Experience Music Project

Lonely Planet review

The Experience Music Project (EMP) is worth a look for the architecture alone. The shimmering, abstract building - designed by Frank Gehry - was inspired by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen's passion for Jimi Hendrix's music and was initially intended as a tribute to Hendrix alone. It now houses 80,000 music artifacts, including handwritten lyrics by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and a Fender Stratocaster that Hendrix demolished.

There's also Janis Joplin's pink feather boa, the world's first steel guitar and Hendrix's signed contract to play at Woodstock.

Appropriately, the best exhibits are the Hendrix Gallery, a major tribute to Jimi; the Northwest Passage, displaying everything from Ray Charles' debut album (recorded in Seattle) to Heart's stage apparel; and a long hallway that details the evolution of grunge. Upstairs is the Sound Lab, a futuristic studio that lets you lay down vocal tracks and play guitars, drums and keyboards. Kids will love it, as will anyone obsessed with a particular segment of Northwest music, but others may find themselves yawning in places. If you're on the fence about paying the admission, the Sky Church theater, Revolutions bar and Turntable restaurant are accessible free of charge.