“There is a park that is known for the face it attracts
Colorful people whose hair on 1 side is swept back
The smile on their faces it speaks of profound inner peace
Ask where they’re going they’ll tell you nowhere
They’ve taken a lifetime lease on Paisley Park
The girl on the seesaw is laughing for love is the color this place imparts
Admission is easy, just say U b-lieve and come to this place in your heart
Paisley Park is in your heart”
For my 35th birthday back in October, my amazing wife gifted me a trip to Minnesota to finally visit my own personal mecca, Paisley Park Studios. For those who don’t know, Paisley Park is the late, great Prince’s 65,000 square foot personal studio and live music/rehearsal space right outside of Minneapolis. It opened in 1987 and then also eventually became Prince’s home as well. In addition to being the place where Prince created many of his masterpieces, Paisley Park was used by other musicians, companies for TV commercials, and its soundstage was used to film movies like Drop Dead Fred & Grumpy/Grumpier Old Men.
Before Prince passed away at Paisley Park on April 21st 2016, it was always my dream to get to Paisley and see one of the infamous private shows. While that never happened, my first trip to Minnesota was still one of the best experiences ever. Minneapolis shaped Prince into the man and the artist he became, and he always remained close to his roots even when he grew into a mega star. As Prince once said, “I like Hollywood. I just like Minneapolis a little bit better.”
Now you might be wondering, “If you visited back in October why are you just writing about your experience now?” and the reason is quite simple. I real wanted to really sit with my feelings about this important trip, which ended up being way more than just a trip to Paisley Park, before I wrote anything about my experiences.
I started this trip by leaving Philadelphia early in the morning and driving all the way through until I reached Chicago. Since I left on my actual birthday, I absolutely had to have Giordano’s deep dish for my birthday dinner. Being that COVID was at a high level, I had the pizza sent to my hotel room where I ate entirely way too much and then fell asleep before I started my next leg to Minnesota.
I left Chicago and made my way to Minneapolis. On the way, I made a quick stop at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. I’ve always wanted to visit the MOA since I was 9 years old and first saw Charlie Conway, Jessie Hall & Lester Averman rollerblading through it during D2: The Mighty Ducks. Again due to COVID, I only briefly stayed inside, but I would absolutely love to visit again sometime when it’s safe. Their amusement park looks incredible and they’ve even have two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle rides!
Before I stopped at my hotel near Paisley Park I figured that I would make a stop at Electric Fetus, Prince’s favorite music shop and just a really cool spot. On my way driving to EF, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a few blocked off streets to my right & then it immediately hit me where I was. I knew that I had to pull my car over right then and there.
My journey just so happened to take me right past the scene of George Floyd’s horrific murder a mere 4 and a half months prior at the hands of local police officers. This was not at all planned and I had no idea my path was taking me in this direction, but it was clear that the universe was speaking to me and telling me to pull over.
Quite a few blocks around the area had been blocked off for this impromptu community memorial. I’ve been to cemeteries across the country and world, and none of them have ever felt as heavy as the site of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue did. There were many other people there paying their respects by visiting the place where the the spark that lit the Black Lives Matter movement happened.
As I stood in this infamous spot, I honestly couldn’t help put think of Prince. I wondered what he would have done if he were still alive, not only for the Black Lives Matter movement but also for his local community that was suffering. Prince was great humanitarian, and I know that he would have helped his beloved Minnesota with as much support as it needed. He probably would have created some incredible art from this pain as well.
My last time seeing Prince in concert was in Baltimore at his “Rally 4 Peace” benefit in 2015 following the murder of Freddie Gray by the Baltimore police. This was and will always be the best concert that I’ve ever attended. The benefit helped the community to heal and also provided money to local youth-based charities. I know that Prince would have created one of the greatest concerts ever for Minneapolis/BLM, and it saddens me that we never got to see it.
If you’re ever in Minneapolis, I urge you to all to stop by this site and just take it all in. I hope that it stays preserved forever because it’s importance can not be overstated.
I visited Electric Festus afterwards. It’s a pretty eclectic and fun record store, and its easy to see why Prince loved it. I picked up a beanie for the winter, and headed back to my hotel to get a good night’s rest for the excitement that was to come tomorrow.
The next morning, I arrived at Paisley Park ready for my “Ultimate Experience” tour. There are three tours at Paisley: Paisley Experience ($45), VIP ($85), & Ultimate ($160). My wife got me a ticket for the Ultimate because well she knows that I’m a huge fan who would appreciate it. If you’re a fan of Prince, without a doubt take the ultimate tour because it’s absolutely worth it. You get access to more of his studios, get to see private footage, and get to hear exclusive music (more on that later).
The tour had 23 participants, all of whom were spaced out and wearing masks the entire 2 1/2 hours. I felt that health & safety protocols for COVID we great and I never once felt at risk since we were kept far apart. Our tour guide was Tommy, a local fan who attended many paisley park concerts, including Prince’s last at the park. Tommy is a VERY knowledgeable volunteer who you can tell loves Prince as much as anyone. He told us that Prince gave him so much joy in his life that his way of paying it forward was to volunteer on these weekend tours.
The first part of the tour takes you through the lobby/kitchen area which also houses Prince’s office and a few other display rooms. Photos are only allowed during the final part of the tour, so everything that you’re seeing here is from that final section. Your phone is locked away in a smart bag that is not unlocked until you reach the final part of the tour. The downstairs has an absolutely beautiful cloud motif that is enhanced by glass skylights. If I could make my house look like that, I would in a heartbeat. The elevator area, where Prince passed, is down in that area but it has since been walled off out of respect and a large Prince poster hangs where the entrance once was.
