"What is this place all about? This expansive museum in the desert off of the North Phoenix highway is a paean to world music. Inside its tall sandstone walls, 8,000-plus instruments from some 200 countries await, all packed into galleries forking from a central corridor. As you stroll through wearing headphones, you hear the sounds of the instruments you pass. Videos play, too, showing how people play instruments in their countries of origin. MIM has rooms for kids, displays instruments actually played by artists like Johnny Cash, and hosts concerts. What will we see here? The real question is what will we hear? The answer: The erhu, the kora, and a whole family of bagpipes for starters. You’re bound to discover new instruments. One room, The Encore Gallery, invites guests to play instruments like a Peruvian harp and the giant drums of the Pascua Yaqui Nation (Southwestern Arizona). What did you make of the crowd? MIM is so spacious that the crowd isn’t an issue. What if we get hungry? Stop by Cafe Allegro, where museum-goers fill cafeteria-style trays of global foods that rotate seasonally. How much time will we need? Considering the geographical galleries alone demand at least an hour, you likely need 2-3 hours. Add 20 minutes each way for the drive from downtown to North Phoenix." - Chris Malloy
