If I could give this place 10 stars I would! This is quite simply the most stimulating museum experience that I've ever had in my life! The theme of the museum is that it's basically a walk-through the history of the technology of the reproduction of music. It is a guided tour that takes about an hour and a half, and it consists mainly of hearing about the history and development of the technology. And all of the pristine musical instruments are played for you. It is just a delight ! Clean well kept informative, exciting stimulating I just can't think of enough words for this place and I just want more people to know about it. The highlights are a player piano that plays Rhapsody and blue exactly the way George Gershwin would've played it And then a completely operating organ that would've been used (and was used) during the silent movie era This place is just so fun ! I was so happy after I visited and can't wait to come back hopefully for a special event so I can see a silent movie with the appropriate accompaniment! Worth every dime of admission ! They also take donations, so please give generously! read more

My Detroit to Michigan tour brought me here. Had a nice personal tour where the lady gave us history of the Museum and played handful of old time Musical instruments like the pianos and organs. One self playing instrument was a combo duet between a violin and piano in a juke box. Truly amazing! This Pianoforte website explains well, "What is a Self-Playing Piano? Also known as player pianos or Pianolas, older style self-playing pianos uses a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism to play pre-programmed music on your piano using perforated paper or metallic rolls. The keys would move up and down as if the piano were playing by itself." So you can imagine how the piano player was eliminated as a job performer to these new type of jukeboxes and self playing pianos. This little Museum is quite a little hidden gem that you would just pass by on the main road on to your next destination. The state of Michigan, the land of cherries and historical unique musical instruments! Well worth the stop. read more

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Lots of fun including an enlivened history of "Jukeboxes" from the earliest through their peak of popularity in the fifties and early sixties. Also a history of player pianos and pipe organs including a massive impressive working one with demonstration. Very informative and beautifully presented. read more

Wow! Very cool museum! I wouldn't have come here on my own but I'm really glad my mom suggested this. A walk thru time and musical innovations from the early 20th century. Half of the museum is self guided and at your own pace, and the other half is guided. The guided tours are 90 minutes and run on a continuous basis so you can join at anytime. Our guide, Charlie, shared so many interesting facts and demonstrated a variety of player pianos and a huge dance pipe organ. This museum has so many rare finds and one of a kind artifacts. They sustain this museum from tickets sales and gift shop purchases, so please be generous. read more

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The tour guide here was very friendly and knowledgeable. They led us through the museum playing various instruments for us and sharing their history. We got to learn so much and ask whatever questions we had. The silent movie accompaniment and the dance hall organ were outstanding hearing those in real life, 100 years later. I definitely recommend taking a tour here. 90 minutes very well spent. read more

The Music House Museum - Front sign - Museums Near Me - Williamsburg, Michigan

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Great roadside attraction!! Typically not a fan of "guided" tours and like to browse on my own but our tour guide was awesome. I enjoyed it very much. He was knowledgeable and kept our interest. There were small kids on my tour and they were even paying attention. I recommend everyone to go here! Really cool and rare instruments. A retired elderly lady who used to be a church organist was in our tour and asked if she could play something on an antique organ. They were so nice to let her play! read more

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i came here with my grandbabies last year and it was just to die for omigosh the selfplaying pianos are so cool my little christopher just couldn't get enough of the demo piano at the front, look out elton john lol!! read more

The good: awesome collection of history and memorabilia. So many things to check out. The bad: my friend and I didn't join the tour group. We walked and observed at our own pace. Then, We got yelled at my the tour guide when we were looking at pianos near his group. He spoke loud enough so his tour group could hear, thus embarrassing us in front of a dozen people purposely to demonstrate his "power" Seriously?! Sorry your ego was bruised because we didn't join your precious tour. What a miserable joke of a man on a museum power trip. Took the enjoyment out of it for us. Won't go back. Won't recommend it to anyone The tour guide name is Bob. read more

I wasn't sure when we pulled up to the museum (looks like a kinda shabby Bavarian building) but I loved it here. There are all kinds of instruments from the early 1900s, a piano that plays Rhapsody in Blue & the old organ grinders that monkeys used to play, to name only a few of the amazing instruments. We also watched a Laurel & Hardy black & white film & how music was inserted during the silent film era. This may not be interesting for everyone but I'm a music nerd so I loved it. $15 for adults, not sure about the admission price for kids. read more

