Dowd's Guide to U.S. Auto Museums

Monday

NEW YORK

Buffalo Harley-Davidson Museum
4220 Bailey Avenue
Amherst, NY 14226
(716) 832-7159
Features: All things Harley are on display here, including rare and special-edition bikes from across the years, plus gear and memorabilia.

Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum
263 Michigan Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 853-0084
Features: The latest phase of this project is a replica of a circa 1927 gas station that was designed, but never built, by
Frank Lloyd Wright. Next to the gas station will be a re-creation of a 3,500-square-foot greasing station that architecturally fits with the Wright design.

Champlain Valley Transportation Museum
12 Museum Way
Plattsburgh, NY
(518) 566-7575
Features: This onetime autos-only collection of Lozier marque cars made in Pittsburgh now covers numerous modes of land and maritime transportation. Plus, of course, Loziers.

Collectors Cars Auto Museum
56 West Merrick Road
Freeport, NY 11520
(516) 378-6666
Features: (No Web site.)

Cooper Classic Cars
137 Perry Street (Greenwich Village)
New York, NY 10014
(800) 719-3909 or (212) 929-3909
Features: This is a classic car dealership with a display gallery and a changing lineup of classic, vintage and exotic vehicles.

DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame & Museum
1 Speedway Drive
Cayuga County Fair Speedway
Weedsport, NY 13166
(315) 834-6606
Features: Wide variety of racing and antique cars as well as racing memorabilia, particularly from the worldl of dirt track competition.

FASNY Museum of Firefighting
117 Harry Howard Avenue
Hudson, NY 12534
(877) 347-3687
Features: FASNY (Firemen's Association of the State of New York) owns this facility, which houses rare and antique fire trucks and apparatus, equipment, gear and memorabilia, including a large collection of artworks.

Himes Museum of Motor Racing Nostalgia
15 O'Neil Avenue
Bayshore, NY 11706
(516) 666-4912
Features: Owner/curator Marty Himes prides himself on never refusing any donation. Thus, a very unusual and eclectic museum. Himes openly confesses he has "things most museums would have considered junk" but that he's restored for display. The vehicle collection includes a handful of stock cars,, midget racers and TQ (three-quarter) racers, equipment, and memorabilia.

International Motor Racing Research Center
610 South Decatur Street
Watkins Glen, NY 14891-1613
(607) 535-9044
Features: The center maintains archives for the personal papers of drivers, journalists and authors; rare books, serial publications, and reference books pertaining to drivers, cars, races and the history of motor racing; the historical records and newsletters of clubs and motor racing teams and corporations; and historical photographs, movie films, videos, oral histories, and memorabilia.

New York Transit Museum
130 Livingston Street, 10th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 694-3451
Features: The museum, operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, is devoted to all forms of public transportation throughout the history of the city -- subways, above-ground trains, buses, taxis, trolleys, etc. The museum also operates a gallery annex in Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan that presents changing exhibitions.

Northeast Classic Car Museum
24 Rexford Street (NYS Rt. 23)
Norwich, NY 13815
(607) 334-2886
Features: More than 120 cars are displayed in seven exhibits, including what is believed to be the largest collection of Franklin luxury cars in the world. Included are Duesenbergs, Packards, Cords, Auburns and Pierce-Arrows.

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Collection
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
PO Box 229
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 752-3200
Features: The aerodrome is widely known for its antique airplanes and airshows, but it also has an extensive and eclectic auto, truck and motorcycle collection that contains such highlights as a 1911 Baker Electric (fams of Donald Duck comics will remember this as Grandma Duck's car), a 1922 American La France fire truck, a 1930 Austin Seven, a 1908 Brush Runabout, a 1922 Cleveland Speedster, a 1917 Columbia Ambulance, a 1917 Indian Motorcycle, a 1915 Maxwell armored car, a 1916 Packard Moving Van, a 1918 Renault light tank and a 1916 Willys Overland Opera Coupe.

Saratoga Automobile Museum
110 Avenue of the Pines
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518) 587-1935
Features: In addition to exhibiting classic and vintage cars from around the world, this museum emphasizes the role of New York State and the East in general in the development of the passenger, commercial and racing sectors of the automobile industry. The facility, located in the picturesque Saratoga State Park, also is headquarters for the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

NORTH CAROLINA

Backing Up Classics Auto Museum
Next to Lowe's Motor Speedway
4545 Highway 29
Concord, NC
(704) 788-9500
Features: An 18,000 square foot space is home to classic and muscle cars, NASCAR equipment, memorabilia.

Bennett Classic Antique Auto Museu m
241 Vance Street
Forest City, NC 28043
(828) 247-1767
Features: Brothers Buddy and Joe Bennett parlayed their 1960s love of Ford V-8‘s into a collection that ranges from a 1928 Star depot hack and a 1931 Model A to a 1951 Mercury and a 1978 Lincoln, with domestic and foreign cars, trucks and work vehicles in between

Estes-Winn Antique Auto Museum
111 Grovewood Road
Asheville, NC 28804
(828) 253-7651
Features: The museum, founded in 1965, is housed in the historic Biltmore Industries weaving shop. Cars on display range from a 1913 Ford Model-T to a 1928 Chandler to a 1955 Austin FX3 London cab. Also on display is a variety of horse-drawn vehicles.

