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ is a two-story building with 200,000 square feet of space. Visitors can explore the exhibits for 3–4 hours and even grab some food at their onsite restaurant or take part in family events like Experience India and Celebrate Bluegrass.

Background History

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is located in Phoenix, Arizona. Opened in April 2010, it houses over 15,000 instruments and objects from nearly 200 countries around the world. With sub-displays for popular music genres such as folk or tribal sounds of many large nations like India, China, or Brazil.

The Museum was founded by Robert J. Ulrich, former CEO and chairman of Target Corporation who is a collector of African art and world museum enthusiast. With his friend Marc Felix, they had the idea after visiting the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels which has evolved its designs as well from Musée de la Musique in Paris modernized 1997.

The Musical Instrument Museum’s Highlights

Your visit will be a letdown if you spend too much time in the Geographic Galleries. Make sure you plan ahead of time so you can see and do everything that interests you on any given day.

1. The Artist Gallery instruments, concert footage, photographs, and outfits of notable musicians.
2. The Asia and Oceania Gallery features instruments from the Asian, Oceanic, and Caucasus regions.
3. The North American Gallery features instruments of many kinds that shaped the musical landscape across genres.
4. The Mechanical Music Gallery is a museum full of musical instruments that play themselves. Instruments include player pianos, zithers, and music boxes.
5. The Experience Gallery has instruments from all over the world that you can play to create beautiful music.
6. The Latin America Gallery features instruments from South America and Mexico. It also displays Caribbean musical equipment.
7. The Europe Gallery features instruments from a charter horn to foot-operated drum kits, ranging in age and origin.
8. Africa and Middle East Gallery is a musical instrument museum that features instruments from sub-Saharan, North African, and Middle Eastern nations.

Visitor Information

The Musical Instrument Museum offers hours every day from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, when it opens an hour later at 10 a.m. The museum also has online ticket sales before arrival or in guest services upon arrival where you can purchase tickets for special exhibitions as well as entrance to concerts separately if desired; these are sold on different days than general admission is offered

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) allows guests open access every day except national holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, during which time MIM will only be opening one hour later instead of its regular operating schedule that ends five hours earlier due to religious observation followed by family reunions shared among those celebrating said holiday(s).

A trip to the Musical Instrument Museum is exciting for families, but it’s important that you plan accordingly. Schools may come on weekday mornings when children are in session and weekends around holidays or special events can be crowded too! You’ll need minimal items like a camera and comfortable shoes as backpacks cannot enter with you. Food & beverages will likely make your day more enjoyable at Cafe Allegro!

Tours

There are many different tour options available. You can get a group tour or you could even plan one yourself by picking from several packages that they offer:

• Free Orientation Tour – Come to the museums for a free tour! The 30-45 minute tours will give you an overview of three different galleries.
• VIP Tour Add-On – You get to see how exhibits are made and what goes on backstage.
• Balloons and Tunes Package – The hot air balloon ride over the Sonoran Desert and a visit to MIM is just one of several exciting packages that are available from “Balloons & Tunes.”

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