In a suburb 30 minutes west of Minneapolis, Prince built a 65,000-square-foot, $10-million facility in 1987. Named after a song that describes a beautiful and peaceful place, Paisley Park served as a recording studio, soundstage, and occasional residence for The Purple One for nearly three decades.
As a teenage fan, I never got to see Prince live. My parents drew the line at letting me watch a half-naked man sing about a girl named Nikki who I guess you could call a “sex fiend.” But at least they let me listen to his music without censorship — even after Tipper Gore’s crusade got his albums slapped with those infamous “parental advisory” stickers.
While I’ll always be a bit jealous of my fellow Gen Xers who got to see the Royal Purple One perform live, I finally got my chance to fangirl over Prince at Paisley Park. Spoiler alert: it was as life changing as that sounds!
Have You Visited Paisley Park?
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Be Punctual, Your Tour Guide Ain’t Got Time to Waste
If you arrive for your Paisley Park tour like a little red Corvette that is much too fast (more than 20 minutes before your tour starts), security guards will deny you access to the Paisley Park parking lot. And, just off of Arboretum Boulevard (AKA Highway 5), there isn’t really a place to wait unless the preschool across the way wants you loitering in their parking lot. (They probably don’t.)
But, if you arrive too late and miss your scheduled tour time, you’re also out of luck. So channel your inner Baby Bear from the Goldilocks tale, and be sure your arrival at Paisley Park is just right!
Sage Advice: If you allow lots of extra time for traffic and find yourself in Chanhassen a bit early for your scheduled Paisley Park Tour, there is a Starbucks at Arboretum Boulevard and Chanhassen Road that is a five-minute drive from Paisley Park. Just put this address into your GPS: 190 Lake Dr E , Chanhassen, MN 55317. Although Starbuck’s lavender haze drink is more of an ode to Taylor Swift, it’s still a fitting way to bide your time until you tour Prince’s former home and studio.
Can You Picture This?
From the outside, Paisley Park looks about as impressive as a storage facility in a light industrial park. But step inside, and wow! It’s a whole new world.
In the foyer, where guests show their tickets to begin the Paisley Park tour, sky blue walls painted with puffy white clouds butt up against purple walls ranging from lavender to royal purple. As we headed toward the Paisley Park atrium, one of the first stops on the Paisley Park tour, a pair of Prince’s eyes painted on the wall high above us watched our every move. In the atrium, under a soaring skylight that lets some of the only natural light into Paisley Park, the love symbol that once doubled as the artist’s unpronounceable name is tiled like a large mosaic into the floor.
Across from a kitchen where Prince would enjoy snacks and meals with guests, a flock of doves painted high on the adjacent wall flies toward the heavens. And live doves in a large cage on the second story sometimes coo for guests. Yes, this is much more what I expected, and the tour was just getting started!
You Can’t Take a Picture Sweetie (Even If You’re a Star)
Intensely private in life, Prince remains the same in death. Absolutely no phones, cameras, or any other recording devices are allowed inside Paisley Park. It’s best to keep them locked in your car (after all, they’re pretty safe out there with the security guard monitoring access to the parking lot and all). For some people, leaving a cell phone behind is like losing a limb. But, if you bring your cell phone into Paisley Park, it will be locked in a grey pouch until the tour ends about 70 minutes later in the gift shop.
Your Pretty Baby Can’t Come with You
There are age restrictions for all tour types, ranging from 7 for The Paisley Experience to 12 for The Ultimate Experience. My daughter was 12 when she accompanied me on The Paisley Experience, and she was the only child on the tour.
He’s Got the Look
From ruffled shirts to elaborate suits, high heels to fingerless gloves, Prince was a fashion icon. So it’s no surprise that Paisley Park has many displays featuring Prince’s outfits and accessories.
You’ll see the iconic white high-collared ruffled shirt topped by a purple jacket from Purple Rain and his cloud-covered suit from his “Raspberry Beret” video. His quirky three-lens aviator glasses, a black fedora, and a diamond-studded ear cuff are also on display with many, many other items.
Baby, He’s a Star
The walls are plastered with more gold records than you can shake a guitar at. In his four-decade career, Prince won seven Grammys and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for Purple Rain. He also won four MTV Music Video Awards that look like a silver astronaut planting a flag on the moon, in addition to a myriad of other awards.
