14 Pilgrimages All Rock 'N' Roll Fans Must Take

Because seeing these sites is what separates the hardcore fans from the casual ones.

1. Cadillac Ranch — Amarillo, TX

Todd Shoemake (CC BY 2.0) / Via Flickr: lightning_todd

This epic installation off Route 66 is the namesake of Bruce Springsteen's "Cadillac Ranch" from his 1980 album, The River. In 1974, Stanley Marsh 3 and artist group Ant Farm erected 10 vintage Caddys at the same angle as Egypt's Great Pyramid. 40 years and layers of graffiti later, it's still a sight to see.

2. The Fillmore Mosaic Lamppost — New York, NY

Courtesy of Derick Carss / Via Flickr: derickcarss

Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Joe Cocker, and the Byrds played at the legendary Fillmore East on 2nd Ave and 6th St in the '60s. After it closed, Jim Power (the "Mosaic Man") decorated a lamppost outside of the old venue with names of musicians and even a piece of a guitar smashed by Pete Townshend.

3. Cap Rock — Joshua Tree, CA

Robb Hannawacker (CC) / Via Flickr: 39422575@N02

When Gram Parsons of the Byrds died of an overdose in a room at Joshua Tree Inn, his body was to be sent to his stepfather in Louisiana. Instead, Parsons' friend and manager Phil Kaufman stole Parsons' coffin from LAX and drove it to a hearse back to Joshua Tree, where he unsuccessfully attempted to cremate the body.

4. Strawberry Fields, Central Park — New York, NY

André-Pierre du Plessis (CC BY 2.0) / Via Flickr: andrepierre

Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre area of the west side of Central Park that honors John Lennon. Lined with elm trees, this quiet zone in the park between 71st and 74th is located across the street from the Dakota Apartments, where Lennon lived with Yoko Ono and was murdered in 1980.

5. Big Pink — Saugerties, NY

Courtesy of Joseph Peightel / Via Flickr: sixstring563

In the late '60s, 56 Parnassus Lane was home to the Band, where they would jam with Bob Dylan. Eventually, these jams became The Basement Tapes and Music From Big Pink. It's now a private residence, but the owners are friendly to fans who want to take pictures.

6. Sun Studio — Memphis, TN

Courtesy of Sun Studio / Via sunstudio.com

Every true rock 'n' roll fan knows about Sam Phillips's Sun Studio. This is where Elvis got his start, recording his first big hit, "That's All Right Mama." Sun Studio has also seen and heard the likes of Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison. Today, the famous studio offers multiple tours daily for just $12.

7. The Jefferson Airplane House — San Francisco, CA

Tyson Blanquart (CC BY-SA 2.0) / Via Flickr: binkle76

Bill Thompson — Jefferson Airplane's manager — and members of the band purchased the 17-room, three-story, Colonial Revival–style mansion at 2400 Fulton St in 1968. Eventually, they named a greatest hits album after the residence, known for its wild, extravagant parties.

8. The Grateful Dead House — San Francisco, CA

Courtesy of Peter Levey / Via Flickr: leveypa

In the 1960s, psychedelic band Grateful Dead set up shop at 710 Ashbury, just a few short blocks from the infamous intersection of Haight and Ashbury. The house was, of course, known for its parties as well as incidents such as a 1967 drug bust and when Bob Weir dropped a water balloon onto a cop from the roof.

9. A Sound Garden — Seattle, WA

The Kozy Shack / Via Flickr: peebot

Located in Magnuson Park, Doug Hollis's A Sound Garden is one of six outdoor sculptures on the NOAA campus. This is the namesake of the grunge band Soundgarden: 12 20-foot steel towers featuring organ-like pipes. Unfortunately, due to wear and tear, you can only hear the organs during strong breezes now.

10. Weaver D's — Athens, GA

Courtesy of Weaver D's / Via weaverds.com

R.E.M. often visited this unassuming soul food joint owned by Dexter Weaver. Then, one day, Michael Stipe came in with a lawyer to buy the right to use Weaver D's slogan as the title for R.E.M.'s 1992 album, Automatic for the People. R.E.M. may have broken up, but Weaver D's is still around serving delish fried chicken.

11. Wishkah River — Aberdeen, WA

Courtesy of Tirzah / Via Flickr: thebrokenone

Nirvana's 1996 live album, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, and their 1991 song "Something in the Way" were inspired by the Wishkah River in Kurt Cobain's hometown of Aberdeen. Cobain is said to have slept under the bridge in his youth. Some of Cobain's ashes were also scattered in this same river.

12. Justin Herman Plaza — San Francisco, CA

Mary Rotman (CC BY-ND 2.0) / Via Flickr: candidcrafts

In 1987, Bono spray-painted "Stop the Traffic, Rock N Roll" on the Vaillancourt Fountain during a free U2 concert in San Francisco in front of 20,000 attendees. Dianne Feinstein was quick to condemn Bono's actions, while Armand Vaillancourt, designer of the fountain, approved. In the end, U2 apologized and paid to have the spraypaint removed.

13. Abbey Road — London, England

Yuichi Shiraishi (CC BY 2.0) / Via Flickr: yisris

The iconic Abbey Road album cover has been duplicated innumerable times (the proof is in the webcam), but the original was shot in 10 short minutes by Iain Macmillan. The idea was conceived and sketched by Paul McCartney, then executed by Macmillan on a stepladder as a policeman held up traffic.

14. Graceland — Memphis, TN

Getty / Michael Ochs Archives / Via gettyimages.com

No true fan of Elvis could skip over the 17,552-square-foot Graceland, his home from 1957 until his death in 1977. You can see the house nearly just as he left it, including the foyer with the iconic white couch and the infamous Hawaii-inspired Jungle Room.

So how many of these places have you been to? Share below in the comments!

With over 2,000 locations worldwide, anywhere you go on pilgrimage, there's a Hampton by Hilton nearby.