“Wake up sweet girl, check out the list of destinations opening their doors today in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Let’s not waste your day off from school. Pick the place that interests you most and off we’ll go.” Those were the words that began our holiday.
Cleveland celebrates Martin Luther King Day, in part, by offering free admission to a number of museums and other popular destinations (aquarium, science center, zoo, etc). In addition to free entry many destinations also offer special programming, exhibits, screenings, and such to honor MLK, Jr.
Rock Hall Museum captured on a warm summer day, from my personal photo archive.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was among the venues offering both free admission and special programming including live music, free screenings in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater (Selma and three other presentations), and kids’ crafts (write your own dream, make your own protest sign, or fold an origami crane.) Finally, the Alan Freed Radio Studio was set up so guests could record their own oral history about civil rights and music in Cleveland.
My daughter and I decided to go to the Rock Hall where we strolled around the permanent exhibits and also caught part of the special screening titled, Rock & Roll and the Civil Rights Movement.
The popularity of The Rock Hall on MLK Day became evident as we approached the museum from 6th street. We passed two parking garages with “lot full” signs posted and police were out directing traffic. 
Kids and families abounded, with couples and groups of friends mixed in. All were enjoying the relatively warm January day, scattering across the Rock Hall’s front lawn, visiting the ice sculptures on display, and climbing on the “Long Live Rock” ground sign.
A tent was set up just outside the entrance to provide shelter for those waiting in the long snaking line to enter the museum. Fortunately it moved pretty quickly and soon we were in the building where, thankfully, we were not burdened by other long lines. It was definitely crowded but we never had to wait to see anything we had mapped out to visit. Walk slowly due to the crowd – yes. Come to a dead halt – no.
Here’s what I learned visiting the Rock Hall with my high school daughter on MLK Day. The live music could be heard throughout much of the museum but it was standing room only to actually watch the performers. Conversely, there was ample seating for the special screenings making it worthwhile to contend with the crowds. Unfortunately, we didn’t stumble across the Foster Theater until later in our visit and so only caught a portion of one presentation; next time we’ll plan out our time better. I can’t comment on the other activities as we did not search them out.
As for the permanent exhibits? My overall assessment is that they are not really ideal for high school kids. I realized that The Rock Hall is really better suited for older visitors as most of the artists featured are not contemporaries of todays’ teens.
Yes, of course she recognized and showed some interest in Michael Jackson, David Bowie, and the Beatles but even this was driven as much by my interest in these artists as her own interest. She was more intrigued by the exhibits chronicling the controversies surrounding the birth of rock and she took time to listen to the old tv broadcasts of community leaders voicing their concerns that this new music would lead to the moral decline of the youth who listened to it. These grainy, black and white news clips proved to be a good conversation starter for us.
Not surprisingly, she had the strongest connection to the very first exhibit we encountered. On level zero of the museum is a gallery called Right Here, Right Now. In it you’ll see a collection of costumes and other music paraphernalia used by contemporary artists today, including pop artists like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, to name a few. Though my daughter is not big into Hip-Hop, younger visitors who are will also enjoy the Raper’s Delight display, which tells the story of Hip-Hop and features clothing and artifacts from artists like Jay-Z.
I was a bit surprised by her enjoyment of the section documenting the evolution of the audio-visual technology employed in both the creation and distribution of music. This gallery begins with a showcase of antiquated equipment like phonographs, vintage microphones fit for crooners, record needle technology, and an old console TV with a small black and white screen and brashly ends at the high-tech, multi-screened, hyper-charged multimedia exhibit titled, Video Killed the Radio Star (an 11 minute tour of how video transformed in the music industry). This clever juxtaposition effectively served to drive home the point that music and technology are unmistakably intertwined.
We lingered the longest at the Hall of Fame Inductees Jukebox, which is an interactive console where you can view a list of all inductees by year and then click through each artist’s name to a library of their music and listen to as much or as little as you like with the two attached headphones. We were searching for artists and music that she might connect with…and really didn’t find that much. I suppose that’s not all that surprising considering an artist cannot be considered for induction into the Rock Hall until 25 years after the release of their first album. While this makes sense as the purpose is to remember and honor rock legends, it’s no wonder these artists don’t really connect with teens who often think of a group as old because they were popular three years ago.
As we headed back to our car I thought back to the last time I had visited The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. It was a number of years ago when my parents had come to visit from California. They were in their seventies at the time and they really enjoyed the Rock Hall…well parts of it. They loved the Elvis exhibit and all the throwback memorabilia. With the exception of the Michael Jackson exhibit, the more current the music and artists became the less interested they were in spending their time and energy in taking in the material.
I guess the overarching takeaway for me is this – rock n roll is part of who we are as a culture. It’s history is our history! As such, The Rock Hall has something to offer just about everyone* but I doubt few visitors will dive into all exhibits equally…with the exception of Michael Jackson, who seems to be the universal draw.
*I have one caveat to this statement. Personally, I don’t see a compelling reason to take kids younger than high school age (unless they are particularly interested in music, one of the artists showcased, or fancy costumes) because there really isn’t that much on display that is geared toward young kids. Additionally, there is a fair amount of adult-themed content and some areas are even marked with adult-theme advisories. But this is just my opinion.
Things to know if you go:
Hours:
Open Daily 10am – 5:30pm
Open ’til 9pm Weds
Open ’til 9pm Sat (Memorial Day – Labor Day)
Closed: Christmas and Thanksgiving
Cost:
General admission $23.50
Senior (65+) $21.25
Youth (9-12) $13.75
8 and under FREE
NEO Residents $19 (residents of 440, 441, 442, or 443 zip codes)
College Students $18
Military $19
Parking: $2 discounted parking at Great Lakes Science Center lot, if you validate your parking pass at Rock Hall.
Notes: Give yourself ample time, it is a very large collection. To see everything would require a number of hours. My recommendation fuel up beforehand with a unique and delicious breakfast at Urban Farmer (1/2 mile from The Rock Hall: 2 minute drive or 11 minute walk).
Photography of exhibits is not allowed