C. Grier Beam's Truck Museum
111 North Mountain Street
Cherryville, NC
(704) 435-3072
Features: Founded in 1982 by the Carolina Freight Carriers Corp. as part of its 50th anniversary celebration in the original gas station where the company began. More than 7,500 square feet of vintage trucking memorabilia from the past seven decades.

Museum of Automobile History
P.O. Box 427
Lowell, NC 28098
Features: A huge collection of auto memorabilia -- records, films, posters, literature, scale models, period costumes and tools.

North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame
119 Knob Hill Road, Lakeside Park
Mooresville, NC
(704) 663-5331
Features: Besides the hall of fame section, the museum area -- dedicated to all types of racing -- features more than 35 race cars. Great moments in racing's are shown in movies in the Goodyear Mini-Theater.

North Carolina Transportation Museum
411 S. Salisbury Avenue
Spencer, NC 28159
(704) 636-2889
Features: The museum is located on the site of what was once Southern Railway Company's largest steam locomotive repair facility. It features an authentic train depot, antique automobiles, and a 37-bay roundhouse that includes 25 locomotives, dozens of rail cars and other exhibit areas. The museum offers seasonal train rides.

Wheels Through Time All-American Transportation Museum
Maggie Valley, NC
(828) 926-6266
Features: This huge 250-item collection of vintage motorcycles and cars includes such seldom-seen marques as a 1932 Clobes and a 1915 Locomobile.

Winston Cup Museum
1355 North Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 724-4557
Features: The history of the Winston Cup Series is chronicled in this collection of cars, driver uniforms, trophies and photos.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

NORTH DAKOTA

Dory's Antique Auto Museum
Highway 12
Marmarth, ND
(701) 279-5904

Features: The privately-owned museum has a collection of antique autos as well as collections of license plates dating to 1916, cast iron and die-cast toys, antique car beams and antique gas station signs.

Eugene Dahl Car Museum
Bonanzaville USA Museum & Historic Village
Cass County Historical Society
1351 Main Avenue West
West Fargo, ND
(701) 282-2822
Features: The building that is part of a huge visitors complex covering numerous topics features more than 80 automobiles, from a 1903 Model A Ford to more modern vehicles. Many are in working condition and are used during various local events.

Motion Unlimited Museum
6180 South Highway 79
Rapid City, SD 57702
(605) 348-7373
Features: This museum/antique car sales operation has been around since 1972. It's an intriguing collection that includes such things as a 1956 Big Window Ford Pickup, a 1932 Ford A/Gas antique drag car, Chevys from 1955-60, an array of motorcycles, and a collection of toys and pedal cars. Don't overlook such three-window rarities as a 1934 Studebaker and a 1938 Lincoln Zephyr.

Nelson's Garage Car Museum
629 Main Street
Deadwood, SD 57731
(605) 578-1909
Features: An Aston Martin from James Bond movies, a Ferrari from the TV series "Magnum P.I.," plus other show biz cars from such films as "Smokey and The Bandit" and "Herbie."

Performance Car Museum
3505 South Phillips Avenue
Sioux Falls, SD 57105-6861
(605) 338-4884
Features: (No website) Displays include such high-performance cars as big-block Chevys, Shelbys and Mopars along with a Ferrari Testarossa.

Pioneer Auto Museum
I-90 at Highways 16&83
Murdo, SD 57559
Features: Ever hear of a 1902 Jewel? A 1909 Brush? A 1908 Metz? You'll find them here, along with a wide variety of classic and vintage cars for sale. There also is a reconstructed WNAX Gasahol station originally constructed in Yankton. SD, in the 1930s. (You'll find the name "Pioneer Auto Show" also used for this facility.)

RT Munyon's Classic Car Museum
14139 Highway 36
Hermosa, SD
(605) 391-4033
Features: (No website)

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

OHIO

American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame Museum
13515 Yarmouth Drive
Pickerington, OH 43147
(614) 856-2222
Features: An international collection of unique, offbeat and assembly line versions of many bikes.

America's Packard Museum
420 South Ludlow Street
Dayton, OH 45402
(937) 226-1710
Features: This complex is located in a former Packard dealership and calls itself the "only full-time museum dedicated exclusively to the Packard Motor Car Company, it's products and philosophies." Among its offerings are a 1930 Packard Model 740 Open Front Town Car, '34 Packard Standard 8 Sedan, '35 Packard V-12 convertible, '42 Packard Custom Clipper Taxicab and a '53 Packard Henney Executive 7-passenger.

Canton Classic Car Museum
Market Avenue at 6th Street SW
Canton, OH 44702
(330) 455-3603
Features: There's a 1930s emphasis to this 45-vehicle collection with such marques as Marmon, Pierce-Arrow, Cord, Packard and Cadillac.

Charlie Sens Antique Auto Museum
Stare Route 95 & US Highway 23
Marion, OH 43302
(740) 389-4686
Features: (No website) Exhibits more than 100 antique cars ranging from a 1903 Ford to a 1969 Corvair.

Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum
825 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216)721-5722
Features: The facility is part of the Western Reserve Historical Society. The museum exhibits more than 130 antique and classic automobiles, motorcycles, and aircraft.

