ABBA Museum Now Open

After selling more than 400 million records and giving us hits like "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo", the 1970's heyday quartet ABBA now has a museum in London. The new museum and theme park is chalk full of memories, mementoes and music to satisfy any ABBA fan.

A Museum For the ABBA Fan
Dubbed, ABBAWorld, its Swedish organizers have said that its exhibition now open to the public, is a place for fans to get the ultimate interaction with their favorite band, ABBA. The museum is more of an interaction exhibit for the fans of ABBA. People are going to feel like they are in the movie "Mama Mia" rather than your standard museum. There is an expectation that as an ABBA fan, when you go you will want to sing and dance.

What You Will Find at the ABBA Museum
The museum tells the story of ABBA in 25 rooms over a 30,000 square foot building. Fans of ABBA will find glass cases containing the band's costumes; there is a recreation of where ABBA recorded their hits, Polar Studios, and a recreated seaside cabin where Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson composed many of ABBA's hits. There is even a display of the helicopter that was featured on ABBA's 1976 album "Arrival."

The Audio Tour of the ABBA Museum
ABBA fans are encouraged to take the audio guide throughout the museum. Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard who starred in the film version of "Mama Mia" narrates you through the ABBA story. He begins from when the members' where an amateur teen band all the way to their worldwide stardom. Many of the band members of ABBA have donated memorabilia and have recorded several interviews for this museum.

Interacting in the ABBA Museum
The museum is a very interactive exhibit that lets it's visitors get involved with all things ABBA. There are quizzes for fans to take, a chance to recreate the band's sound at a mixing board, or sing and dance next to a member of the ABBA band in holographic animation. Of course, the gift shop has many of the typical ABBA t-shirts, figurines, CD's, teddy bears, and the like.

A Mecca for the ABBA Fan
The organizers of ABBAWorld recognize that the band has a huge world-wide following, particularly after the hit Broadway musical and movie "Mama Mia." Their hope is that ABBAWorld will become a site where fans decide to pilgrimage, not unlike Graceland for Elvis and Liverpool for the Beatles. This exhibition is scheduled through March in London and organizers are planning to send it on a worldwide tour.