I've posted about this before, so if you've read it already, too bad, lol.
My dad lives in Minneapolis. A couple years ago, we took the kids (now 14 and 10 year old boys) to visit, and visited Paisley Park. It was one of the best experiences of my life. First, you can't take any pics. They take your phone and place it in a locked baggie that can't be opened until the tour is over. The first room the guide takes you in is a huge atrium, with memorabilia everywhere, including the guitar he used on his albums until Purple Rain. He had just passed I think a few months prior, so there was a moment of silence. They let us walk all around the room, absorbing everything there. Seriously, I wept. Next they took us to one of the studios. The LINN was there behind the glass, another small room for recording guitar/bass. They gave us details about what specifically was recorded in that studio, which I cannot remember right now, unfortunately. From there they took us into several rooms that were themed rooms (SOTT, Lovesexy, Purple Rain which had the CLOUD GUITAR!!). For another 90 minutes, maybe 2 hrs, they took us all around, including a couple soundstages where he would perform for his infamous parties.
This was the cheaper tour. Next time we go, we're doing the longer, more extensive tour. We ALL thoroughly enjoyed it. The kids are really into music, and like Prince, so they got a kick out of all the instruments and guitars, hearing the stories being told, and just took it all in.
It truly was a "religious" experience, one I'll never forget, and I highly recommend the trip.