National Packard Museum
1899 Mahoning Avenue NW
Warren, OH 44483
(330) 394-1899
Features: A rotating collection of the iconic American marque, including cars and specialty vehicles created during the century of the company's existence. The first Packard motor car was built in Warren in 1899 at the Packard Electric Company's subsidiary plant, the New York and Ohio Co. Manufacture of a successful automobile brought about the formation of the Ohio Automobile Company, which evolved into the Packard Motor Car Co. in 1902. One of the early cars, the 1903 Model F, completed a a transcontinental journey that year to test and market its durability. It is on display here.

Snook's Dream Cars
13920 County Home Road
Bowling Green, OH 43402
(419) 353-8338
Features: This is a recreated 1940s Texaco gas station that sets the stage for visitors to see a car collection presented within period scenes ranging from a 1930s general store to a racetrack from the 1960s. The collection features models from the 1930s to the 1960s, including models from the likes of Cadillac, Ford, Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Packard, Kaiser, Willys, Jaguar, Triumph, MG and Lotus.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

OKLAHOMA

Bob Townsend Classic Car Museum
9200 North Harrison Street
Shawnee, OK 74801
(405) 273-0330
Features: Antique cars range from 1906 to 1938. The collection includes vehicles once owned by Sammy Davis Jr., Mae West and Elvis Presley.

D.W. Correll Museum
19934 East Pine
Catoosa, OK 74015
(918) 266-3612
Features: This is a three-building complex with one building devoted to antique automobiles restored by the founder. There are other items of general interest such as a rare Texaco gas pump and antique toy tractors. Cars an 1898 steam engine Locomobile, a 1902 Oldsmobile Runabout, a 1906 Cadillac, a 1914 Dodge Touring Car, a 1914 Oldsmobile, a 1917 Twin 6 Packard, a 1919 Franklin, a 1927 Stutz 8 and a 1930 Model A Ford Convertible. The other buildings house collections of bottles, decanters, rocks, gems, minerals and historical newspaper articles.

Darryl Starbird's National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum
55251 East Highway 85A
Afton, OK 74331
(918) 257-4234
Features: The 40,000 square foot facility houses more than 50 custom-built exotic cars as well as an immense collection of photos and memorabilia that covers virtually every inch of the interior. The first Hall of Fame induction was held in 1995. Each June, an induction is held for two more custom and rod builders.

Dean's Muscle Car Museum
Holdenville, OK
Features: The diverse collection has such cars as a 1969 Hemi Roadrunner, 1970 Buick Gran Sport 455 c.i. with a four-speed transmission, Super Bees, SS Camaro, 1967 Corvette 427/435 HP, SS Chevelle, GTO's, 442, Boss 351 Mustang, and a 1957 Pontiac.

George's Antique Auto Museum
801 West Broadway
Enid, OK 73701
(580) 234-4201
Features: Features 50 antique automobiles displayed in period settings; 25 were made before 1950, and include the only Geronimo automobile known to exist.

Hajek's Motorsports Museum
RR 1 Box 106
(Former Ames School building)
Ames, OK 73718
(580) 753-4611
Features: Cars and memorabilia from drag and Winston Cup racing luminares such as Don Nicholson, Bob Glidden, Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott.

Mac's Antique Car Museum
P.O. Box 3185
Tulsa, OK 74101
(918) 583-7400
Features: This is a warehouse of 41 rare and vintage cars, including Rolls Royce, LaSalle and Packard models plus a 1948 Hudson featured in the Oscar-winning movie "Driving Miss Daisy."

Muscle Car Ranch
3609 South 16th
Chickasaw, OK 73018
(405) 222-4910
Features: This museum is located in the barns of a former dairy ranch. Historic auto memorabilia -- including one of only two 1949 porcelain Body By Fisher signs in existence -- plus hundreds of motorcycle and vintage cars. Frequent site of auto swap meets, rock concerts and other activities.

National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum
Rt 3, #1 Star Kustom Avenue
Afton, OK 74331
(918) 257-4234
Features: Displays include 24 custom-built cars and street rods, a hall of fame for famous custom designers, and a large collection of photos and memorabilia.

Ugly John's Route 66 Muscle Car Museum
2523 North Highway 167
Catoosa, OK 74015
(918) 266-1675
Features: (No website)

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

OREGON

Asher's Antique Car Museum
1st Street
Fossil, OR 97830
Features: A small collection of vintage and classic autos as well as automobile souvenirs and memorabilia.

Northwest Vintage Car & Motorcycle Museum
P.O. Box 15
Salem, OR 97308-0015
(503) 399-0647
Features: This museum is built around a restored Texaco gas station. Its mission is "to promote the life-long education of our community, by interpreting the heritage, history, and evolution of automobiles and motorcycles over 25 years old."

Pacific Northwest Truck Museum
P.O. Box 9087
Brooks, OR 97305-0281
(503) 463-8701
Features: More than 75 restored antique trucks, plus parts and memorabilia. Models include GMC, Freightliner, International, Kenworth, Mack, and Peterbilt, long-gone Autocar, Moreland, Samson, White, and Yellow-Knight.

