Musical Instrument Museum

This privately-funded museum located in North Scottsdale opened in April 2010 and totally delivered on the hype preceding it. It’s a beautiful, open and inviting space with a contemporary Southwestern vibe and their collection of more than 15,000 instruments includes examples of musical artifacts from nearly every nation on the globe. The best part about the experience though, is that each of the displays magically senses your presence and plays appropriate audio (through wireless headphones provided by the museum) and video on flat-panel monitors. You’ll hear the sounds of instruments from places the average traveler has likely never been and get a chance for some good old fashioned celebrity worship at the museum’s Artist Gallery. Larger countries such as India, China and Russia boast multiple displays with subsections highlighting their different types of ethnic, folk and tribal music. And food lovers have something to look forward to as well since the MIM cafe serves up global cuisine at a pretty fair price.