The Virginia Musical Museum is an outstanding semi-hidden gem of a half-day attraction in Williamsburg and well-worth a stop if you are an audiophile of any sort. Came here recently with my parents since it had been on our list of spots to try ever since they moved to the area. You might think you're in the wrong place when you walk in and see a ton of pianos for sale, but nope: the manager comes right over, escorts you to where the museum itself starts, and sets you on the path. He was very personable and was a veritable museum of musical knowledge himself, great intro to a great experience. This place is nothing short of a mesmerizing medley of some of the strangest musical instruments you have ever seen, along with an incredibly cool collection of memorabilia from esteemed Virginia musicians, some recent and many from days long departed. I thought the automatic banjo machine was particularly cool, never seen one before and probably never will again. The entire thing took us about three hours to work our way through and it was quite an education. It is mostly reading though they have a few interactive exhibits on the top floor, and they seem to be actively planning even more which is always nice to see. If you have a passion for music both old and new, I definitely recommend stopping by! Overall: 5.0 stars ---- Pros: - Very cool museum with some one-of-a-kind pieces and truly fascinating historical tidbits. - Extremely nice manager with a clear passion for maintaining and expanding this collection. - Good value for the admission price. Cons: - While I can't imagine this place being overly busy, parking is limited so I can imagine this could be an issue, albeit a small hypothetical one. read more

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This museum is much larger then it appears. I lost count of the number of rooms we went through. There were many unique instruments and other music-related items. One room is dedicated to musicians from Virginia. I highly recommend this hidden gem of a museum. read more

This was the last thing I did before exiting the Williamsburg area. And I quite enjoyed myself. Let's address where this is located. Do not be discouraged if you pull up to the address provided to get here and find a piano store. The museum is located within the piano store. I know, it felt odd when I first entered here, but it fit into the building. When I arrived I was greeted by the guy in charge and I asked about the museum. There is a small fee to visit the museum portion of the building. What is really interesting about this place is that they don't expect you to pay for your museum visit until you exit the museum portion. I know what you are thinking, you can't just skip out of here. The museum winds through the back of the building and between two floors. When you exit the museum portion you end up back out into the piano showroom. Honestly, not a bad system if you ask me, makes you appreciate it a bit more. As the name suggests, this is a museum that focuses on the music. Whether it be by instruments or machines that produce music or it be an artist or group that has achieved something musically. You start off downstairs in a room with old musically machines. Some you can interact with, other you are not allowed to touch. And it is so hard to not touch in here. You just want to hear the music. The start spot is just a single room downstairs and then you head upstairs where a majority of the museum takes up a good portion of space. The first room you enter upstairs is like a shrine to musically instruments. From violins to, of course, pianos. You see how people listened to music over time. You saw how musical instruments evolved over time. You got to see how microphones changed over the years to be better for their destined use. Then, you walk into the Virginia Music Hall of Fame. I had no idea this was a thing. Bet you didn't either. Some people enshrined in this area I knew about, others surprised me. Some of the notable people that are in here: Phil Vassar, Missy Elliot, Ricky Van Shelton, Pharrell Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, The Carter Family (June et al), Patsy Cline, Pearl Bailey, and many more. Each area is curated to each artist or act. Once you make your way through the hall of fame, you head downstairs and through some rooms that show older pianos/organs. You think because you are seeing this the the museum is winding down and you need to prepare yourself to head back outside. But, there is like one more surprise before you exit the museum. You enter the Wayne Newton exhibit. And it is as over the top as you would think it is. This may be one single room, but wow, they packed a lot into this room including his car that was intended for Marvin Gaye. Before you pop out you can stand in an opera dress and take a selfie. With that, I give you review 2,800. It has taken me a while to get here, and with a setback in my reviews where some of them were combined (I would have been there sooner) I am happy to give you this review, and I can't think of a better establishment for it to be reviewed for. read more

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My family had an absolute amazing time stopping here while on vacation. We went on a Friday and were able to receive a tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about all the pieces in their museum. Highly recommend!! read more

Virginia Musical Museum - Museums Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

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The Virginia Musical Museum is inside the Parker Piano Outlet store! We walked in & were met with a small sea of beautiful pianos. That alone was a sight to see. A younger (than we are) info-filled dear man named Nick, was a terrific host! We began to explore the museum through a room that had a laughing Mary & antique pieces of furniture that brought to life snippets of the lives those pieces had lived. Nick periodically came up as we continued through the addition that holds the 2 floors of artifacts, from amazing organs to the RCA doggie (only 1 of 4 left). There were also elegant dresses worn on stage by Ella Fitzgerald, June Carter Cash..., musical instruments, photographs & more. (Nick has a good story of a handful of the extraordinary pieces he seemed to genuinely enjoy sharing with us.It isn't a huge museum; more of a bunch of collections in one place, but I highly recommend going to the Virginia Musical Museum where you'll be glad you spent about an hour or so of your time. PS. There are many good places nearby for lunch! read more