Sheriff John's Classic Cars and Happy Days Malt Shop
Port of Gold Beach
29935 Harbor Way
Gold Beach, OR 97444
(541) 698-6190
Features: The name sort of says it all. You can get lost in period nostalgia whether it's looking at cars of slurping a chocolate shake from the 1930s soda fountain.

Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum
Ken Jernstedt Airfield 4S2
1600 Air Museum Road
Hood River, OR 97031
(541) 308-1600
Features: The flying fleet includes a 1917 Curtiss Jenny JN4D, along with aircraft from many manufactures of the early days of flying including Waco, Davis, Curtiss Wright, Travel Air, Piper, Taylorcraft, Spartan, Buhl, Ryan, American Eagle, Lincoln, Arrow, and so on. The car collection ranges from a 1914 Ford Model T Depot Hack to Model A's, early Dodges, Mercurys and Studebakers. Plus, the museum has a large display of military Jeeps, weapons, and other tools of war.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

PENNSYLVANIA

Antique Automobile Club of America Museum
161 Museum Drive
Hershey, PA 17033
(717) 566-7100
Features: This complex displays vintage autos in various scenes and settings, letting visitors stroll through eight decades while traveling from New York to San Francisco. Changing exhibitions focus on specific manufacturers, vehicle types, and historical themes. Also includes the Museum of Bus Transportation, largest collection of buses in the U.S.

Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles
28 Warwick Street
Boyertown, PA 19512
(610) 367-2090
Features: The museum has been in operation for 41 years, and emphasizes cars and trucks made in the region. Another gem on display is the first commercial delivery truck body made by the Boyertown Carriage Works in 1914. It has a wooden frame, poplar panels and metal reinforcement.

Car & Carriage Museum
The Frick Art & Historical Center
7227 Reynolds Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
(412) 371-0600
Features: An extensive collecion of vintage and classic autos, films and memorabilia. Among the highlights on exhibit are the first horseless carriages to have an impact on Pittsburgh -- Henry Clay Frick’s 1914 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost touring car and Howard Heinz’s 1898 Panhard.

Eastern Museum of Motor Racing
Latimore Valley Fairgrounds
P.O. Box 688
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
(717) 528-8279
Features: Dedicated to all types of motor sports, from cycles to sprints to stocks. Includes reconstructed displays of working garages, deconstructed race cars, memorabilia and plenty of racing vehicles.

Museum of Bus Transportation
161 Museum Drive
Hershey, PA
(717) 566-7100 ext. 119
Features: Perhaps the world's most diverse bus collection is housed here and in a nearby storage facility, representing buses from 1912 to 1975. Vehicles on display range from a 1927 Fageol Safety Coach to a 1945 Aerocoach P45/37 and a 1975 GMC Fishbowl T6H. Toy and miniature buses and related paraphernalia also are on public display.

Mifflinburg Buggy Museum
598 Green Street
Mifflinburg, PA 17844
(570) 966-1355
Features: This is a multi-building complex that originally was a buggy works. It includes artifacts, production items and historic displays.

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
1 Museum Road
Washington, PA 15301
(724) 228-9256
Features: Thorough historic documents and displays, including examples of the best of trolleys during the various periods of their use.

Rolls-Royce Foundation
189 Hempt Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
(877) 795-4050

Features: This is the only research and educational facility in the U.S., and one of only two in the world, dedicated to the display, preservation and history of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars produced in Springfield, MA, and Derby/Crewe, England, 1905 to present, and Rolls-Royce Aero Engines produced from 1914 to date. Among cars on display: 1923 Springfield Silver Ghost, 1929 Springfield Phantom I, 1946 Silver Wraith, 1958 Silver Cloud Sedan and a 1961 Silver Cloud II Radford Conversion.

William E. Swigart Jr. Auto Museum
Route 22
Huntingdon, PA
(814) 643-0885
Features: The Swigart, established in 1920, claims to be the oldest automobile museum in America. It has numerous pre-1914 marques in the collection of nearly 200 vehicles. The selection of one-and two- cylinder cars in the Swigart Museum is probably the most diverse in the United States. Included among the exhibits are an 1899 Locomobile, a 1904 rear-entrance tonneau Cadillac, a 1905 Rambler and such long-ago marques as the Crestmobile, Jewel and Mora.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

RHODE ISLAND

Pronyne Motor Sports
8 Cleveland Street
Pawtucket, RI
(401) 447-4202
Features: The former Albert Jenkins Co. baked goods distributor for New England from the 1950s through the early '70s now is host to the Pronyne collection of historic race cars and memorabilia. In particular, the exhibits give props to the age of local stock car teams. Plan on spending a lot of time here because it is packed with items.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

SOUTH CAROLINA

BMW Zentrum Museum & Gallery
I-85 Exit 60
Spartanburg, SC
Features: The Zentrum is the only BMW museum in North America, and sits next to the only BMW manufacturing facility in the United States. It is located between Greenville and Spartanburg. The displays include motorcycles, motorsports vehicles, passenger cars and design prototypes.

Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum
(formerly the Joe Weatherly Stock Car Museum)
Darlington Raceway
1301 Harry Byrd Highway
Darlington, SC 29532
(843) 395-8900
Features: The museum commemorates the history of Darlington Raceway and the sport. The winningest car in the history of stock car racing is a convertible -- the 1956 Ford convertible that sits in the Weatherly was driven to 22 victories in a single year racing in the convertible series, plus three more races that same year with the top welded on -- including the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington. Also on show are the 1967 Plymouth of Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip's 1991 Chevy Lumina. The building also houses the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame, filled with photos, memorabilia and interactive exhibits.