After passing by this place numerous times driving between Elk Rapids, MI and Traverse City, MI, we finally decided to stop and see what it was all about. It was so fascinating that I'm sorry we didn't stop sooner. The museum is housed inside an old barn and has some of the most beautiful instruments of music I have ever seen. It takes you on a journey of how music has evolved from some of the first jukeboxes, nickelodeons, and pipe organs. There is a tour that lasts about an hour and a half with a very knowledgeable and personable guide who details the history behind each piece and then you get a wonderful turn at hearing each one. The beginning part of the museum is self guided where on display are early jukeboxes and phonographs that make you sad that they are no longer being used. What a treasure it was to find this little piece of history!!! read more

Some really cool one of a kind items and a great history lesson on some very interesting American technology. Not so much a museum about music in general as it is a museum about instruments and technological advances in organs and pianos as well as recording equipment Great activity for a rainy day on vacation read more

What a gem! The tour was detailed and interesting, and the docent let the my kids (ages 7& 12) try out some of the instruments. I wouldn't bring toddlers, but older kids seem to enjoy it. read more

The museum is interesting, but I like the concert series and silent movies (accompanied by organ, of course) even more. A fun place to stop if you are in the area, and into music, history etc. Check their website for a schedule of events: http://musichouse.org/calendar_events.php. read more

Well worth the visit. You will come away with a whole new appreciation of old-style music. Amazing!!!!

A step back in time to see much of the background of organ and keyboard instruments and their music. It's well worth the stop, the small $ to enter and they have special movie nights too! read more

If you love museums, history and music then you can't go wrong with this stop. I first visited this museum with my grandma almost 20 years ago. I managed a visit with my family this week and enjoyed sharing it with my husband and 3 year old daughter. So...lets talk about this place with kids. This museum and its entrance fee come with a tour. The tour is roughly 1.5 hours. For a toddler this is a bit long and no one mentioned that when we purchased admission. With that said the tour is a must because it allows you to see and hear the museum's collection. If you choose to tour with a toddler pack snacks, stroller, and hopefully other family members to help hold, entertain, and keep an eye on the tot. I also wish this museum had some kid specific exhibits that were interactive. read more

This is an amazing collection of mechanical music devices and early radios and phonographs. Great for all ages and especially gadget folks who love to see technology from 100 or more years ago. Highly recommended if you are in the NW Lower MI area, a really short drive (5 minutes) north of Traverse City and a must-see stop if you are driving US 31 up the West Coast of Michigan. read more

What a great tour! Ed Onon was our tour guide for about two hours. He knew so much about the entire collection of music artifacts. I was amazed at the technological sophistication of some of their nickelodeons and juke boxes. The Mortier dance hall organ is simply gorgeous. My favorite part of the tour was "four-handed" Rhapsody in Blue that Gershwin helped record. Definitely worth the trip! read more

What a fantastic find!! We stayed in Traverse City and asked at the visitors center about recommendations on what to do if it rained. The wonderful ladies there not only recommended The Music House but gave us "Buy 1 Adult Get 1 Free" passes! Our 2 kid are music/band kids and at ages 58, 51, 18, and 16 we all said this was the best, and most surprising, part of our entire trip!! The tour guide will talk about many different items located in the converted barn portion of the museum. Player pianos, nickelodeons, organ grinder, pipe organs, enormous church organ, Edison cylinder phonographs, and the amazing dance hall organ. So very very cool! Really pay attention and listed to the Reproducing Piano -- you will get to hear George Gershwin accompanying himself on the piano playing Rhapsody in Blue! We were lucky enough that our daughter got to play the giraffe piano, she also cranked the organ grinder, and our son cranked the Frati brass grinder! It was a quiet day when we were there and the guide let us pick some other tunes to hear on the movie house organ -- of course Phantom of the Opera!! Fantastic!! We loved the jukeboxes and the gramaphone section. We stayed 4 hours and had the most marvelous time due to the wonderful things there but also the fabulous guide who realized his audience were music enthusiasts. read more