Lancaster, California - Musical Road - Singing Road

The Musical Road in Lancaster is on Ave G and 30th Street. The way it works is that you are to drive in the fast lane at 55 MPH, turn down your radio, and as your tires drive over the grooves in the street a part of Rossini's "The William Tell Overture." is played! It's pretty cool!

Apparently, they had initially built it for a Honda commercial on Ave K. The residents complained that the noise was too much and kept them awake, so they smoothed over the road and moved it to Ave G near Fox Airport. I always make it a point to drive that road when I'm in Lancaster! [Kim, 10/15/2009]

Returning from Joshua Tree, we detoured through Lancaster to check out the Singing Road. We googled it on the way, and read that the road had been paved over due to complaints from residents. Not true. The road is alive and well. There are three lanes going in the correct direction. The singing happens in the left lane. We had to try it three times at different speeds. It is a bit of a dirge at 45, but picks up nicely at higher speeds.

Worth going out of your way. [Lower Bob White, 05/08/2009]

[RA: This is the second incarnation of the Musical Road; the first was also in Lancaster but closer to unhappy neighbors.]

The Musical Road is back providing enjoyment for motorists in the Antelope Valley.

While you are on the road, be sure to stop at Foxy's Landing a small comfortable coffee shop located in the Gen. William J Fox Airfield which is on the Musical Road. There is a nice aviation museum adjacent to the airport and Fox is the Southern California home of the U.S. Forest Service's aerial tanker fleet which is always standing by in case of wild fires. Also check out Apollo Park, a large oasis in the desert where you can picnic, jog, ride bikes and fish in the lakes. Access to Apollo Park is through the Fox Airport entrance.

If you are looking for a delicious steak dinner while on the Musical Road, take Avenue G to 60th St West and you'll find Foxy's Southwestern Steakhouse. [Danny, 11/23/2008]

The Singing Road in Lancaster, CA has returned. Once again music lovers can enjoy "The William Tell Overture" (AKA the theme from "The Lone Ranger") as they drive down a remote but scenic stretch of road on the outskirts of town. Originally constructed for a Honda car commercial, it was removed after neighbors complained about the strange noises and unruly behavior of people driving over the road. So after 18 days, the road was paved over.

The City of Lancaster decided to construct a new road on Avenue G between 30th and 40th West, on a less populated stretch of road that has no houses nearby. Honda didn't want its company name on the road, so the new road has no corporate sponsor. Instead, the Lancaster Parks, Recreation and Arts Department plans to pay for the road by sponsoring special events and programs having to do with the road.

We drove over the road several times. At the posted 55 mph speed limit, the music sounded a bit slow and dour. As we increased our speed in subsequent runs, the music sounded more lively. We found this experience to be great fun! And free, too. [Jim and Gail Rolka, 10/30/2008]

Avenue K is a musical street. If you drive on Avenue K between 63rd and 70th street west at 50 miles per hour, you will hear the William Tell Overture, better known as The Long Ranger song. The road was grooved precisely by a mathematician and engineer for a commercial for Honda to promote the Honda Civic. The commercial was filmed Sept. 5-6, 2008. The road will remain musical until normal road use wears down the grooves. A sign marks the location of the musical stretch. Only two other musical highways exist -- one in Tokyo and one in Korea, according to YouTube. [Diane Grooms, 09/09/2008]

[RA: Too bad this attraction only survived a few weeks. See Trunkations on the silencing of the Musical Highway.]