american banjo museum

As an acoustic musician, I very much wanted to visit this museum and I am so glad that I did. It has a fine brief film about the history of the banjo. It has a five million dollar collection of banjos, from the mid 19th century to the present day. It informs the visitor about the great influential banjo-players such as Eddie Peabody and Earl Scruggs. It pays tribute to Gibson. It pays tribute to Pete Seeger and the folk music boom of the early 1960s. It pays tributes to members of the banjo hall of fame. It has a good film about Gibson, a good film about Scruggs, and some absolutely beautiful instruments. If you're a banjo player, or interested in American music history, you must visit this somewhat small and jam-packed museum. But even if you have never given the banjo any attention, you can learn a lot and see how instrumental (no pun intended) the banjo has been through the years.

What a great place, and so many beautiful banjos to see. They were spectacular and some worth more then you could imagine. A definite jaw dropper and worth seeing!

Wow, what a beautiful place to see, especially upstairs! The banjos are displayed in a manner that screams beauty. The staff was very very friendly and I enjoyed this museum tremendously. Visit, go eat nearby, do the riverwalk in Bricktown and enjoy!

I don't play the banjo but did enjoy the Museum. Very interesting seeing the over 350 banjos displayed. Various artists are showcased as well as their banjos.

This small museum is a perfect activity for a couple of hours. The history of the banjo is so interesting - paralleling important events in American history from slavery to 60s protests. Listening to music throughout the space brings back memories - the collection of banjos is amazing. I learned a lot about this instrument and it was very interesting. One note - there is a second floor. Even though there is no sign or label - go up the stairs - the Kingston trio exhibit and banjo hall of fame is up there.

It's always great to see people so passionate about music and the guides love of all things banjo was clearly evident. You kind of need to know a bit about banjos as there are 270 or so on display but the way they are presented in eras is intuitive and easy to follow the transition from 1800s to current day. Who knew Steve martin has a career as a banjo player?

This museum was a unique experience while on our stay in OKC. One of our group is heavily into Banjo music, and whilst the rest of us were far less inclined, we all came away having enjoyed the experience. Entrance was $6pp, and felt very reasonable.I would echo other reviews that describe the modern clean and well presented nature of the exhibits. All with a little bit of information on their backstory. There were also a number of multimedia displays dotted around, which were great resources.I never knew there was so much to Banjo history, and in that respect the museum taught me a great deal.Whilst those who are musically inclined might get more from this museum, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone as a cheap, interesting experience. Full of history and culture.

My husband is a musician, so this was on our to-do list. Luckily, it was a short walk from our Bricktown hotel and we had the museum to ourselves! The gentleman selling tickets was also playing the banjo, so he treated us to a little live music. So nice! We especially liked seeing the $250,000 banjo and the very old one from 1845.

I had limited time to site see in OK City and happened to be staying in the Bricktown district. I am so glad that I stopped at the Banjo Museum. I have always appreciated the instrument and skill required to play it. But never did I know the history of the banjo nor noticed its beauty until visiting here. There are some absolutely gorgeous banjos on display. The way the banjos are displayed allows you to see all sides of the instruments. And, this little museum has a nice audio/video display to help you learn about the history. I noticed some guests breezing through the museum without stopping to look at the details of the banjos - what a shame! My only disappointment was their gift shop. I had not gone there to buy any memorabilia but would have purchased something after going through the museum but there was not much there.

OK, I wanted to add to my Bricktown review--it even has a canal system like the Riverwalk area of San Antonio, TX. So lovely & relaxing. The American Banjo Museum is in one of the old warehouses at ground level. I only wish this museum had been open at the time I visited OKC--it was one of the reasons I wanted to be in a downtown hotel, and not in one just off the freeway.

I always enjoy banjo music so visiting a museum about banjos was awesome. Starts with a brief presentation on the history of banjos and then you walk the exhibits. Even a Banjo Hall of Fame. Enjoyed the current exhibit about the Kingston Trio. Learned a lot about this group that I did not know before. Overall, just a fun museum to visit. I left with a big smile on my face.

When you first walk into the museum, you are introduced to the history of the banjo via an 8 minute presentation. It starts with the above grandfather and child having a conversation about the boy learning how to play the banjo. (Interesting fact, they were fashioned after the Henry O. Tanner painting "The Banjo Lesson".) From there you listen about the African roots the physical instrument has, and then move forward through it's place in American culture from slavery to minstrel shows to jazz to bluegrass.From there you enter into a large, L shaped gallery that has some pictures and neat posters and information posted about the development and advancements in banjo manufacturing and musical influence, but what will stand out most are the dozens and dozens of beautifully ornate banjos. Seriously. When I thought of banjos previously, I thought about hillbillies and instruments made out of scrap metal. These were NOT that. These were super fancy, with gems and gold, and super rare instruments too. They had bios of famous players, and some banjors you could pick up and play yourself.

What a unique museum! I visited by myself and took my time walking thru the exhibits and listening to some music. This place is so clean and packed with an amazing collection of banjoes. Don't miss the videos-they offer some really interesting entertainment. This is a must-see when you visit Bricktown.

A pretty good museum that only takes a short time to see. The variation on these instruments is pretty neat.

This museum strives for quality, not large scale, and it achieves it's aim. We are not banjo experts, but we enjoyed the background on the history of the instrument. No-one could fail to appreciate the artistry of the workmanship on the backs of the banjos. The music, of course, is infectious. We particularly enjoyed the temporary exhibition on the Kingston Trio. (We're talking about our time.). Along with the water taxi, this makes a great visit to Bricktown.