Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix)

The Musical Instrument Museum in north Phoenix (see their website for details) is a very impressive museum well worth a look (not to be missed) for any visitor, particularly international and expatriates, who are into music. To properly go through the museum, you will need several hours (think on the scale of a Smithsonian Museum in D.C.). The beauty of the museum is that the visitor wears headphones and when walking by or standing in front of a TV panel, the sounds come through the headphones while the TV shows the visuals of the instruments being played while surrounding the TV panel are the actual instruments and in some cases the special clothes worn while playing the instruments. On the first floor, there are rooms for mechanical instruments (that play by themselves), an experience room (where adults and kids alike can touch and play instruments from around the world), and an exhibit hall for special rotating exhibits from other museums around the world. There is also a gift shop and cafeteria restaurant featuring local Arizona products. Having been to the Heard Museum the day before, I found several exhibits in the MIM museum's America and Canada section to be a welcome addition complementing the visit from the Heard Museum. The MIM also has an active concert series. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult chaperone at all times and my child and I were given extra surveillance by museum staff while we were visiting. The MIM is a great education for children and will enlighten even the most travelled and cultured adult.