With the new year underway, Santa Clarita families searching for something out of the ordinary may want to look beyond the usual weekend plans and head to downtown Los Angeles. 

The GRAMMY Museum offers a mix of hands-on exhibits, music history, and pop culture that appeals to visitors of all ages.

The museum is the latest stop featured in the 139th installment of the KHTS series spotlighting unique and educational destinations within reach of the Santa Clarita Valley. Below is a closer look at several of the museum’s standout exhibits.

Sonic Playground

Sonic Playground is one of the museum’s most interactive experiences, designed to turn visitors into active participants in the music-making process. The exhibit spans the second-floor gallery and features 17 interactive stations where guests can experiment with songwriting, beat production, performance, and sound design.

Visitors are encouraged to step into different creative roles — from singer and producer to DJ and composer — while learning how music is created and shaped.

Moodmakers

Moodmakers explores the role music plays in film, television, and video games. Through interactive booths, visitors can create soundtracks, record voiceovers for movie trailers, and see how audio choices influence storytelling. 

One of the highlights in this section is the Electric Forest, an immersive installation that blends light, motion, and sound into a responsive musical environment.

Songbuilders Hub

The Songbuilders Hub focuses on music production and songwriting fundamentals. Guided by virtual hosts such as H.E.R., Jimmy Jam, and Prince Paul, visitors can create beats, freestyle lyrics, mix samples, and experiment with instruments while gaining insight into how professional tracks come together.

The Roland Stage

The Roland Stage offers a performance-based experience, complete with theatrical lighting and professional-grade instruments. 

Guests can take the spotlight using guitars, a Roland RD Stage keyboard, an AX-EDGE keytar, and V-Drums percussion, creating the feel of a live concert environment.

SoundTrax Career Wall

SoundTrax highlights the wide range of careers available in the music industry. The 50-foot interactive wall features more than 100 career paths across eight categories, offering insight into roles beyond performing. 

Visitors can watch interviews with industry professionals and explore educational tools designed to help chart a path into music-related careers.

Shining Like a National Guitar

Shining Like a National Guitar showcases a selection of vintage resonator instruments from the museum’s permanent collection. 

Developed in the 1920s by the National String Instrument Corporation, these instruments used spun aluminum cones to project sound before electric amplification became common.

Over the years, National instruments have been used by influential blues and rock musicians and remain highly sought after by collectors and performers alike.

Musical Crossroads

Musical Crossroads examines how genres, influences, fandom, and technology intersect in modern music. The gallery features genre-focused pods dedicated to hip-hop, pop, folk, and gospel, along with interactive displays on sampling, rapping, and the evolution of sound.

Highlights include artifacts and instruments connected to major artists and moments in music history, as well as interactive maps and exhibits that explore regional hip-hop scenes across the country.

How to Win a GRAMMY

How to Win a GRAMMY takes visitors behind the scenes of Music’s Biggest Night. The exhibit explains how nominees and winners are selected by the Recording Academy and traces the evolution of the awards since the first televised ceremony in 1959.

On display are several GRAMMY trophies showing how the design has changed over time, along with video clips of memorable acceptance speeches and historic wins.

Selena: From Texas to the World (Opening Soon)

Opening Jan. 15 and running through March 16, “Selena: From Texas to the World” is a limited-time pop-up exhibit celebrating the life and legacy of Selena Quintanilla. The exhibit marks the first time many of Selena’s personal items will be displayed outside of her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Curated in collaboration with her sister, Suzette Quintanilla, the exhibit features stage-worn outfits, awards, instruments, personal belongings, and handwritten fashion designs that highlight Selena’s impact on music, fashion, and culture.

Tickets to the GRAMMY Museum start at $22.50 for adults and military members, $18 for seniors, and $15 for students. Admission is free for youth ages 17 and under.

To view last week’s featured destination, click here.

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