Wheels of Yesteryear
413 Hospitality Lane
Myrtle Beach, SC 299579
(843) 903-4774
Features: More than 50 classic cars and trucks owned and restored by Paul Cummings. few examples: 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible (model made only in 1970-71), 1949 Dodge truck, 1969 Mercury Cyclone CJ, which was the Cale Yarborough version offered in only 218 units, 1963 Corvette Sting Ray split window coupe.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Motion Unlimited Museum
6180 South Highway 79
Rapid City, SD 57702
(605) 348-7373
Features: This folksy museum and used car complex occupies 13,000 square feet if display space, including autos, trucks, motorcycles, toys and pedal cars.. You will then enter through the swinging gate into our 13,000 square feet of beautifully displayed cars, pickups, sedans, coupes convertibles, motorcycles, toys and bicycles. Some really unusual cars, including a 1934 Studebaker Dictator 3-window coupe, a 1927 Dodge rumble seat coupe and a 1938 Lincoln Zephyr V-12 3-window coupe. Did I say folksy? Here's an example from the web site about the $4 admission fee: "Our admission price hasn't changed in 10 years, probably because our sign painting/graphic artist son moved to the state of Washington, and hasn't come back to change the sign yet."

Pioneer Auto Show
I-90 & US 83
Murdo, SD
(605) 669-2691
Features: A sprawling complex that includes more than 250 collectible cars and motorcycles plus more than 60 antique tractors and pieces of farm machinery.

Telstar Mustang Shelby Cobra Museum
1300 - 1400 South Kimball Street
Mitchell, SD 57301
(605) 996-6550
Features: Billed as the largest private collection of its kind, Telstar has an extensive collection of the title cars. Every year Shelby, every year GT 350, every year GT 500, every year Shelby fastback and every year Shelby convertible are represented. Highlights include two extremely rare GT 500 428 Super Cobra Jet Drag Pack convertibles.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

TENNESSEE

Bewley's City Garage Car Museum
210 South Main Street
Greeneville, TN 37743
(423) 638-6971
Features: A variety of antique cars and gas station memorabilia. Open only Fridays and Saturdays.

Dixie Gun Works Old Car Museum
1200 N Highway 51 S
Union City, TN 38261
(901) 885-0561
Features: In addition to an actual gun works and firearms collection, this facility houses a collection of 36 vintage and antique cars, as well as thousands of antique mechanical devices and appendages.

Elvis Presley Automobile Museum
Graceland
Nashville, TN
(901) 332-3322
Features: A collection of Elvis Presley’s personal cars, motorcyles, and motorized toys, on display at his iconic mansion.

Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum
320 Winfield Dunn Parkway (Highway 66)
Sevierville, TN
(865) 908-0882
Features: More than 90 muscle cars from the 1950s, '60s and '70s, including 'Cudas, Novas, GTOs, Camaros, Mustangs and Firebirds, plus assorted memorabilia.

Hollywood Star Cars Museum
914 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN
(865) 430-2200
Features: Modified and/or one-of-a-kind vehicles used in films and television, such as from "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Charlie’s Angels," the original "Fast and the Furious" and "xXx," "Back to the Future Time Machine" and "Days of Thunder."

International Towing & Recovery Museum
3315 Broad Street
Chattanooga, TN
(423) 267-3132
Features: A collection of restored antique wreckers and equipment, industry related displays of collectible toys, tools, unique equipment, and pictorial histories of manufacturers. The site was chosen because the indusry's first wrecker was fabricated nearby at the Ernest Holmes Co.

Lane Motor Museum
702 Murfreesboro Pike
Nashville, TN 37210
(615) 742-7445
Features: A collection mostly of European automobiles, housed in a 32,000 square foot building. Most of the collection was built in the 1950s, '60s and '70s with a smattering from the '20s.

Music Valley Car Museum
2611 McGavock Pike, opposite Opryland Hotel
Nashville, TN
(615) 885-7400
Features: Antique and specialty cars, many owned by show business personalities. One example: Randy Travis' 1965 Ford Mustang.

Muscle Car Museum
320 Winfield Dunn Parkway (Highway 66)
Sevierville, TN 37876
(865) 908-0882
Features: Among the cars on display in the 35,000 square foot facility are Elvis Presley's first limo, a 1967 Shelby Mustang, a 1970 GTO Judge, a 1969 Boss 429, a 1963 Tameless Tiger Tempest, a 1970 Hemi Cuda, and a 1971 Buick GS Stage 1 convertible, one of less than 15.

Smoky Mountain Car Museum
2970 Parkway
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
(865) 453-3433
Features: This half-century-old facility exhibits the James Bond Aston-Martin used in the "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball" films, an Elvis Presley Mercedes Benz, Al Capone's Cadillac, and such classics as a Marathon and a Deusenberg.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

TEXAS

Art Car Museum
140 Heights Boulevard
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 861-5526
Features: This is what insiders call the "Garage Mahal," an establishment dedicated to auto-oriented art. It's a privately owned museum of contemporary art in various media.

