With just a few weeks to go before Spring Break 2016 officially kicks off, we’re sure your mind is already in vacation mode, planning where you want to hit on your week off. While party spots like Cancun and Panama City Beach are great for relaxing and getting your tan on, there’s something to be said about the classic American road trip.
And if you’re a music buff, the weather’s just right to make a pilgrimage to the stomping grounds of your favorite artists and bands. From small hometown beginnings to clubs that launched the careers of superstars, we’ve picked seven musical landmarks from across the U.S. that deserve your attention.
Grab your backpack, hop into your Charger, and slip those shades on, because you’re about to have one hell of a week.
San Francisco, CA
The Grateful Dead lived at this old Victorian until March of 1968, leaving after a drug bust and the release of their first album. The presence of the rock group helped cement the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco as a hub of the ‘60s counter culture movement.
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Hotel California (Beverly Hills Hotel)
Beverly Hills, CA
Irrevocably equated with the Eagles, Hotel California is known as the place where “you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” While some fans believe the song “Hotel California” is about the literal Hotel California in Todos Santos, Mexico, the classic hit is actually about Beverly Hills Hotel, which is featured on the Eagles’ 1976 album cover.
Beverly Hills Hotel indeed embodies the glamorous state of mind Don Henley croons about, having hosted Hollywood and music royalty. It was a favorite of Marilyn Monroe and in the 1970s, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hid out for a week in a bungalow.
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Hollywood, CA
Since 1964, Whisky A Go Go has incubated some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most pivotal bands. Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses launched their careers here, and The Doors was a house band. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin have also performed at the venue.
Located on the Sunset Strip, Whisky A Go Go is the first live music venue to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the only surviving inducted venue.
Fun Fact: As the name suggests, Whisky A Go Go is the the birthplace of go go dancers.
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Memphis, TN
Sun Studio was opened by record executive and music producer Sam Phillips in 1950, taking its name from Phillips’ iconic label, Sun Records. The music studio gave many local artists a start in the music industry, hosting recording sessions with Elvis, Johnny Cash, and B.B. King.
Elvis actually recorded his breakout hit “It’s Alright, Mama,” here.
Today, you can schedule a tour, which dutifully shuffles you from Sun Studios to Graceland and the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, both nearby.
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Nashville, TN
Initially opened as Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892, the 2,362-seat venue provided a stage for legendary acts such as Houdini, Katherine Hepburn, and Bop Hope. Johnny Cash even used the venue as the home base for The Johnny Cash Show from 1969 to 1971.
Though The Ryman Auditorium fell into a state of disrepair in 1974, it was restored and reopened 20 years later. In recent years, The Ryman Auditorium has undergone a revival, playing host to the likes of Mumford and Sons and Coldplay.
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New York, NY
The street featured on Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Great Jones Street in New York’s Greenwich Village was every bit the embodiment of Dylan’s lyrics. The cover shows 22-year-old Dylan walking with his then-girlfriend, artist and civil rights activist Suze Rotolo.
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Aberdeen, WA
Kurt Cobain allegedly stayed under this bridge when he was homeless, and he even references it in “Something in the Way,” the closing track of Nevermind: “Underneath the bridge/Tarp has sprung a leak.”
The verdict is still out whether or not he actually lived under the bridge, but either way, in 2011 fans unsuccessfully tried to get city authorities to rename the bridge after Cobain. But grunge fans need not despair – nearby, there’s a Fender statue with a memorial plaque, as well as an entire Memorial Park dedicated to the late singer.