Fun Fact: Prince was posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Minnesota in 2018. Dr. Prince has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
Dance to the Funky Music
One of the primary reasons Prince spent $10 million to build this venue was to create a home for Paisley Park Records. Each tour includes a visit to Studio A, a 1,500-square-foot recording studio with several isolation rooms. In one of the rooms, a music stand holds a notebook with handwritten lyrics to the last song Prince was working on before he passed away.
Fun Fact: Although uncredited, Prince played guitar on three songs from Madonna’s Like a Prayer album, and the track “Love Song” was recorded at Paisley Park. Talk about a heavenly collaboration!
Life is Just a Party
Every Paisley Park tour includes a visit to Prince’s NPG Music Club Room. With soaring ceilings and a kitchen hidden behind a swinging stainless steel door, this surprisingly intimate music venue includes a small stage surrounded by candles where Prince would often perform. Guests that ranged from superstars to local residents could fill the dance floor or relax on a comfy couch with a cocktail.
But Parties Weren’t Meant to Last
My favorite part of the Paisley Park tour was the soundstage. When Prince was alive, this four-story, black-draped room featuring a full stage was used to rehearse for tours and to record music videos and movies.
Now that Paisley Park is a museum, a large screen projects clips of Prince’s most popular music videos while guests take in a large display of Prince’s costumes, three of his cars, quotes that illustrate his approach to life, and many other artifacts.
Fun Fact: This soundstage wasn’t just for music. Scenes from “Grumpy Old Men” were shot here. Imagine Prince and Walter Matthau crossing paths in the hallway!
The Elevator (Question) Will Bring Your Tour Group Down
If you tour Paisley Park, do not inquire about the elevator where Prince died. It’s the equivalent of mentioning Voldemort at Hogwarts. (I know this because someone on my tour did just that.) The team at Paisley Park will redirect saying that they prefer to focus on Prince’s life, and not his death. Respect the purple vibe, people!
This is What it Sounds Like When Doves Cry
Just as every life will eventually come to an end, so does the Paisley Park tour. The tour ends with a touching display of signs, drawings, and other tributes left by fans at the fence around Paisley Park beginning on April 21, 2016, when news broke that the music legend had passed away.
Paisley Park is In Your Heart
From the watchful eyes mural the love symbol embedded on the tile floor under a soaring sky light, from the unfinished song lyrics on a music stand in recording Studio A to the small stage in the NPG Music Club room, Prince’s spirit remains omnipresent at Paisley Park. I could feel his love, creativity, and uniqueness around every corner. It’s a place that truly embodies the profound inner peace he sang about in “Paisley Park.”
To Visit Paisley Park in Chanhassen
Got questions about visiting Prince’s home and recording studio? I’ve got answers!
What is Paisley Park?
Part museum, part recording studio, and part concert hall, Paisley Park is the former home and recording studio complex in the Minneapolis/St. Paul suburb of Chanhassen.
Where is Paisley Park located?
Can you tour Paisley Park?
Paisley Park offers several tour experiences:
- The Paisley Experience
- The VIP Experience
- The Ultimate Experience
Ticket prices currently range from about $75 to $199. Once you add sales tax and a service fee, the cost to visit ranges from approximately $87 to $226 per person.
On your tour of Paisley Park, you’ll start in the Paisley Park atrium and see Prince’s recording studio, the Paisley Park soundstage, and museum-like exhibits featuring items from Purple Rain and Prince’s performances.
For the latest information, including unique exhibits and special events, visit the Paisley Park website.
Have You Visited Paisley Park?
What did you like most about your tour of Prince’s recording studio and home? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
Ready to Go?
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Hello 🙂 Thanks a lot for your review !
I will try to go there this year. I just wanted to ask if there are really no place we can make pictures ?
I know it has to be a “secret” place, but I am coming from France and I would be really sad to not have even one picture memory to watch sometimes ou to show to my family…
The Hall with love symbol at the beginning, the phones are already under seals ?
