Have A Hendrix Experience
A do-it-yourself Seattle tour of awesome Hendrix hot spots!
If you're a Jimi Hendrix fan, Seattle is your destination! Jimi's hometown has a lot to offer with an excellent exhibit at the EMP and his grave nearby in Renton.
Jimi Hendrix grew up in Seattle, and for fans of his music, there's a lot of fantastic musical history to experience here. In town is the extensive exhibit at the EMP. A short drive south of the city will let those more hardcore fans visit his grave in Renton. Or you can drop by what used to be the music shop where Hendrix bought his first guitar.
The EMP is the Experience Music Project, the multimedia music museum and facility that was endowed by local resident and ex-Microsoft exec Paul Allen. They have an entire room devoted to Jimi Hendrix. I first went and saw it when the EMP first opened and have visited it again since. Over the years they've moved it to a larger room, and I'd swear they added more stuff. And each of the three times I've gone into it, I've stayed longer. The exhibit has so much, you just gorge yourself on it.
South of the city of Seattle is Renton, where Greenwood Memorial Park is located. This is the cemetery where Jimi Hendrix is buried. Your easiest method to get there is by car from Seattle. It's just about a 15 mile drive, about a half hour unless you go during rush hour. They have an office where they have a guest book and maps to the specific grave site.
For those who want a bit of an adventure on foot, downtown on First Avenue is a CheckMart with a gigantic psychedelic mural of Hendrix on the second floor. This building used to be the music store where Al Hendrix bought Jimi his first guitar. The mural was painted in 1993. It's not far from Pike Place Market.