Brass Lamp Auto Museum
701 N. Grant Street
Odessa, TX 79760
(915) 332-9875
Features: A varied group of pre-1916 antique cars with such models as Flanders, Sears, Drush, Saxon, Oakland, Overland, Cadillac and Ford.

Central Texas Museum of Automotive History
Highway 304,
Rosanky, TX 78953
(512) 237-2635
Features: Autos ranging from a 1901 Holsman to a 1988 Trabant star in this extensive collection of classic and unusual cars. The facility was founded in 1980 as a non-profit, educational foundation dedicated to the collection, restoration and preservation of historic automobiles, accessories and related items. The collection normally has more than 130 vehicles on display, with additional vehicles available on a rotational basis.

Dick's Classic Garage
120 Stagecoach Trail
San Marcos, TX 78666-5268
(512) 878-2406
Features: There are some very classic models here -- Duesenbergs, a Tucker, a '59 Corvette -- and lots of memorabilia.

Gaf Auto Museum
307 Woodlawn Street
Kilgore, TX 75662-3624
Features: (No web site.) A private collection of classic and antique automobiles.

Matt Garrett Car Collection
Dallas, TX
(214) 878-3823
Features: Many classic cars in the collection are available for purchase. The Cadillacs are the real eye-catchers.

Knapp Chevrolet Antique Auto Museum
U.S. 83, Stuart Place Road exit
Harlingen, TX
(956) 423-1370
Features: A showroom full of antique and classic autos, including a 1929 Chevrolet, a 1957 Belair convertible, and several collectible Corvettes.

Love Field Antique Mall & Classic Car Collection
6500 Cedar Springs Road
Dallas, TX 75235-5813
(214) 357-6500
Features: (No website)

North Texas Automotive Museum
677 West Campbell Road
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 918-0084
Features: A large collection of classic, antique and sports cars is rotated through the various sections of the facility. Among marques on display: Rolls Race, Jaguar, MacLaren, Chevrolet, Ford, Oldsmobile, BMW and Alfa Romeo.

Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
2503 Fourth Avenue
Canyon, TX 79016
(806) 651-2244
Features: The state's largest history museum includes a transportation exhibit that illustrates the many methods used to travel the Texas panhandle, from buggies, sleighs and wagons to automobiles from 1900 to the 1950s.

Petroleum Museum Chaparral Gallery
1500 Interstate 20 West
Midland, TX 79701
(432) 683-4403
Features: The exhibit honors driver/designer Jim Hall and his Chaparral racing cars, seven of which are on display.

Texas Museum of Automotive History
1300 Robert B. Cullum Boulevard, Gate 5
(1221 Midway Plaza inside Fair Park)
Dallas, TX 75210
(214) 533-4891
Features: Packers, Ford Shelbys and other classic racing cars depicting racing in the state from 1901 to 1984 are on display. The museum also features important cars and race cars on loan from prominent car collectors.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

UTAH

Antique-Classic Special Interest Auto Museum
355 West 700 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84401
(801) 322-5509
Features: This downtown facility has an eclectic collection of American-made vehicles.
Admission fees are donated to the Utah Homeless Boys Ranch.

Browning Kimball Car Museum
Ogden Union Station
2501 Wall Avenue
Ogden, UT 84401
(801)393-9882
Features: Vehicles in this museum range from a 1901, 1-cyinder Oldsmobile to a 1930, 16-cylinder Cadillac. Running Boards, huge fenders, over-sized match lit headlights, and rumble seats are reminders of an elegant era in transportation. Shown here is a 1926 Lincoln.

Classic Car Museum
355 West 700 South
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 322-5509
Features: More than 200 cars are on display here, with a lot of cadillacs of every era. The pre-1940s marques include a 1903 Stevens Duryea 4-passenger, a 1906 Cadillac 4-passenger touring car and a 1914 Hupmobile.

International Model Car Builders’ Museum
(Mailing address)
10271 South 1300 East
PMB 131
Sandy, UT 84094
Features: This collection and library is for the dedicated hobbyist, chock full of information and displays of great handiwork as well as DVDs, brochures, posters and more.

Kaiser Bill's Old Car Museum
18530 West Yellowstone Road
Altonah, UT
Features: This free classic car museum is dedicated to the history and preservation of older American-built automobiles, especially those cars built by the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation and Willys Motors. Featured are Kaisers, Frazers, Henry J's, the Darrin sport car (as seen here), and other U.S. brands. Also, automotive memorabilia, model cars, old car ads, old car magazines and photos.

Millstream Classic Car Museum

255 East 1080 North
Willard, UT 84340

(801) 721-0032
Features: The collection consists of 100 cars, half of them restored. Among the highlights: a 1912 Model T Ford, Hudsons, Nashes, Packards, a Lloyd, a Kaiser and such foreign marques as Yugo, Renault, Fiat and Citroen.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

VERMONT

Hemmings Motor News
Main Street
Bennington, VT 05201
Features: This is not a classic car museum. However, it would be criminal not to include this automotive media powerhouse in this guide. It is located in a former gas station on the main drag of a postcard-beautiful Vermont town, has several vintage vehicles parked on the grounds, and has a cafe and car buff's store. It also has a large collection of automotive photos on display.

