American Banjo Museum

What is American Banjo Museum?

This is a single-subject museum, and that focus is its strength. Rather than covering all of music, it follows one instrument through its whole American life, from its first appearance on this continent to the present day.

The story begins with a hard chapter. The banjo reached North America by way of the Atlantic slave trade, and the exhibits start there before tracing the instrument's rise through later eras, right up to modern times. That arc makes the museum as much about American history as about music, and it gives visitors a new way to hear a sound they may think they already know.

History of American Banjo Museum

Jack Canine founded the museum in Guthrie, Oklahoma. In 2009 it moved to Oklahoma City, where it now sits downtown within walking distance of several other museums and attractions, including the national memorial and the botanical gardens.

Visiting American Banjo Museum: tips

The museum is close to the old road in downtown Oklahoma City. Allow about an hour, a bit more if you like to read every label and study each display closely. It is listed as wheelchair accessible.

The Elks Victory Lodge-Ruby's Grill Building and the Myriad Botanical Gardens are each about 0.4 miles away, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial is about 0.5 miles off, so the banjo museum pairs easily with a downtown walk. A restaurant and a hotel are both within a block or so.