What a treasure! I visited here on Friday, and learned a lot that I did not know about music and our talented Virginia Musical Artists. The Curator was awesome! Very knowledgeable. I highly recommend!!!!!!!! read more

My son is a musician, so this is right up his alley. All sorts of items from the vast history of music. It's not very big, so you can spend a little or a lot of time, depending on your interest level. We went thru in about an hour and a half. The collection is diverse and in well kept condition. Explanations are thorough and informative. The section on famous/influential Virginia musicians is very well done. Admission cost is fair. No gift shop, per se, but postcards and t-shirts for sale at moderate prices. If you are a musician or music lover, or just interested in something unique and off-the-beaten-path, this place is for you! I would like to see more drumming and percussion items added to the collection, since my son is a drummer and would have loved to see more of those. But that doesn't diminish the experience. Very friendly staff. read more

This is a great small music museum has quite a few very unusual instruments and recording devices. Also has a lotta history of local artists posters artifacts clothing cars , something for everyone. Staff is wonderful and very helpful. There are audio devices that explain every instrument to you. If you're looking for the rare and unusual this is a great find. Expect to spend 1 to 3 hours. read more

Can you identify a hurdy-gurdy? I thought I knew (similar to an organ grinder), but was surprised to see this.

What do you do in 98 degree weather in Williamsburg ? Go to this museum and the AC was on. Very laid back, interesting if you take the time to read and listen on the "virtual" tour boxes, talk with each other about the various Virginia celebrities with artifacts there. Some of the pieces have astounding use of technology for their times ! You can also browse through the pianos they have (this place also serves as an outlet) and play what you like. If you get a chance to chat with the proprietors you can have very interesting conversations. I rated 4 out of 5 because it is not for everyone. Kids and younger ones who don't listen to anything but contemporary music would most likely be bored, but we found it very interesting to reminisce and discuss what we saw. PS Don't forget to have someone take your picture while standing behind Queen Elizabeth's dress ! read more

We were fortunate enough to tour the museum with the proprietor Buddy Parker. Buddy and his wife Peggy have amassed a neat collection of Musical instruments, Jukeboxes, Music Boxes and memorabilia. One of the highlights is a car that was owned by Virginia's own Wayne Newton. You can see the passion that they have for musical artifacts and the rich history of music in Virginia. Whether you have a small amount of time or a good bit of time any time you invest in this wonderful museum is quite worth it in my opinion! read more

My family and I were visiting Williamsburg, VA from Bluffton, SC. My daughter who is a Music Major and plays the violin, piano and guitar found this place via Google. When we pulled up, the building looked quite small and we weren't sure what to expect. When we walked in there was a wide selection of exquisite Grand Pianos. We asked about the museum and the gentleman told us it was in the back. There was a nominal fee to enter. We started to walk toward the back and BOOM!! We were blown away by the array of vintage instruments and artifacts. We were honored to have the owner there to walk us through the two-story museum to demonstrate some of the instruments and give us the history of each special piece. What an extraordinary knowledgeable gentleman and what a vast array of instruments, pictures, newspaper clippings and original letters handwritten by the artists showcased. We could not believe how big the museum was because again, the building looked quite small. We spent over two hours there! My husband, daughter and I enjoyed every minute of our visit there and we highly recommend this museum, not just to people interested in music and musical artists, BUT TO EVERYONE. read more

My wife and I walked in expecting to see a few exhibits and walked out over an hour later agreeing to come back when we had more time. Headsets guide you through a walking tour that moves as quickly or as slowly as you like. Besides learning about musical instruments ranging from harps to record players, we learned about Virginia's musical artists and saw things ranging from a Papier-mâché model of RCA's dog Nipper to Wayne Newton's car. This is well worth the $10 admission price (lower for seniors, children, and military members). read more

This museum is a jewel! You don't necessarily expect too much but oh my! What a surprise! The string instrument collection is fabulous and has a very rare harpsichord. Not a professional museum but a wide-ranging family collection that is fabulous! read more

After visiting this museum I was pleasantly surprised by all that it had to offer. There truly were exhibits for all ages. There is such a wide range of memorabilia from countries all over the world. I learned so much from my visit. The diversity of the exhibits ranged from some of Patsy Cline's personal items to a very rare Joshua Shudi Harpsicord dating form 1790. There are only two of these still in existence. When in the Williamsburg area, make a point to visit this museum. You won't be disappointed! read more

As a life long Virginia resident , I found the museum to be very interesting. There are many fine artists throughout history that I did not even know were from Va. Many of the items on display also tie in with some of the great historical figures of our time.... if you are in the area and have an hour or so to kill, I would highly recommend this place ... read more