Heritage + History 2023 - 21

museum sales. " We accomplish this through
our interactive programs like Sharing the Art
of Songwriting. Groups work closely with one
of Nashville's most accomplished songwriters
to craft their own song-it's the perfect
way to collaborate and immerse themselves
in one of the most creative communities in
the entire world. " Another fun option is the
Star for a Day package, which includes lunch
and line dancing at the Wildhorse Saloon.
In Detroit, Michigan, the Motown
Museum occupies the actual apar t -
ment where label founder Berry Gordy
and his family lived. You can visit Studio
A, where Motown artists like Diana Ross
& The Supremes and Gladys Knight & the
Pips made Hitsville, USA world famous.
While Motown was picking up steam in
the 1960s, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was
adopting the nickname " the Hit Recording
Capital of the World. " It became synonymous
with Southern soul and R&B, also
adding in blues, hillbilly, rock, and gospel.
Groups can tour the Alabama Music Hall
of Fame and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.
If jazz is more to your group's liking, you'll
find a whole national park dedicated to the
musical genre in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Since New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz,
you'll not only hear the sounds but also see
many of the sites and structures that were
paramount in the genre's history. The New
Orleans Jazz Museum is housed in the Old
U.S. Mint at the edge of the French Quarter.
Graceland is probably the most famous
musical pop culture attraction dedicated
to a single artist. For Elvis Presley fans,
visiting his former home in Memphis,
Tennessee, is a spiritual pi lgrimage.
In addition to the grand mansion itself, an
immersive 120-acre complex features Elvis'
costumes, music, awards, car collection,
and custom jets. Follow Elvis' footsteps to
Sun Studios, the famous Memphis recording
studio where he and other famous artists
like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and
Roy Orbison, made classic records. During
private group tours, you can sing into the
same microphone as the musical greats.
Other specialty music museums include
The Big House in Macon, Georgia, which
commemorates all things Allman Brothers
Band, and Paisley Park, Prince's home in
Chanhassen, Minnesota.
MOVIE MAGIC
The Museum of the Moving Image in
Queens, New York, celebrates film with a
busy roster of screenings, events, and changing
exhibits, plus a collection of 130,000
objects. Groups can opt for self-guided or
specialized guided tours that cover topics
like the creative and technical process of
making films, or an in-depth look at " The
Jim Henson Exhibition. "
Fans of old-time Hollywood will enjoy
visiting the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield,
North Carolina, which celebrates the
leading lady of the 1950s. Groups particularly
love Gardner's costumes, says Lynell
Seabold, the museum's executive director.
" We also have a Heritage Tour [where groups
accompany] a museum representative to
places in Johnston County that were part
of Ava's personal life, such as the home she
was born in and the memorial park where
she is buried with her family, " Seabold adds.
From far left: The Andy Warhol Museum in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, explores the pop
artist's legacy; Walk in the footsteps of music
legends at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee;
Visit Kermit and his Muppet pals at " The
Jim Henson Exhibition " at the Museum of the
Moving Image in New York City.
grouptourmagazine.com 21
ABOVE DAVID MEANY BELOW THANASSI KARAGEORGIOU/MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE
http://www.grouptourmagazine.com
Heritage + History 2023

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