Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

A great way to spend an afternoon. When we went over Memorial day weekend, we didn’t realize the museum is open for summer hours! Bonus since we got there around 2:30 and thought we would only have 3 hours. We ended up leaving at about 6:30.
Some exhibits went over my head especially since I am not the biggest Rock and Roll fan. But I did enjoy the museum overall. There is something for everyone here. History of music from different cities, the memorabilia of beyonce, micheal jackson, the beatles, etc.
There is a café and it boasts great water views. They serve beer, wine, sandwiches and cookies. The eating area is clean and it looks like people are constantly cleaning the area.
Overall, I would say it’s worth a visit! I especially enjoyed the «Louder than words» exhibit. I believe it’s temporary but don’t know for how long.

I had fun! This is TRULY for a music fan. If you don’t like music you might not be geeked.

Loved this place. REALLY appreciated the obvious clarity and accuracy with which the curators presented the history of music. Many stars — more than 5 — to the refusal to «white-​wash» the contributions and creations of icons and current idols. The lack of a significant Prince display shortly after his untimely death was inexcusable, IMHO. Also, Michael Jackson’s display was … odd in its focus and lack of breadth. These two flaws were real head-​scratchers for me, especially considering the amount of real estate given to modern and more obscure artists with a fraction of the impact, abilities, success, or records.

Even though I wouldn’t call myself a Rock and Roll fan, I still enjoyed my visit. The museum has a great collection of music memorabilia and exhibits, all contained in the striking IM Pei-​designed building. I’m taking one star off because it’s separated from the city center by a freeway; on the day I went, the museum and its vast concrete courtyard felt particularly desolate

I had been several years ago with free admission from a walk I did. Not knowing a lot of the artists storied inside I was slightly bored. Since then I’ve been to DC and loved the Newseum there. When I heard the Rock Hall did a partnership exhibit with them, Louder Than Words, I had to check it out. Groupon in hand, I gave it another go.
All the museum exhibits, especially the first few, and somewhat even including the Newseum exhibit, suffer from one major problem in my opinion: distracting noise. As you stand trying to read something, in your left ear is sound from one TV and in your right ear is sound from another TV. Music. Talking. I found it very distracting. I know this museum is about music, but hearing multiple snippets of song all at once at high volume is very disorienting. This museum desperately needs an audio guide wand, or a phone number audio guide system. They do have some stations with headphones… perhaps they need more of those too.
Moving beyond the noise, the exhibits were in and of themselves okay. The best thing the museum has going for it is signage and way finding. The various exhibits were very clearly numbered and corresponded well to the exhibit guide. Finding my way around the multi-​floor structure was simple.
My favorite exhibit was #3/​Elvis. There were some books he read and notated on display as well as some military memorabilia and his military uniform (in the Newsuem exhibit). I also liked the #6 section that had a quick 101 type display on several artists and even Billy Joel’s sketching out of the song «My Life,» which was very neat!
As for Newseum, it was my favorite part of the museum so I highly suggest you hurry in before year end to see it before it leaves Cleveland for DC where it premiers on 1÷13÷17. This exhibit had information on the state of the country under most recent presidents, listed the top songs at each inauguration, explained the connection behind campaigns and music, and highlighted many ways in which music responded, instigated or contributed to political events. The exhibit was very well done and I enjoyed it very much. It is housed on floors 5 and 6.

I’m not going to waste your time writing a long review about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If you’re here reading about it, you know what it is. You need to be here. The entry price is plenty reasonable at $ 23.50 for a regular person. (Don’t tell them I said that, mkay?) You can spend HOURS here with the interactive exhibits, making your $ 23.50 go last for a long time.
I’ll stop. Get to the Rock Hall. You will not regret it.
Oh, you might be able to find metered street parking if it’s not too busy. And they have a free wifi.

Let me get this out of the way first thing! This is an absolute must see museum. nothing will stir your memories and emotions better than this. Music is the blood that runs through our veins. Music documents better than anything else the moments of our lives and life is a series of moments. Time flew by. We planned on 2 hours ended up spending 5 hours and still had more to see. Cleveland you have done an outstanding job hosting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Kudos to you.

