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Welcome to Detroit's Motown

Published by Spencer Spellman, Writer

Country: United States

The Experience

Welcome to Detroit's Motown, where you can't mention the one without the other. The term "Motown" originates from the record label, which was started in Detroit in 1960. Those first records developed in the small studio of Motown, beginning what has become one of the most recognizable music genres in the world. Fifty years later, and Detroit still stands as the R&B capital of the world. 

While the Motown Record Label no longer calls Detroit home, its history and sounds can still be felt throughout the Motor City. This is most evidenced by the Motown Museum in Detroit, affectionately referred to as "Hitsville U.S.A.” The Motown Museum isn't your typical grandiose museum, and you could easily drive right by it. Formerly a photographers' studio, the two-story home was turned into one of the most successful record studios, and today it’s a U.S. landmark hosting millions of visitors every year. Although small in size, the Motown Museum puts on an entertaining tour guide for travellers. 

As visitors walk into the Motown Museum, they'll be greeted by one of the cheerful and entertaining tour guides. The tour first begins with a short movie, which introduces visitors to Motown's founder, Berry Gordy, and the history of the record label. Visitors then follow the tour guide through the museum, listening to the music and seeing the records of such greats as Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and many more.

The highlight of a tour through Hitsville U.S.A. is the final stop, which is the actual studio of the museum. Most of the studio has the same equipment as it did when it first opened. Guests can have their photos taken with the same microphones and instruments that their favourite musicians used. Tour guides might even let you sing and dance using the same dance floor and microphones that Michael Jackson and many others used.  

At the conclusion of the tour, guests are invited to browse the gift shop, which includes Motown paraphernalia, such as t-shirts, hats, bags, and other items. While you can still hear the sounds of Motown in bars, lounges and restaurants throughout Detroit, the Motown Museum is a great start to your introduction to the sounds of the Motor City.

Photos

Map

Puzzle

When to Go to Motown Museum

While the Motown Museum is open year-round, it's typically the busiest during the summer travel season. If you want to avoid some of the tourist crowds, the late fall or winter is the best time to visit. The museum is open during normal business hours, but closed on Sunday.

Odds n' Ends

Admission to the Motown Museum is $10, and includes a short film and guided tour of the studio, museum, and Berry Gordy's home. The entire tour takes place inside, so weather is not a factor. The guide tour takes approximately 90 minutes to two hours.

Places to Eat

Cuisine
Cuisine is a renowned restaurant in Detroit, known for its French-American cuisine. Located just a few blocks from the Motown Museum, you can easily walk to Cuisine; however, as a fine dining establishment, we recommend dressing up for the occasion.

More Experiences Nearby

Wine Tasting off the Beaten Path on the Beamsville Bench
The Niagara escarpment dips down into rolling vineyards and finally into Lake Ontario – a “bench shape” that is both beautiful to look at and fundamental to the growing conditions that allow Beamsville to produce great wines. With eight wineries in walking distance and a scattering of wineries not too much further away, wine connoisseurs and travellers will have a wealth of diversions here for day trips or a holiday weekend. The Beamsville Bench wine tour route is connected to the Bruce Trail, Canada's oldest and longest hiking trail, which runs along Niagara's escarpment, an official UNESCO biosphere reserve. It ...191 miles away.

Video

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Elsewhere on the Web

Official Site
Our Motown Heritage (Part 24)

Media References

Jackson 5 exhibit opens at Detroit's Motown museum (newspaper)

Language Guides

French , Hindi , Indonesian , Italian , Japanese , Lao , Malay , Mandarin , Portugese , Russian , Spanish , Thai , Turkish , Vietnamese are some of the languages spoken in United States. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!

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