Experience Music Project:

The Experience Music Project (EMP) is equal parts an architectural masterpiece and an overwhelming eyesore. But once visitors come to grips with the museum's visually arresting features, it is apparent that the EMP is an all-around great rock museum. Founded in 2000 and designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, the museum features a myriad of exhibits, time capsules, hands-on activities, pop culture relics and other great items that make it worth more than a single visit.

The EMP has a variety of traditional museum elements fused with technological components that are aimed at enhancing the experience. Upon entering the main section of the museum, it is hard to miss the famed guitar-tree sculpture, crafted from the corpses of several hundred guitars to form a musical explosion. Many of the guitars are rigged with devices that automatically pluck single strings and relay the notes hit to a computer that mixes the din into a cohesive song for passersby to hear.

Throughout the lower floor there are a variety of rock displays, including a Jimi Hendrix feature, which has some astounding relics from his impressive career, and the Northwest Passage, a favorite of Seattle musicians. The Passage has exhibits highlighting acts such as Bing Crosby of Tacoma, Wash., The Kingsmen of Portland, Queensreche of Bellevue, Wash., and Heart, The Presidents of the United States of America, and Sir Mix-a-Lot of Seattle. This section has some interesting video with clips of many of the acts at the heights of their careers.

By far the most interactive wing of the museum is the sound lab. The lab features a variety of instruments that visitors can actually play while receiving digital instruction on how to play. It also has an oversized drum table in the center of the room that bored parents and children with ADD can punch and whack, creating a racket that might push some visitors over the edge. Music-savvy visitors who can hold a tune and have a little extra cash can get together and record a demo in one section of the sound lab.