The National Music Museum of the United States is located, of all places, in Vermillion, South Dakota, a city of about 10,000 people. It was founded in 1973 on the campus of the University of South Dakota (USD) as "America's Shrine to Music" and "Center for the Study of the History of Musical Instruments."
I first visited this museum as a high school band student, and I was really surprised at how cool it was, and the great variety of instruments they have, from all places and eras. I went back again this summer and loved it just as much. The museum is two stories, comprised of different rooms bursting with musical instruments. There's a whole room full of old harpsichords and organs, another with Fender and Gibson guitars, one with instruments from Africa, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, and yet another with marching band instruments, including some invented by John Philip Sousa. My favorite is probably either the room with all of the violins or the one with the harps; the instruments are so beautifully decorated, I nearly forgot I was in a music museum, and not an art one!
Really, if you have any interest in music at all (and who doesn't?), whether as a musician or enthusiast, this is a really great place to check out! Admission is $10 per adult, but free on Fridays. It's also free if you're under 18 or a university student (must have ID), and it's open 9-5 Monday through Saturday, with additional times during the summer. Vermillion is right off of I-29, so this museum makes an awesome stopover on longer road trips!
Really, if you have any interest in music at all (and who doesn't?), whether as a musician or enthusiast, this is a really great place to check out! Admission is $10 per adult, but free on Fridays. It's also free if you're under 18 or a university student (must have ID), and it's open 9-5 Monday through Saturday, with additional times during the summer. Vermillion is right off of I-29, so this museum makes an awesome stopover on longer road trips!