Precision Valley Corvette Museum
363 River Street
Springfield, VT
Features: This is a combination museum and classic diner meant for nostalgia buffs. It features Corvettes from all five generations of manufacture with the restaurant as the centerpiece.

Westminster MG Car Museum
Kimber Close, Route 5
Westminster, VT 05158
(603) 756-4121
Features: (No website) This small museum exhibits 29 different MG models, including a 1927 14/28 Flatnose Tourer, one of just six known to still exist, and a 1955 EX 182 Prototype, the only remaining one of the four built.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

VIRGINIA

Accomack-Northampton Antique Car Museum
Parksley, VA
(757) 665-6161
Features: More memorabilia than cars, but the facility does boast a 1922 Durant, a 1935 Auburn and a 1956 Thunderbird among other models.

Car and Carriage Caravan Museum
Luray Caverns
970 U.S. Highway 211 West
Luray, VA 22835
(540) 743-6551
Features: Horse-drawn carriages, coaches, wagons, and early automobiles show the progression of transportation. The collection includes an 1840 Conestoga wagon, a 1892 Benz, a 1908 Baker Electric, a 1913 Stanley Steamer, and Rudolph Valentino’s 1925 Rolls Royce. You must purchase an admission to the Luray Caverns to get into the museum.

Eavers Classic Cars and Collectibles Museum
Staunton, VA
(540) 337-1126
Features: Displays more than 20 classic cars, including a genuine 1965 Shelby AC Cobra, Elvis Presley’s last Cadillac, and a 1959 Devin sports car.

Fred's Car Museum
Highway 24 East
Appomattox, VA 24522
(434) 352-0606
Features: More than 65 classic and antique automobiles made from 1906 to 1980 are on display under one roof.

Glade Mountain Museum
6711 Lee Highway
Atkins, VA 24311
(276) 783-5678
Features: Cars, blacksmithing equipment.

Jumbo Antique Fire Engine Museum
500 North Augusta Street
Staunton, VA 24401
(540) 332-3886
Features: This facility is home to the last remaining 1911 Robinson Chemical Fire Engine. The museum, founded in 1982, houses a collection of fire service items, some from the Civil War era.

Luray Caverns Car & Carriage Caravan Museum
970 U.S. Highway 211 West
Luray, VA
(540) 743-6551
Features: The museum is an exhibit of milestones in transportation, including authentically restored cars, carriages, coaches and costumes, dating from 1725 to 1941. The centerpiece of the collection is the 1892 Benz, one of the oldest cars in the country still in operating condition. Other highlights include a Conestoga Wagon, a 1908 Baker Electric, a 1913 Stanley Steamer, and Rudolph Valentino's 1925 Rolls Royce.

Morgan-McClure Motorsports Museum
26502 Newbanks Road
Abingdon, VA 24210
(276)628-3683
Features: Exhibits include the 1994 and 1995 Daytona 500 winners, as well as numerous other racing related exhibits. Features at the Museum include the Morgan-McClure Motorsports Race Team from the early years to the present. Other exhibits include a pictorial history of past drivers; past and present uniform display and pit equipment display.

Old Cranks Motor Car Museum
Galax, VA
(276) 236-5114
Features: This campground/ice cream shop/motoring museum has an unusual assortment of antique cars, including a one-cylinder Orient Buckboard, a Detroit Electric and a Stanley Steamer.

Roaring Twenties Antique Car Museum
Route 1, Box 576
Hood, VA 22723
(703) 948-6290
Features: Displays cover cars manufactured from 1900 to 1935, and include most major American marques as well as some seldom-seen ones such as the '52 Henry J seen here. Facility also is an antiques center.

U.S. Army Transportation Museum
Besson Hall
300 Washington Boulevard
Fort Eustis, VA 23604
(757) 878-1115
Features: Devoted to the history of U.S. Army transportation, from horse-drawn conveyances in the Revolutionary War to today's needs.

Virginia Museum of Transportation
303 Norfolk Ave SW
Roanoke, VA 24016
(540) 342-5670
Features: The museum displays cars and other vehicles from throughout the 20th Century. Although it is primarily focused on the railroad industry, it also has an aviation and aerospace section.

Wood Brothers Racing Museum Shop
21 Performance Drive
Stuart, VA 24171
(276) 694-2121
Features: This Patrick County facility, dedicated to one of the most successful racing teams in NASCAR history, is located 30 minutes from Martinsville Speedway. Wood Brothers Racing is one of the oldest continuously operating teams in NASCAR.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

WASHINGTON

LeMay: America's Car Museum
Tacoma Dome
2727 East D Street
Tacoma, WA 98421
(253) 272-3663
Features: This museum opened in June 2012 adjacent to the Tacoma Dome. It houses up to 350 cars, trucks and motorcycles from private owners, corporations, and the LeMay collection, which amassed a Guinness Book of World Records mark of more than 3,500 vehicles in the mid-‘90s. It features a spiral track in the soaring Great Hall, which can display 150 cars at a time with the rest stored in facilities below grade.

