Top 10 rock'n'roll landmarks in the US

Want to stay in the same hotel trashed by Led Zeppelin or sip soda in the very seats a young Elvis once sat? Find out where you can with our top 10 US rock'n'roll landmarks.

See them all in our gallery

Sun Studio ... sing into Elvis Presley's microphone and admire Johnny Cash's dollar-strung guitar. Photograph: Gaven Hellier/JAI/Corbis

1. "Riot" House

Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California

"Riot" House – originally simply the Continental Hyatt House - earned its fitting nickname thanks to a string band invasions in the 1960s. Led Zeppelin are said to have ridden their Harleys done the hallways, paraded groupies in and out and tossed TVs out the windows. Rolling Stone Keith Richards famously mooned the world from Room 1015 and in 1986 Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose threw sizzling steaks to fans below when the fire department put an end to his balcony barbeque.

What's there now?

Recently renovated, the hotel still retains a sense of its famous past. A poster of a long-haired musician posted at the front desk reads: "Be kind to this customer. He may just have sold a million records."

· Hyatt on Sunset, 8401 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California. +1 323 656 1234

2. Elvis

Arcade Restaurant, Memphis

It was in this restaurant that a young Elvis used to sip malts during his breaks as a driver for Crown Electric. After he became famous in the late 1950s he'd still come, but would sit by the side door to avoid being recognised. The Arcade also lays claim to the title of oldest restaurant in Memphis; it opened in 1919.

What's there now?

Today, you can still sit in the booth (on the very same cushions no less) where Elvis enjoyed his malts. There is even a small silver plaque that reads, "Elvis Presley's Booth Since 1953".

· Arcade Restaurant, 540 South Main Street, Memphis, Tennessee. +1 901 526 5757

3. Gram Parsons

Joshua Tree Inn, California

While staying in Room 8 on September 18 1973, Gram Parsons, a veteran of the Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, died aged 26 after consuming a cocktail of tequila and morphine.

A few miles from the inn lies the most bizarre landmark in our list. It seems that after Parsons died his road manager Phil Kaufman hijacked the body and drove it out to Cap Rock in Joshua Tree National Park, where it is said Parsons used to get high with Keith Richards and look for UFOs. There he set the body on fire, as per an earlier agreement he had made with Parsons.

What's there now?

On the peach-coloured wall of the room hangs the same mirror and picture that hung there in 1973. A journal is kept on the bedside table for the scores of fans who come to pay homage. At Cap Rock fans have laid a plaque that reads "Safe at Home" (the name of one of his songs).

· Joshua Tree Inn, 61259 29 palms Highway, Joshua Tree, California. +1 760 366 1188. The road leading to the west entrance of the park is located just down the street from the inn. Cap Rock is located 10 miles from the hotel's entrance.
Joshua Tree park; +1 760 367 5500.

4. New York Dolls

Gem Spa, New York

In 1973 the New York Dolls put Gem Spa newsstand on the rock'n'roll map by posing outside for the back cover of their first album. David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, and the rest of the Dolls returned for a follow-up shoot in 1977, after the original group had disbanded.

What's there now?

The Gem Spa is still open for business 24 hours a day after nearly 70 years. Go there to try what many New Yorkers will claim is the world'sbest egg cream.

· Gem Spa, 131 Second Avenue, New York, New York. +1 212 995 1866

5. John Lennon

Strawberry Fields, Central Park West, New York

The Strawberry Fields memorial is a landscaped section in New York's Central Park dedicated to the musician John Lennon and named after his song "Strawberry Fields Forever". The entrance is located on Central Park West at 72nd Street, directly across from the Dakota Apartments, where Lennon lived for the latter part of his life and was murdered in 1980.

What's there now? 
You will often find the mosaic memorial covered with flowers, candles and other tokens left by fans of Lennon and The Beatles. On Lennon's birthday and the anniversary of his death (December 8), people gather to sing songs and pay tribute, staying long into the night.

6. Sun Studio

Opened in 1950 by local radio station engineer named Sam Phillips, some of the most legendary moments in rock 'n' roll history were captured at this tiny Memphis studio.

On July 5 1954 a nervous local teenager came in to lay down a few vocal tracks – near the end of the day Elvis broke into an obscure blues tune, "That's All Right," and history was made.

Ringo Starr, Def Leppard, Tom Petty, Paul Simon and U2 are just some of the artists that have come to record there since the studio reopened in 1987 as a tourist attraction and working studio.

What's there now?

Many artefacts from the past remain there including Elvis Presley's microphone and Johnny Cash's dollar-strung guitar. In the studio's own words: "Today, Sun Studio carries on the rock 'n' roll revolution begun here in 1950, by providing a place where a kid with a guitar case full of dreams can stand in the footsteps of giants and carve out a legend". Tours are given on a daily basis.

· Sun Studio, 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee. +1 800 441 6249

7. Whisky a Go-Go

West Hollywood, California

It has been called the first real American discothèque and is one of the most famous rock'n'roll landmarks in America. It opened on January 11 1964 with a live band led by Johnny Rivers and a short-skirted female DJ spinning records between sets from a suspended cage. When the girl began to dance during River's sets the audience thought it was part of the act – and the concept of Go-Go dancers in cages was born.

The club has been central to numerous musical careers. The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Love were regulars and The Doors were the house band for a while. Otis Reading recorded Live at the Whisky here in 1966.

What's there now?

The Whisky reopened in 1986 as a venue that could be rented by promoters and bands. During the early 90s it hosted Seattle-based bands who would later be the dubbed "the godfathers of grunge", including Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney. Today almost 50 years on it remains an important part of rock 'n' rolls history on Sunset strip.

· 8901 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, +1 310 652 4202

8. Café Wha?

Greenwich Village, New York

The original Café Wha was a beat and rock club in the early 60s and a hangout of Bob Dylan. This is where Animals bassist Chas Chandler first saw the unknown Jimi Hendrix play in 1966. Under Chandler's guidance, Hendrix son moved to England, where his career began to crystallise.

What's there now?

Café Wha still plays host to live music acts and serves food and drink.

· 115 Macdougal Street, Greenwich Village, New York. +1 212 254 3630.cafewha.com

9. Rolling Stones

Memory Motel

The Memory Motel is a small, 13-room motel and bar immortalised by the Rolling Stones in the ballad of the same name (on the 1976 Black and Blue album). The band would hang out in the bar listening to the jukebox during the mid-70s when they were regulars on this remote stretch of Montauk, often staying with Andy Warhol at his nearby compound. Rumour has it Mick Jagger actually wrote part of the tune at the hotel bar.

What's there now?

Memory Hotel and bar still exists in the same spot. They even have the old jukebox - hopefully with Memory Hotel on the play list.

· 692 Montauk Highway, Montauk (Long Island), New York. +1 631 668 2702

10. B52's

Lazy Meadow Motel, Woodstock, New York

Think of the B52s and you soon find yourself humming the infectious chorus to their dance floor classic Love Shack. Singer Kate Pierson went and created her very own Love Shack – Lazy Meadow motel in the Catskills mountains. Originally built in 1952, the motel is a shrine to the 50s and 69s kitsch and some of the artists from the song's video were even involved in its design. Psychedelic tiles, pink accessories and garden gnomes recreate the B52s retro image and laidback vibe.

What's there now?
You can stay in one of the motel's eight cabins, cook in the pastel kitchens and watch a retro DVD such a Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill from the selection provided.

Lazy Meadow Motel, 5191 Rt. 28, Mt. Tremper, NY 12457. + 1 845 688-7200. lazymeadow.com