Travel: Day 4, part 2, The Motown Museum
After getting out of The Henry Ford around 3:30 pm, my friend and I headed across town to the Motown Museum, which closes at 6:00. I have heard good things about it, and the visit did not disappoint.
Although the museum is just two structures, the guided tour is very thorough. We arrived at one of the last tours on this Saturday, and it was packed. Luckily, there’s easy street parking to compliment the free parking lot.
We paid our $10 admission and headed into the introduction video. I think it’s about fifteen or twenty minutes long and quite lively.
On this day, we toured with some Motown aficionados who already knew their stuff. During the video, they were singing and chair dancing along. Once the video ended, the guide entered to start the tour. She looked like a shorter version of Diana Ross. I wondered if she was an impersonator or perhaps a relative, although the second option seems unlikely. The resemblance sure added to the ambience though.
The museum part of the tour consists of a lot of photos on walls, but it is the narrative of the guide that makes things come alive. In addition to talking about the history and workings of the company, our guide also told some behind-the-scenes stories about the artists.
We got to see plenty of gold and platinum albums as well as Michael Jackson’s famous white glove and black fedora from the 25th Anniversary Motown Special. I remember the first time I saw that special on TV and how my jaw dropped at the moonwalk. Wow, that was a while ago.
Adjacent to the museum, we entered the house where Motown was born. The Gordy residence was upstairs. The ground floor held reception and the lobby. And downstairs is Studio A, where Motown’s greatest hits were recorded.
From the beginning to the end, we toured for over two hours. Through it all, the guide kept up her energy and voice, all the while standing on some serious stilettos.
It’s a good time tour for a company that prided itself on making some good time music. And depending on the size of your group, you may have to dance at the end. Don’t worry, just go with it. Although, as a non-dancer, I was thankful our group had plenty of dancing volunteers.
My main disappointment is that photography was not allowed. Normally, this is not a problem if they have compensating postcards in the gift shop. But the Motown Museum doesn’t. They have a couple photos of some of the artists but besides an outside shot of the two buildings, there was nothing for sale that showed any of the interior pieces. I would have loved to have something that reminds me of Studio A. The merchandising is disappointing but the tour is definitely worth the visit.