We’re always looking for interesting places to visit and share with our readers and we’ve found many wonderful and fascinating attractions while we’ve been poking around in every corner of America. But we’re always surprised at how many places that are right under our noses get overlooked while we research the next location down the road.
A good example is the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Having called Arizona our home before we hit the road as fulltime RVers, and with Terry’s parents and sisters living here in the Valley of the Sun, we had seen signs and advertisements for the museum many times but never bother to check it out until now. Oh, what we have been missing!
With 14 galleries devoted to different geographical regions of the world, as well as an Artist Gallery and more, the 200,000 square foot museum is home to a collection of more than 15,000 instruments and associated objects. There is so much to see and do that you have to come early and stay late, because you’ll need every minute to see it all.
Visitors are given hands free wireless headsets that play music keyed to the different exhibits as they move through the museums galleries. Don’t be surprised if you find your toes tapping and your body swaying to the music. I know ours did!
The variety of instruments on display is amazing! From primitive African drums to finely crafted guitars to a huge octobasse that towers over the room, there is something new to see everywhere you look.
You will also see instruments and stage costumes worn by some of your favorite stars of country, pop, blues, and rock and roll in the Artist Gallery.
In the experience gallery, visitors can make their own music and actually play a variety of different instruments.
We’ll have a feature story on the Musical Instrument Museum in the next issue of the Gypsy Journal.
Yesterday I approved the proof of the printed copy of Dog’s Run and it looks great! You can order it now from CreateSpace, and it will also be available on Amazon in just a few days.
Another excellent book is Mystral Murder by my friend Lee Hanson. Part of her Julie O’Hara mystery series, it’s free on Amazon for a limited time. I’ve read all of Lee’s books in the series and really enjoyed them.
And don’t forget our special promotions and free giveaways! This week’s Free Drawing is for an audiobook version of Judy Howard’s Coast to Coast With A Cat And A Ghost. So far, over 130 readers have entered. All you have to do is click this Free Drawing link and enter your name in the comments section below. Only one entry per person per drawing please! The winner will be chosen at random on Sunday evening.
Another freebie we’re proud to offer to our readers who are veterans is a free copy of the e-book version of our VFW Camping Guide to any vet who asks. Just e-mail me at editor@gypsyjournal.net and I’ll get a copy off to you.
And don’t miss out on our latest promotion, because it’s a good one. For a limited time we are offering a CD set of back issues of the Gypsy Journal for the years 2003 – 2013. That’s eleven years of our RV adventures and misadventures for the amazingly low price of just $50, with free shipping! The back issues are in searchable PDF files that will work on any computer. If you were to purchase them individually from our online download site they would cost you $198. How can you lose with a deal like that? To order, log onto www.paypal.com and make payment to editor@gypsyjournal.net.
Thought For The Day – Sometimes the thoughts in my head get bored and go for a stroll out through my mouth. This is never a good thing.
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Nick Russell
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We really enjoyed the Musical Instrument Museum last winter. We will probably visit it again this winter.
We’ve heard so many comments about this museum and will add that to our Arizona must do list for next year.