Love! It’s not often I spend 4 hours in a museum and find myself completely immersed the entire time. Admittedly, I tend to get a little restless in museums, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was amazing!
Admission is about $ 23 and worth every penny! The first floor had the most exhibits and I probably spent at least 90 minutes getting lost in the stories of music, artists, costumes… and even practicing my singing skills thanks to Graham Nash’s singing booth!
The second floor went by quick and the third floor had a long, long video with inductees to the hall of fame. I didn’t stay for the whole video, but watched at least 30 – 40 minutes of it and enjoyed it (just wish the seating was a bit more comfortable). The café on the third floor is fine, very basic foods… soup, peanut butter and jelly, etc. I had a yogurt parfait and a coffee and was fine. It’s nice to sit by the window and watch the airplanes approach into Lake Burkefront airport!
The highlights for me:
— Letters that Madonna wrote when she was in college (so cool!)
— Learning more about how punk/​metal came about and «grunge.» I feel like I had so much to learn about music history and the museum was a nice refresher!
— Graham Nash’s singing booth!
— The effect of MTV and now Apple on the music industry
— Learning more about some of my favorite artists.
Love the building, love the exhibits. It’s a really fun museum. Rock on, Cleveland!

I’ve been wanting to come here for years, but haven’t had the chance until now to get here. I’m a huge music lover, and was happy to have the chance to see everything they had to offer.
Walking in, the place is pretty cool to look at. It’s a big glass triangle, and when you walk in, there’s music playing with staff everywhere. They had some stuff cool cars hanging from the ceiling and lots to look at.
They have a little bit of everything here, with loads of history to read and look at. It’s not in any particular order, but it’s all spread out over several floors of displays. On the ground floor they had a TON of cool stuff. Elvis, the Hollies and so many more. Stuff like Guitars, pictures, coats and it was an amazing collection of stuff.
I wasn’t here to see any one display in particular, but to see everything I could. I love everything from Motown, classic rock, up to Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. They had this one section with Beyonce’s outfits, Bootsie Klien’s fur coats, a tribute to Metalicca and so much more. They also had a section of Les Paul Guitars as well.
Even though I had fun, it was a bit much to take in. I really need to go back again to read and visit since it was a bit of sensory overload for me when I was there the first time. This place is loaded with history, and totally worth the trip. They have a great gift shop, but some of the clothing is a bit pricey. They also have a few movies showing the inductees as well.

Sorry, friends, but the R&R HOF was quite the disappointment.
I mean, what happened to influences from the 80’s, 90’s, or 2000’s? Little to nothing on alternative rock? There is a huge display for Beyonce, but nothing for either Carly Simon let alone Rod Stewart? Just one token item for Billy Joel? What about the Bee Gees, or Disco era? How is it even remotely possible to have more on Lady Gaga than Pink Floyd?
I get the fact that music as an art form is subjective and everyone has their own likes and dislikes; however, there are GLARING omissions at the R&R HOF. is it really necessary to display so many different drum sets or guitars used by Metallica at the expense of not showing items from other bands or performers?
In my humble opinion, the R&R HOF is more remarkable for what is missing than for what is on exhibition. Okay to visit just to say you went there, but otherwise find little reason to recommend.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was really cool. A lot of music history.
I went in July 2015. Enjoyed the Paul Simon exhibit, which was a limited time exhibit.
My brother and I were there for about 2.5 hours.
If you’ve never been, this place is a must do. For me, it is something I really enjoyed, but probably won’t do again for quite some time.
A must do for any Rolling Stones, Elvis, Pink Floyd, and Beatles fans.
I’m a big fan of Billy Joel. Was happy to see him represented throughout the place.

If you are serious about the history of music and every little thing about music interests you then you will love the rock and roll hall of fame. I do love music but paying a hefty price to see items such as old clothes and old instruments really didn’t do that much for me. Don’t get me wrong the displays were really well done it’s just my personal taste that I could have done without visiting here.