Lynden Pioneer Museum
217 Front Street
Lynden, WA
(360) 354-3675
Features: The museum includes a life-size replica of Lynden's historic downtown circa 1900 and more than 60 vintage buggies, cars and tractors.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

WASHINGTON, DC

Smithsonian Institution
14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC
(202) 633-1000
Features: The National Museum of American History’s "America On the Move" Exhibit uses the museum’s collection of early automobiles to demonstrate how the nation moved ahead on wheels.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

WEST VIRGINIA

Benjy's Motorcycle Museum
408 4th Street and 4th Avenue
Huntington, WV 25701
(304) 523-1340
Features: This downtown facility includes a 1950s style diner and a free Harley-Davidson museum with motorcycles ranging from 1916 to the present. This began as strictly a Harley dealership but evolved into a small tourist attraction.

J. Taylor Auto Collection
1404 Washington Avenue
Huntington, WV 25704
(304) 522-2864
Features: More than 30 car built from 1914 on are on display in this facility tucked into a small antiques district, including Model T and Model A Fords, a 1930 V-16 Cadillac, a 12-cylinder Caddy limo and various convertibles and custom cars.

West Virginia Auto Museum
1215 20th Street
Vienna, WV 26105
(304) 295-6113
Features: Located midway between Parkersburg and Marietta, OH.

Westbrook's Esso
Main Street
Kingwood, WV
Features: Lots of petroliana on display at this nostalgic restored Esso service station, including working pumps, signage and a period delivery truck.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

WISCONSIN

Dells Auto Museum
591 Wisconsin Dells Parkway
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
(414) 648-2151
Features: At one time this collection numbered about 400 cars. A 1999 fire at one of the storage facilities destroyed about a quarter of the array. The rustic museum oncludes such seldom-seen vehicles as a 1972 Hurst Olds, a 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge, a 1986 Indianapolis 500 Pontiac Fiero pace car and a 1959 Ford Fairlane retractable.

Doc's Classic Car & Cycle Museum
W2709 State Highway 29
Bonduel, WI 54107
(715) 758-9080
Features: This free museum attached to a Harley-Davidson dealership is a blend of '60s muscle cars, classic and vintage cars and motorcycles. One of the snazzier exhibits is a 1981 Delorean with a mere 3,000 miles on the odometer.

Four Wheel Drive Museum
Adjacent To W.A. Olen Park
Clintonville, WI 54929
(715) 823-2141
Features: (No website) Displays of four-wheel drive trucks and cars.

Harley-Davidson Museum
6th and Canal streets off I-94 downtown
Milwaukee, WI
Features: Opened on July 12, 2008, the 20-acre riverfront site features green open spaces, more than 700 trees and native plants, and park benches, all free of charge and accessible to the public 24 hours a day. The museum itself has a wide array of H-D machines and memorabilia, including the first known Harley motorcycle, serial number 1.

J & J Muscle Car Collection
U.S. Highway 10
Medina, WI 54944
(414) 779-6259
Features: (No website) A wide assortment of American muscle cars.

Midway Auto Museum
P.O. Box 183, Route 2
Birnamwood, WI 54414
(715) 449-2901
Features: (No website)

Rhine Center Garage Historic Museum
Route 1
Elkhart Lake, WI 53020
(414) 876-3030
Features: (No website)

Uihlein Antique Racing Car Museum
236 Hamilton Road
Cedarsburg, WI 53102
Features: A collection of about 25 restored vintage and antique cars.

Wisconsin Automotive Museum
147 North Rural Street
Hartford, WI 53027
(262) 673-7999
Features: The state's largest auto museum. It gives emphasis to locally-made marques, such as the Kissel, manufactured in Hartford from 1906 to 1931. The most famous Kissel model is the “Speedster” which as affectionately known as the “Gold Bug”, and owned by such stars of the day as Fatty Arbuckle and Amelia Earhardt. Also, an exhibition devoted to the Nash, first built in Kenosha, WI, in 1916, and more than 90 other vehicles shown in an Art Deco space.

Zunker's Antique Car Museum
3722 MacArthur Drive
Manitowac, WI 54220
(414) 684-4005
Features: (No website) This collection of about 40 antique and vintage cars and motorcycles includes a classic gas station display.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.

WYOMING

Douglas Railroad Museum
City Hall
101 North 4th Street
Douglas, WY 82633
(307) 358-3462
Features: In addition to lots of rolling stock, from engines to box cars of all designs, the collection boasts a Fairmont Model M-19 motor car used in the rail yard. It originally was owned by the Union Pacific Railroad, then became a track inspection car for the Colorado & Southern Railroad. It was transferred by the state to the City of Douglas in 1993.

Wyoming Classic Cars
645 Black Widow Road
Casper, WY
(307) 472-0269
Features: More than 1,550 cars are in this pastureland that serves as a sort of informal auto salvage facility cum museum, with 950 Chevrolets and 400 Pontiacs among them.

Yellowstone National Park
Montana, Wyoming and Idaho
(307) 344-7381
Features: A collection of 30 horse-drawn and motorized vehicles is on display in the three-0state park's heritage and research center in Gardiner, MT. It ranges from stagecoaches operated by the park to the first car -- a Ford Model T -- allowed in Yellowstone. Also, a 1927 Model 51 service truck with a winch that was used to help stranded motorists in the park.

Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is prohibited.