We’re always fans of unusual museums that encourage visitor interaction, and musical museums are no exception. Here are some of the best music museums in the USA…

The Musical Instrument Museum recently opened in Phoenix, Arizona.

This museum has a huge collection of musical instruments from every country in the world.

We’re talking items like a drum used in the Olympic opening ceremonies in Beijing, and a six-string, 9-foot guitar built in 1970.

The coolest part is the Experience Gallery, where visitors can actually play with some of the more unusual instruments, including a 5-foot gong and African drums.

At the University of South Dakota, the National Music Museum has more than 14,000 instruments from around the world, including some rare items like two 18th-century grand pianos, and one of only two surviving Stradivari mandolins.

Or find a little soul in the Memphis neighborhood known as Soulsville USA, home to The Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

Here you can create your own cover of an original song from the old Stax record label.

And if you’re really into that hands-on experience, check out the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California, which has more than 450 interactive instruments exhibits, with live performances and discussions.

Even if you’re tone deaf when you walk in, you’ll walk out feeling a little more musically inclined after these experiences.

For more ways to learn when you travel, check out the Museums section.

For more ways to experience the world’s cultures, visit our cultural travel section.

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