motown museum tour

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Museum Hours

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 10am-6pm
Thursday: 10am-6pm
Friday: 10am-6pm
Saturday: 10am-8pm
Sunday: 10am-6pm

We are closed on New Years Day, Memorial Day, Easter Sunday, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve

Plan Your Visit Contact Us

Motown Museum is the beating heart of the extraordinary Motown legacy—a destination that brings together people and ideas from different generations, and celebrates the past while simultaneously building a bridge to the future.

To ensure our vast collection maintains public visibility, and to keep things fresh for our guests, Motown Museum changes its main gallery exhibit 1-2 times per year. Here is what’s currently showing at our museum.

Motown Museum transports you into an era of musical magic. From the moment you step on the plaza, you’ll be immersed in the Motown sound and will experience a profound sense of history.

Hitsville NEXT Programs

Our uniquely curated community programs emphasize education, entrepreneurship and equity—with experiences, mentoring and exposure that nurtures and elevates tomorrow’s history makers. Museum programs cultivate creativity and entrepreneurship in budding talent, allowing great art, big ideas and innovation to flourish.

Motown MIC: The Spoken Word Competition

10 Year Anniversary!

Motown Mic: The Spoken Word was created to pay homage to Motown Records’ Black Forum Label— a Motown spoken word label created by Berry Gordy and the Motown Corporation in the ‘70s...

Ignite Summer Camp

9 - 12 Grade | July 9 - 19

Ignite is a two-week program designed for high school-aged singers who want to take their musical talents to the next level...

Spark Summer Camp

6 – 8 Grade | August 6 - 16

For middle-school students passionate about music, we offer Spark, a day camp that helps students write and perform music together...

From memorable galas and concert performances, to community celebrations and educational programs, we host a range of special events throughout the year.

Calendar of Events

Rocket Plaza at Motown Museum

Events are Free and Open to the Public

Private Events

Interested in hosting your own event at Motown?

Motown legacy.

As an irresistible force of social and cultural change, the legendary Motown portfolio made its mark not just on the music industry, but society at large, with a signature Motown Sound that has become one of the most significant musical accomplishments and stunning success stories of the 20th century.

Like many other African Americans in the early 20th century, Berry Gordy, Sr. and his wife, Bertha Fuller Gordy, came North from Georgia to find a better life for themselves and their family.

Motown is an extended family of some of the most iconic and influential artists, musicians and songwriters of our time. Brought together by destiny through their love for making music, they found themselves making history.

The culmination of years of planning, hard work and generous contributions from dedicated donors, the highly anticipated, $50 million Motown Museum expansion project will grow the museum campus to a 50,000-square-foot world-class entertainment and education tourist destination.

Support Motown Museum

When you contribute to the Motown Museum, you become part of a rich musical and cultural legacy. We are a 501(c)(3) not for profit, tax-exempt organization in Detroit.

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Visiting Motown Museum

About Motown Museum

Book a Tour
Discover The Legacy
The Gordy Family
Motown Artists
Expansion Plan
Museum Donors
You’re All I Need To Get By
Motown Expansion

Step into the heart of Motown's golden era and let the rhythm of legends transport you. Book a tour today!

Standing in the Shadows of Love

Abdul "Duke" Fakir

December 26, 1935 - July 22, 2024

It is with a heavy heart that we share in the mourning of the passing of Abdul “Duke” Fakir, founding member of the Four Tops. For the music he made with The Four Tops, and for his work to keep the legacy of Motown alive, the Motown Museum will continue to celebrate Abdul “Duke” Fakir. We send our condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world.

Now Showing

Claudette Robinson: A Motown HER-story

A Tribute to Motown's First Lady

The exhibition chronicles Robinson’s life, beginning with her humble childhood in Louisiana and tracing her success with The Miracles at Motown. On display are artifacts such as photos, awards, news clippings, and the uniform she wore on the “Hi, We’re The Miracles” album cover.

Breaking Ground

The culmination of years of planning, hard work, and generous contributions from dedicated donors, the highly anticipated, multi-phase, $60 million Motown Museum expansion project—the heart of which is called Hitsville NEXT—will grow the museum campus to a nearly 50,000-square-foot world-class entertainment and education tourist destination.

Shopping Never Sounded So Good

Shop in-store or online

Show off your love for Motown with apparel, drinkware, ornaments, accessories, and more. Celebrate the sound that changed America and take home your Motown piece today.

