What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Museum of Making Music

Name: Museum of Making Music
Address: 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA, 92008, US
Telephone: +17604385996
Price range: $

Home
United States
Carlsbad, CA
Museum of Making Music

Call Directions Website

Discover connections between people, instruments and the music we make.

The Museum of Making Music explores the multifaceted history of the American music products industry from its beginnings in the 1890s to today and presents a variety of events, educational programs and special exhibitions. It explores the connections between the people (those who envision, design, make, distribute, sell and play musical instruments), the instruments themselves and the ultimate result of the music we all make.

10/16/2026

San Diego, let’s make some music!

Make Music Day returns to San Diego on June 21, 2027, and you’re invited to help launch it countywide!

Join San Diego ART Matters for a free info session with Aaron Friedman, Founder and Executive Director of the Make Music Alliance. He’ll talk about how this free, musical holiday has grown around the world, how it works in 150 U.S. cities, and how local artists, organizations, and community leaders can help create the first countywide Make Music San Diego.

📅 Wednesday, October 28, 2026
🕙 10:00–11:30am
📍 Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Dr, Carlsbad
☕ Refreshments provided, plus free museum admission with RSVP
🚗 Parking is free

Whether you play, organize, host, or just love live music, there’s a place for you.

👉 Free RSVP: https://ow.ly/QRsK50ZWtOT

10/13/2026

"Nobody can say there is any 'right' or 'wrong' about it." 🎻

Sam Hinton spent 65 years proving that folk music belongs to everyone who sings it — not just the ones who sing it "correctly." It's one of the ideas at the heart of our new exhibit, "Spotlight: Sam Hinton Collection," tracing his life as a folk singer, marine biologist, and collector of some truly one-of-a-kind instruments (whale-shaped flute, anyone? 🐋). On display now through March 2027.

Check out Sam Hinton's "Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts" album available through Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

📷: Unknown Berkeley Folk Music Festival staff photographer. Berkeley Folk Music Festival Archive, Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Libraries

10/11/2026

Rain in the forecast? Plan to make it a music day. Come play together. Some of the best memories are made side by side at the keys.🌧️🎶🎹

10/10/2026

Every musician starts somewhere. 🎶

More than 230 adults learn to play an instrument with us each year, and many pick one up for the very first time. We love seeing what happens when people give themselves permission to try something new.

10/06/2026

Meet Sam Hinton: folk singer, marine biologist, museum director, folklorist, and the man who co-hosted a national TV series on folk music — all in one lifetime.

Our new exhibit, "Spotlight: Sam Hinton Collection," traces his 65-year career from a $0.25 harmonica bought at age five to recordings with Columbia, Decca, and Smithsonian Folkways. See Hinton's folk instruments — harmonicas, jaw harps, a whale-shaped vessel flute, and more — and hear his music.

On display now through March 2027. 📍 Carlsbad, CA

📷: Unknown Berkeley Folk Music Festival staff photographer. Berkeley Folk Music Festival Archive, Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Libraries

10/03/2026

This weekend's forecast: hot outside, cool inside. Beat the heat with us and get hands-on with real instruments — drums, guitars, keyboards and more — all in air-conditioned comfort.

Trade the heat wave for a sound wave.

10/01/2026

🎶 KIDS ARE FREE ALL OCTOBER! 🎶

Calling all local families — October is THE month to visit the Museum of Making Music! As part of San Diego's Kids Free program, kids 12 & under get in FREE with a paid adult (up to 2 kids per adult)! 🥁🎸🎹

Come touch, play, and explore real instruments! Let your kids express their inner musician.

📅 October 1–31, 2026
🎟️ Grab your free coupon: https://ow.ly/qbfy50ZTICC
📍 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad
🕙 Open Tue–Sun, 10am–5pm

Bring the whole crew — we'll have the instruments ready! 🎵

09/16/2026

Visiting the Museum this weekend? Read this! Friday through Sunday, portions of Armada Drive will be closed for the ArtWalk Carlsbad festivities. You can access the Museum by taking Palomar Airport Road to Armada Drive. Then turn right on Fleet Street and take the very first left into the Charles Schwab parking lot. Our parking lots are connected at the northwest corner of their lot! Here's a handy Google Map for reference: https://bit.ly/ArmadaDrClosure

09/11/2026

We are so excited to host Dom Flemons & The Traveling Wildfires next Friday, Sept. 18. bit.ly/domflemons-momm

There are still a few tickets left to see this acclaimed American Songster, GRAMMY Award winner, two-time Emmy nominee, and co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, along with his new Black supergroup string band!

09/10/2026

Drum up some fun! Join us this Sunday, Sept. 13, for community music day featuring DRUMS! Explore percussion instruments in the galleries, build a simple instrument and play music in the drum circle with Remo facilitator Ariana Monge. Full schedule online: museumofmakingmusic.org/events/cmd-drum-2026

Address

5790 Armada Drive
Carlsbad, CA
92008

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+17604385996

Website

http://www.museumofmakingmusic.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Museum of Making Music posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your museum to be the top-listed museum in Carlsbad?