Thank you 🙂
To remember a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paisley Park, I have three photo suggestions for you:
1) Snap a selfie outside Paisley Park
2) Visit the underpass between Lake Ann Park and Paisley Park (also known as Graffiti Tunnel or Tribute Tunnel) and photograph all the tributes to Prince there
3) Upgrade to the VIP Experience where you’ll be allowed to have your photo taken at one spot along the enhanced tour
And, yes, they are ABSOLUTELY serious about not having your phone with you and they WILL lock it up if you bring it on site (rather than leave it in your car).
All of that said, visiting Paisley Park was one of the highlights of my trip to the Twin Cities!
This looks like an epic place to tour! Haunting and beautiful all at once. Will have to check it out for ourselves. Thanks for sharing!
It was such a cool experience, positive and uplifting, yet sad and tragic at the same time.
This is really interesting. Thanks for sharing the story. I particularly like the way you describe the last display of memorabilia left by fans after Prince’s death in 2016.
It was very moving! And folks still leave items along the fence of the compound today.
What a fascinating experience! I always find seeing studios fascinating. Thanks for all of the practical information, as well.
It just gave me chills to be standing in the recording space where so many legends once recorded their hits. Wow!
I enjoyed Paisley Park tour through your post. You described every bit of it and showed how much love people has for him even after his death. I have a friend who fell in love with him and said he’s the most sexiest man on earth ever. She will love Paisley Park.
Any Prince fan would LOVE a visit to Paisley Park! I hope your friend gets a chance to visit!
I’m definitely doing this tour next time I’m in Minneapolis. I, too, had to sneak and watch Purple Rain at a friend’s house and in the late 90s he played an after-hours show in Chicago – I of course had a camera (always had one!) and tried to sneak a photo. A huge hand came out of nowhere and grabbed my camera. A few minutes later, the same hand returned by camera with the film ripped out. So, yeah, dude really didn’t like photos!
OMG! I can totally see that about the camera and photos at the concert. You’ll love Paisley Park!
This is so cool – I’ve always wanted to visit Paisley Park! Thanks for sharing your experience!
If you are ever in the Twin Cities, I highly recommend it! Amazing experience!
I have some friends who are crazy Prince fans. I’m going to share this with them as well.
I’d love to hear what they think about my write-up and their experience if they get to visit Paisley Park.
I had no idea this place existed….or how badly I wanted to visit! Thanks for sharing this!! Growing up with a super religious mom, our music was definitely censored when we were in the house. But I remember being glued to the radio anytime I went anywhere haha. I loved Prince and I think this sounds like a super awesome visit!
It was such a great experience!
I didn’t know there was such a museum dedicated to Prince in Minneapolis. This is how little I know about the artist despite having few of his songs on my playlists. Having said that, this would definitely be something I would want to see, seems very interesting and fun.
It was SUCH a cool experience! What an amazing artist and human being. So sad he gone. 🙁
Crazy that you can’t so much as have your phone on you. But I’m sure it was a great tour. What an awesome experience!
Well, you can have it on you, it’s just locked up and inaccessible during the entire tour.
I didn´t know about the park, but your post has made be interested since I love ´80 music. I would like to visit the recording studio, it must be so exciting to be in the enviroment where such an amazing artist was recording!
If you are a Prince fan. Or a Madonna fan. Or a fan of any artist that ever set foot inside Paisley Park, you MUST go. There was just an amazing spirit that filled every room we visited!
Hi love your posts!!! I’m on way to P Park to experience Prince for my Bday March 13 th. I’ve been Prince fan admirer since day one of his iconic beautiful career n life. Even changed my name to Nikki!!! I m comming n just can’t wait!!! Lifetime dream bout to come true. Blessed to be able to come w my whole family.
How exciting! Have a wonderful time, and share your favorite pic with me by tagging @sagescott.kc on Instagram and using the hashtag #everydaywanderer. P.S. My birthday is March 13th, too!
I didn’t know you could visit Paisley Park so that’s on my radar now. I loved Prince and was sorry to see him leave us so early. I am a big fan of Minnesota and would love to incorporate this into my next trip!
Yes, Paisley Park opened as a museum in fall 2016, about six months after Prince’s death. It was such a cool experience to visit this special place and see so many amazing awards and artifacts from over the years. It sure brought back a lot of wonderful memories!