Arranged by rating, automobile & motorcycle sites first;
Click on the photo for each museum to visit our photo page for that museum
Sylmar California
This is quite simply the best of the best; a stunning collection of automobiles displayed in elegant style. Read the website carefully before you go as a guided tour is an important part of your visit and you need to make arrangements in advance. Fabulous cars in an unbelievable setting.
What the Nethercutt is to automobiles, the Barber is to motorcycles. Housed in an elegant building adjacent to beautiful Barber Motorsports Park a few miles east of Birmingham, this is a wonderful place to experience motorcycles of all ages and styles.
This is a must visit collection. Not only are the cars absolutely gorgeous, but the museum is housed in the original Auburn factory building, which is a National Historic Landmark. We have visited twice, but our photos are not digital. I’ve borrowed this picture from the museum website.
Hartford, Wisconsin
We came across this fine museum entirely by chance. Wisconsin has been the home of a number of automotive manufacturers including Nash, Hudson, Tucker and Kissel, which was based in Hartford. The Museum is located in a very attractive period building and proved well worth the visit.
Danville, California
A beautiful, albeit small, collection. Located in an upscale shopping mall and feeling more than just a bit full of it’s own importance, it is nonetheless a nice group of cars. The black building interior and rather harsh spotlighting of the cars makes photography more challenging than I’d like.
Warrenton, Texas
In rural Texas a ways east of Austin we happened to spot this place and pulled in for a visit. Sterling McCall is a long time Texas Cadillac dealer and car collector and the museum displays lots of cars, not all of them Cadillacs, in a stylish setting. We had a nice time and had the place all to ourselves as we were the first ones to sign the guest book in several days.
Bowling Green, Ohio
A real drive by, never heard of it before, kind of experience and a real hoot. Owned and operated by Bill Snook and his son Jeff, it’s an amazingly eclectic gathering of british sports cars and Americana, but lots of fun if you happen past.
Lansing, Michigan
This is an Oldsmobile museum even though R.E. Olds was forced out of the Oldsmobile company just a few years after it was formed. It also features the REO cars and Diamond REO trucks, including the original “REO Speedwagon” fire trucks, that Ransom Eli Olds went on to develop. Lansing’s a nice town and this is a nice little museum.
Warren, Ohio
In the hometown of Packard Motor Company, this small but interesting museum tells the Packard story and gives you a close up view of some beautiful cars.
Pensacola, Florida
A great place to spend a day or two exploring the US Navy’s collection of historic war planes. A huge facility with both indoor and outdoor displays of aircraft.
Another must see for aviation buffs, although we think Pensacola is better.
National Air & Space Museum ★★★★
Udvay-Hazy Center, Washington D.C.
This is the ten year old annex to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum on the Mall in Washington D.C. It was built to house some of the enormous overflow from the collection that could not fit in the original space. It is a wonderful spot to visit with lots of interesting exhibits. Your visit is free although there is a charge for parking.
War Eagles Museum ★★★★
El Paso Texas
www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/
Another fine airplane museum that is well worth a stop if you are passing through El Paso. Unfortunately, we visited here in 2002 and we don’t have any digital photos. I’ve borrowed this picture from the museum website.
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Site of the first heavier than air flight in 1903. A small but attractive visitor’s center with a reconstruction of the Wright Flier, films and artifacts and the preserved site of the flights.
Tillamook, Oregon
You can see this museum from the highway, which is how we found it. Housed in a WWII blimp hanger, it’s a unique spot. Funky and small but surprisingly interesting and very well organized. Stop by here on your way to the cheese factory.
