Review of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Jewel of the New Lake Erie

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, has been around for more than a decade but has been a strong anchor for new developments on the Erie Lake front redevelopment. The Hall of Fame’s unique structural design blends in well with the waves and ships on the lake front and its use of natural light for many parts of the museum interior is far more relaxing than the stuffy interiors of your average museum.

Price: For $20 a piece, adult museum goers get a thorough review of rock and roll history, its roots, and how it has evolved over the last fifty years. It is well worth the money to see priceless rock artifacts like a Beatles board game called “Beatles Flip your Wig,” hand written journals by musicians like Pete Townshend, John Lennon, and the childhood drawings of Jimi Hendrix.

Gift Shop/Merchandising: The gift shop was certainly not disappointing from a price and supply stand point. In addition to the usual tourist fare (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) there was great prices on DVDs (the Tommy DVD for only $9.99), CDs for all the artists in the museum, and posters of many of the great bands in the hall. The more expensive pieces, including framed records, should wet the beak of die hard fans of particular bands.

Regular Exhibits:
a) 500 songs that shaped rock and roll-This exhibit, featuring 500 rock songs selected by the Hall staff, historians, and critics, features several semi-private listening stations featuring a breakdown of the songs alphabetically by group and interesting facts about the musicians and the song’s evolution. This is a great introduction to the rest of the museum and a good primer for the multimedia presentations within the hall.