After the tour of the downstairs, including Prince’s diner-style kitchen, we were off to an editing suite where we watched exclusive video footage while being told stories about Prince’s grueling rehearsals. It was awesome just sitting in his editing suite and imagining what that must have been like being in there with Prince at 5am still working after a show that night. After this, you’re headed off his different recording studios
While getting a look at Prince’s recording studios if you’re on the Ultimate tour you’re also given a Paisley Park purple USB drive which is used to save the photos they take of you inside the studio with Prince’s guitar in the foreground and his piano in the background.
Experiencing Prince’s recording studios is nothing short of incredible. Listening to his music, in his studio, with his speaker setup is an experience that will make all Prince fans hearts fill with joy. His main studio is still set up exactly how it was when he was alive, and you really can fill his presence in the room, just like you can throughout the whole tour. It’s weird to say, but while on this tour it really does feel like Prince could just pop out and say hi at any moment.
The last little part of the tour studio tour gave us the chance to listen to an exclusive snippet of a Prince music project that has never been heard in public before. The music comes from a reported jazz-fusion album which Prince was working on days before he passed. Hearing unfinished music that quite possibly will never be released to the general public was a special feeling.
After the studios you head to the purple rain room. This is Prince’s old basketball court which has now been turned into a room highlighting the movie. From there, you head to the infamous sound stage where Prince hosted his legendary concerts. Here is where they unlock your phone and you’re able to take pictures once inside. The area is huge and there’s a really cool introduction, which I don’t want to spoil, that happens before the lights go up.
The sound stage has all kinds of Prince props including instruments, awards, promotional materials, outfits, and even some of his cars. You get a lot of time in this room to walk around, take photos, and just enjoy the music and video show happening on stage.
I would absolutely love to come back and visit when a concert or party happens at Paisley again. The space is incredible and I’m sure makes for one hell of a party!
After the sound stage, you head to the smaller performance space/café. It’s a relaxing, chill room that eventually leads to the gift shop. They allowed us to take drinks from the refrigerator, and I opted for a bottle of water that had a Paisley Park label. The gift shop was a lot smaller than I expected. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some good merch there, but the space is quite small.
We were told that during COVID they started cleaning out some vaults and found some old merch that you were only able to purchase there in person. I was lucky to pick up a rare original, unopened promo-only cassette tape single of The New Power Generation’s “The War”. That incredible find alone was worth the trip! (I also got a t-shirt, some pins, and a Paisley Park tambourine)
Before heading out, I made sure to walk along the road to the right in front of Paisley Park which takes you to the tribute fence/tunnel. Fans from all over the country have left their mark in all different forms, and it’s really quite the sight to see just how much he meant to so many different people.
So the question I’ve been asked the most is, “Is it worth visiting” and the answer is 100% yes! I know that if you’re a Prince fan I really don’t have to convince you of this, but I think that all music fans would really enjoy a trip to Paisley Park in the same way that people still enjoy Graceland to this day.
In the future, I would love to see the estate expand the tour a little bit. You don’t get to see any of the upstairs, which I understand to a point. I assume that Prince’s bedroom has very likely been untouched since his passing, and I’m ok with leaving that part out. However, from the first floor you can see the pet doves and his fitting room, so I’m sure there’s some room to expand on the top floor to get a look. Also, Prince’s tour bus sits out in the backyard and I’d love it if they would eventually allow you to step in for a quick look. But these are all minor suggestions and I will absolutely visit Paisley again at some point in my life regardless if they make them or not.
After Paisley, I met up with a friend who until this point I knew only virtually, Amy and her daughter Erin, and they showed me around downtown. Obviously they took me to First Avenue (where the concert portions of Purple Rain were filmed) and get a picture with Prince’s star! Another reason I have to return to Minneapolis is because I still would love to see a show at First Avenue, one of the most legendary clubs in the country.
After First Avenue, my tour guides took me over to the iconic music-stave mural parking lot. Just as Prince was becoming a star, he posed for what would become an iconic photoshoot here. Lizzo, who early on in her career was featured on Prince’s 3rdEyeGirl’s song “BoyTrouble”, stood in front of the same mural for her music video to her 2018 hit “Boys”.
We then walked around the Mill Ruins Park area and that’s when I realized how stunning of a place Minneapolis was. I’m sure that it’s wicked cold/snowy in the winter, but on this fall day it looked great. I had lunch with my friends and promised myself that I’d come back and visit again sometime. As a foodie, I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about the Minnesota State Fair (especially the chocolate chip cookies), so yeah, I’ll be back!
On my way home, I checked my GPS at the right time and realized that I was driving right past Gary, Indiana. Gary is popular to music fans for two things: the song from The Music Man & home of the Jackson Five. I put the Jackson’s house in my Google Maps and pulled off the highway since it would really only add 10 minutes to my trip.
I first became aware of the importance of the Jackson family home from the 1992 ABC miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. It is even smaller than it seems on TV and it’s absolutely crazy to consider that at one point all 11 family members resided in this tiny house.
The house has a gate around it and its windows are covered, so there’s not much going on. There is a little MJ memorial plaque in the concrete, but outside of that there’s nothing else to see. It’s a cool, quick photo opp, but nothing more. Gary, Indiana also has one of the highest murder rates in America, so just be careful if you travel there.
I’m glad that I was able to spend my 35th birthday knocking some things off my bucket list with this awesome little road trip to Minnesota. I can’t thank my wife enough for this amazing trip, which I hope that you’re all able to experience sometime as well. Thanks for reading!
“I will always live in Minneapolis. It’s so cold, it keeps the bad people out.” – Prince