Grammy Museum Tours

Opened in 2008 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grammy Awards, the Grammy Museum celebrates all aspects of the music industry. Located in the LA Live entertainment complex in downtown Los Angeles, it’s the largest music-themed museum in LA, with four stories and over 30,000 square feet (2,787 square meters) of space.

The Grammy Museum is a stop on hop-on hop-off bus tours of Los Angeles, and serious music fans might consider a guided group tour led by a museum expert. Permanent exhibits at the museum include elaborate outfits worn by past Grammy winners such as Kanye West and Beyoncé, as well as sound booths where you can record and remix a song in different musical styles. Rotating exhibits have included tributes to stars Whitney Houston, Roy Orbison, and John Lennon, as well as retrospectives on Muzak, hip-hop, heavy metal, and more.

Created to honor the music industry in the 1950s, the Grammy Awards were named for one of music's most significant technological inventions: the gramophone. A block of sidewalk outside the Grammy Museum is inlaid with marble stars honoring high-profile music performers and producers. 

Located in downtown Los Angeles in the LA Live area, the Grammy Museum is most easily accessible by car, with plenty of parking spaces adjacent to the complex and even more available within about a 10-minute walk. On busy nights, the East Garage of the complex can fill up quickly. Public transportation options to LA Live include Metro trains and buses.

The Grammy Museum hosts numerous industry events and performances throughout the year; a calendar can be found on the museum website. Because the museum is located within the LA Live complex, which is also home to the Staples Center and the Microsoft Theater, the area can be crowded when large events or games are taking place.

Music lovers will want to stop by the Frank Gehry–designed Walt Disney Concert Hall to catch a performance or at least snap a photo of the twisted-metal landmark building. The hall is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Master Chorale, in addition to hosting major visiting acts. Free self-guided audio tours with commentary from Gehry are offered.