1935 - 2024

Claudette Robinson

In-store or Online

Shop Around

Come See About Us

Wednesday - Sunday 10am - 6pm

Guests will be transported through time while viewing curated exhibits, the actual apartment Berry Gordy lived in with his family during the label’s earliest days, along with original recording equipment and the legendary Studio A. Each tour is led by a knowledgeable guide, who will share the interesting history, fascinating anecdotes and captivating stories that all took place at Hitsville U.S.A.

Are You NEXT?

Our uniquely curated community programs emphasize education, entrepreneurship, and equity—with experiences, mentoring, and exposure that nurture and elevate tomorrow’s history-makers.

It Takes Two

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution, Motown Museum would not exist without the support of our generous patrons like you. Whether you’re down the street or across the globe, you can make an impact on the important work we do here in Detroit. Make a donation today and help us preserve the Motown legacy for decades to come—even the smallest amount can make a big difference.

Berry Gordy Jr. Boulevard 2648 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit, MI 48208

(313) 875-2264

Motown Museum is located on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit—east of Rosa Parks Boulevard and west of Woodward Ave. and the John C. Lodge Expressway (M-10).

Hours, Admission & Guidelines Directions

“When I visited Motown Museum, I remembered listening to records as a kid in Liverpool, learning the songs ‘You Really Got a Hold on Me’ (by the Miracles) and ‘Money’ (by Barrett Strong).” Sir. Paul McCartney, The Beatles

Founded in 1985 by Esther Gordy Edwards —former Motown Records executive and sister to Motown founder, Berry Gordy—Motown Museum is home to iconic Hitsville U.S.A., Studio A, and an extensive array of Motown artifacts, photographs, apparel and memorabilia.

As one of Michigan’s top international tourist destinations, visitors come from every corner of the globe to explore the latest exhibits, hear interesting stories from knowledgeable tour guides and stand inside the historic spaces where some of the greatest music of all time was recorded.

Our Mission

To preserve, promote and celebrate the authentic Motown Story as a platform for others to flourish as thinkers, creators, neighbors and entrepreneurs.

That all generations will come to know, be inspired and transformed by the Legacy, Sound and the unparalleled cultural and social impact of Motown.

About Hitsville NEXT

“Not only will the expanded museum entertain and tell the stories of talented and creative people who succeeded against all odds, but it will also inspire and create opportunities for people to explore their dreams the way I did mine. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of that.” Berry Gordy, Founder, Motown Records

Hitsville NEXT is the educational center of Motown Museum’s newly expanded campus. As the hub of our programming efforts, it is the place in Detroit for talent cultivation, entrepreneurial training and empowerment, music making and professional development for those aspiring to be in the music industry.

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Sing and Dance Your Way through the Motown Museum

Story by danielle alexander | photos by bill bowen.

Located on West Grand Boulevard, Motown Museum, formerly known as Hitsville U.S.A, is not just a location; history has been made there.

And that’s exactly why tens of thousands of visitors pass through each year, making it one of Southeast Michigan’s most popular tourist destinations.

The Motown sound changed America, and it was founded right here in The D. Pretty cool, right? The museum houses an “extensive array of Motown artifacts, photographs and other memorabilia,” it also provides visitors with a chance to not only stand in Studio A, the exact studio where Motown artists and groups recorded between 1959 and 1972, but also view the restored upper flat where Berry Gordy, founder of the Motown record label, lived with his young family during the company’s early days.

Throughout the tour, you’ll stand in right where greats like Stevie Wonder, the Funk Brothers and The Supremes stood. You can even sing directly into the echo chamber – the invention used before computers and synthesizers – to capture the uniqueness of the Motown sound in live action. Seriously, singing and dancing is encouraged on this tour.

Each tour guide will enthusiastically tell you the inner-details about the Motown legacy. From personal stories, to their interactions with Motown stars or inspired celebrities, their insight will have you feeling like a member of the Motown family.

Currently, visitors even have the opportunity to view the museum’s exhibition called “Boulevard to Broadway,” which offers insight into how Berry Gordy successfully built a recording company in Detroit at a time of racial unrest and limited business opportunity for African-Americans in the music industry. They also can purchase apparel, books and/or novelties at the gift shop – you better shop around.

For more information, including hours, directions, membership options and ways to donate, visit Motown Museum’s website .