Schubert Club Museum of Musical Instruments

On the second floor of the Landmark Center in Saint Paul, historic keyboards and other instruments spanning across centuries and styles fill an entire gallery. You can even tickle the ivories of some of the pianos, a few of which are replicas of centuries-old models.

The Schubert Club Museum of Musical Instruments is a must-see for anyone interested in music history. It contains instruments from around the world and details different methods of creating music across the ages. There’s a collection of correspondence from famous composers which even includes a letter from Mozart.

The gallery also has a bit of art, in the form of a giant sculpture of a whirlwind of instruments rising from atop a piano. You can do more than just look at the fascinating items on display. There’s something for all the senses. Visitors can play some of the keyboards on display, and phonographs and music boxes from the early 20th century offer an acoustic tour of the past.

There’s also an “Innovation Station” where you can tinker around and strike up a tune on a variety of homemade instruments, made from an assortment of unconventional items. The museum is run by the Schubert Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting music. Occasionally, the club organizes events where local musicians play live music within the museum.