Explore a world of music—right here in Phoenix!
The Musical Instrument Museum is a one-of-a-kind museum representing the music of the entire world—and it’s right here in Phoenix! Whether you’re traveling to Arizona from another state or country or looking for things to do in Phoenix during a staycation in your own backyard, a visit to MIM is a must.
Discover MIM’s Distinctive Architecture
MIM is designed to reflect the surrounding desert, and its large, free parking lot, front walkway, and interior courtyards are ornamented with Sonoran landscaping. The museum’s distinctive architecture also incorporates musical motifs to create a uniquely harmonious environment. Popular photo spots include the rotunda and spiral staircase, the alcove overlooking the huge instruments hanging over the escalator, and the enormous octobass in the Orientation Galleries, but you can snap a great selfie anywhere in the museum.
Explore the Entire World in MIM’s Geographic Galleries
At MIM, you don’t need a plane ticket to travel the world through music! You can stroll across countries and continents and see thousands of instruments in hundreds of exhibits in MIM’s Geographic Galleries. There’s no right or wrong way to explore! You can go in any direction you choose, and every step of your journey is accompanied by music.
When you check in at MIM’s Guest Service desk, you get a hands-free headset that syncs to the video screens throughout the galleries. You can adjust the volume as you prefer, but otherwise there’s no need to push buttons—as you approach each exhibit, the headsets connect automatically to immerse you in the sights and sounds of the instruments on display.
Get a Close-Up Connection with Your Favorite Musicians
MIM’s galleries feature remarkable instruments and objects from every country in the world, including many that were owned and played by internationally famous musicians! In the Artist Gallery, you can see instruments, outfits, and Grammy Awards from musical icons such as Elvis, Johnny Cash, Prince, and Madonna. Instruments from renowned musicians are also on display in the Geographic Galleries. In the United States / Canada Gallery, for example, you can find instruments from legendary musicians such as Duke Ellington, Carlos Santana, and the Beach Boys, and stage outfits worn by icons including Ella Fitzgerald, Alice Cooper, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Enjoy an Interactive Musical Experience at MIM
MIM inspires guests to make music and welcomes everyone to get hands-on with instruments from around the world in the Experience Gallery. Jam with your friends and fellow guests on the Experience Gallery’s selection of guitars, banjos, drums, and instruments from around the world, including a theremin and a massive Indonesian gong.
You can also play the stunning Steinway piano in the museum’s first-floor corridor, and you can dance to the music of the 25-foot mechanical orchestrion during daily demonstrations at noon and 3:00 p.m.
Dine on Delicious Globally Inspired Cuisine and Shop for a Souvenir
Take a rest from exploring the world of music to refuel on site at Beats Coffee Bar® and Café Allegro, which feature special treats made by MIM’s pastry chef and a rotating menu crafted by the museum’s executive chef to showcase local produce and flavors from around the world.
And be sure to swing by MIM’s award-winning Museum Store, which is stocked with a carefully curated selection of musical instruments, records and CDs, books, handmade crafts and jewelry from around the world, and more unforgettable items you can give as a gift or keep as a memento of your visit to MIM.
You don’t need a ticket to dine at Beats Coffee Bar® and Café Allegro or to shop at the Museum Store—you can stop by for a snack or shopping session whenever the museum is open!
Have You Been Meaning to Visit MIM? Come On In!
MIM is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There’s no need to make reservations or purchase tickets in advance, and admission is only $20 for adults, $15 for teens 13–19, and $10 for kids 4–12. (Kids 3 and under get in for free!) The next time you’re looking for something fun to do in the Valley, don’t forget that the world’s largest musical instrument museum is right in your backyard.
“When you live in Arizona, you tend to have a lot of visitors, and the Musical Instrument Museum is always on our entertainment list,” says a guest. “Friends and family love it, and so do we. We always discover something new, too. Few things are better than you expect them to be—this is one!”