Long Live Rock!
Anyone who loves, likes… is curious will enjoy the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
It is the Mecca of all things Rock, Blues, R&B, Pop, Heavy Metal etc (no Hijab required!)
Wonderful location right smack dab on Lake Erie next to several other tourist attractions. Very clean, Very Safe. Easy parking.
The layout and vibe of this place is well thought out. The moment you step foot on the grounds you are bombarded by great music outside. Once inside the sights and sounds are just intoxicating (and not in a Keith Richards kinda way).
The RRHFM leads you on a history floor by floor through the early 30−40s with videos, pictures, and memorabilia all the way to Beyonce, Green day and many many others.
The breadth of things to see is just mind boggling. Michael Jackson’s sequin glove, Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelic 67 flying V, Muddy Waters old beat up tele… on and on. Great continuous videos of todays and yesterdays musicians playing or being interviewed. And the exhibits change over time!!!
Seriously set aside 3 – 4 hours to take it in. I had to rush through in an hour and I could not do it.
The gift shop is great but they run out of the best sizes in T-shirts…Go to Cleveland airport’s RRHFM gift shop… much better selection of T’s.

During my a Weekend in Cleveland, my Unilocal friend decided to visit Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum as a detour in between food and beer.
I love the set up and the architectural aspect of the Museum. The centre atrium feels like a giant sun room that will give you a view of the water and especially enjoyable on a nice sunny day. There are also interesting sculptures and displays that are music related all around the common area.
Not everything on display here would wow you. But I did enjoy their collections of vintage guitars that were used by some of the great musicians. The costumes were fun to look at too and might be even inspiration for some.
I just wish there was more music, more visual stimulation and not just reading and more reading of history. I can really do that online at home.
I would suggest come on a Wednesday when the Museum opens late till 9 pm. Your wrist band does give you in and out privileges. And if you feels overloaded, you can always chill out at the Café and enjoy a bottle of beers…

I enjoyed this museum experience.
I had been looking forward to going for quite some time.
I have some family in Cleveland, so it was just a matter of time before I
was finally able to check it out when I was in town visiting recently.
My first impression was that it is an über cool looking building in the shape reminiscent of a pyramid, and the inside space certainly rivals the outside in it’s own right. I only wish I could have seen it when it was lit up at night, because the whole museum is mostly made of glass. I have seen pics of it lit up, and it looks magically and majestically stunning.
First of all, I would suggest to anyone to carve out at least 3 hours to get through the entire museum, that is, if you want to really maximize your experience.
There are 4 levels to explore. There are lots of displays with much in depth informational reading included; if you so choose to delve deeper into the historical aspect (s).
You can take pictures, but no flash photography is allowed.
The one feature I would suggest to anyone, is to make sure to allow some time to view the movie that reviews each individual year of the various inductees. I think it took at least 45 — ish minutes to watch it. It spans most of the years from the early 90’s to the present day. It’s loud, proud and rockin’ in it’s own right. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed that the band Vesuvius was not included in the movie. Or Spinal Tap and the Rutles for that matter. Hehe
Seriously though, my only criticism would be that after we left the museum and reflected upon our trip, we discussed and wondered why some hugely notable and famous/​popular bands were not inducted yet. For example, two big bands (old skool) that came to mind were — Boston and Yes. I know there are countless more omitted bands, because I also looked it up after my trip. From this fan’s opinion and standpoint, (and certainly by proof of popularity and obvious healthy record sales), they have earned a huge respect and following over the years. They have definitely more than ‘paid their dues’, compared to quite a few other bands that have already been inducted. I won’t specifically call out those particular bands, but I think if one really thought about it, you could definitely squeeze out a few. I like all music, (especially rock ‘n’ roll), but it just appears that the political/​bureaucratic induction process that is currently in place by an elite and privatized group of artists and a smattering of others in the music industry DOES NOT represent the big picture and the bottom line reality and/​or truth. Their absolute and ultimate control of the process specifically undermines and disrespects the sheer opinion and wishes of the almighty fan base. It’s clearly apparent that only certain artists have been able to crack the fraternal code to get initiated.
Money talks and BS walks? It depends how one looks at it. From the inside looking out, or from the outside looking in.
The café area is not very comprehensive in food choices, but that was ok with me, because that is not why I came anyway.
I thought the gift shop was adequate and nice. I didn’t think their pricing was unreasonable as well.
They actually had lots of things on sale, and/​or on clearance. I bought a few cool items. ;o)
I would consider going again if I had an opportunity.
*****Update: Did ya see the after interview with Steve Miller after he was inducted? Uh Huh,… And Interesting,!!!
Here is the link:

It was my wife’s idea to come here! I was partial about coming because I didn’t think I would enjoy it, but I actually did!
Let’s start with the parking situation, it was definitely difficult to find a parking spot, I am one of those who hates to pay for parking! There are a few lots and garages where you had to pay at least $ 8 and I didn’t want to do that! I’m glad my wife feels the same way haha! So we drove around and found a meter parking spot and since it was a Saturday we didn’t have to pay! So score on free parking!
We paid $ 47 for our admission charge! To me, it seemed pretty fair bc I’m assuming thats the average museum price. This place has 6 levels, the lower level has all the coolest memorabilia! It goes through the history of music and how society reacted to it all! It was the best part of the museum! We easily spent 2 hours in this section! The other floors included a gift shop and a cafeteria. The other floors had a few items that didn’t take us too long to go through. Probably about 30 – 45 mins.
It was definitely disappointing to me to not see a lot of Michael Jackson stuff, be a lot of modern stuff from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, T. swift and other modern musicians! That was a disappointment for sure!
All in all, this is a definitely a one time deal. It’s cool to experience but I don’t plan to go back or make a special trip to come here.

We thought this would be a cool place to come since you know, it has international acclaim and by all means it’s the rock and roll hall of fame, however for nearly $ 60 for two of us this place sucked pretty much. The outside is cool, the architecture is real neat, but the place is confusing when you see Beyonce in here but not Britney Spears, then we asked and they told us Beyonce donated money so that’s why shes there. Like WTF Beyonce? in the rock and roll hall of fame? Cmon now…
I guess since I hate rock and roll this won’t come as a surprise but yeah I’d rather go walk down a beach then to ever come back here, it was cool to see guitars and all the history and memorabilia of artists and Lady Gagas meat suit. Also being so close to Katy Perry’s lollipop spinney suit was the highlight of the trip.
I just thought this museum would offer more «Rock & Roll» type stuff, it’s mostly 40’s through the 90’s Rock and Roll stuff, I think if they added a section of new stuff it would make it a lot more popular, and for being the price it is to get in it’s almost ridiculous. You add these millionaires to this museum, at least let there rich asses cover the cost of entry. So if you go, maybe just check out my photos and sit in the lobby because it’ll save you a lot of wasted time. But if you love classic rock you will probably love this place.

Well this place was fun! I absolutely love music of all kinds and especially the classics– so visiting this spot was a must! I went early on a Friday so it wasn’t really crowded. This is definitely an attraction you should check out if you are in the Cleveland area!
The place is kept really nice and they have so much to look at. You can take pictures too but just no flash. I was told before I went by a few people that «it sucked because you can’t take pictures» but I guess times have changed and you can now. I took pics of so much! Especially my favorite artists displays like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elvis, and U2. They also have a walk thru of a ton of musicians signatures embedded into the wall all in alphabetical order.
I think my fiancé and I had too much fun on the last two floors because they had a gallery of pictures that a famous photographer took. Not sure if that was just the display of the month type of thing or if it’s there all the time but it was cool. The pictures are so big it’s kinda hard to not walk past them and try your best to mimic the pose of the artist and take a picture hehe We weren’t the only ones doing it lol
Definitely a cool place to check out!

So I am new to the area, and took my mother when she was visiting. She would give the place 5 stars. I think it is pretty cool and there are lots of interesting things to learn. It is cool getting a behind the scenes look at your specific R&R stars and finding out who inspired them. Usually someone you have never heard of. There is lots of cool pieces of memorabilia to look at. There are also some pretty…‘what the heck are you showing me that for’ pieces of memorabilia. I don’t really need to see a Brianna dress. I am not even sure anything she has or has done warrants being in the RRHOF just yet.
There is a section as well dedicated to MTV. I had to laugh because I was there at 12:01 AM when ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ first plaid. It was exciting times. But, when you read the history, they come up with some silly reasons why MTV is dead. They think it was some slow burn. FLASH to the R&R Hall of Fame…‘Yo MTV Raps’ killed MTV. It was a down hill slide from there.
Anyway, it is an interesting place to spend a few hours. If you are try Music buff, you will love it.

Good stuff. Lots of memorabilia from rock and roll history. Poor layout, especially on the lower level. Loved the Video Killed the Radio Star exhibit. Café sort of sucks, but at least you can get a salad and a beer. Lots of exhibits that are just padding to extend the value of the expensive ticket.
Worth coming to once or twice in your lifetime.