The Weekly 3

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to join them, but a group of friends of mine went on a four-day birthday driving event. To keep things interesting and memorable, instead of taking the trip in their best sports cars, they did it in the worst cars. 

One of the vehicles was an old fire truck, and they took it on the Tail of the Dragon, which should give you an idea of the types of cars these guys were in. Having driven to Glacier View, Alaska in an old short bus, I can tell you with certainty, that it made the trip “interesting.”

They did a bunch of cool things, but the relevant part of the story is that on the four-day trip these guys took, which was about 1,500 miles. They visited Savoy Automobile Museum, Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Lane Motor Museum, and Miles Through Time Automotive Museum.

All four of these museums are amazing and completely different from each other. From what they display, how they display, the style of the museum, the origin of the museum, pretty much everything. And yet, each one is interesting and worthy of visiting.

This is why I think it is so important for everyone to know about all the different automotive museums you can visit. They are all so different, it is fascinating to be able to visit each one and discover all the history.

I can’t believe it has been 8 years already since I founded Miles Through Time Automotive Museum. In a way, it feels much longer, and in another way it feels like I still have so much to do. (this part is true) 

My fascination with why people create a “car museum” has grown over my years of doing this myself. There are as many reasons why someone would create a car museum as there are types of car museums. There is no right or wrong way, hopefully.

I created a museum because I inherited my Pop’s 59 Cadillac and felt so privileged and honored to have it that I wanted to share it with as many people as I possibly could and create the platform for others to do the same. 

Someone else might create a car museum because they have a collection of vehicles and are at a point in their life where they are ready to open the doors to allow the public to see what they’ve spent a lifetime collecting. Or a group of enthusiasts gets together with similar passions and creates a museum. There are a number of ways and reasons.

Lewis Miller’s Mitchell Collection was founded by Lewis Miller who is a direct descendent of the Mitchell and Lewis families. He has one of the largest collections of the various products sold by their respective companies, including The Mitchell Wagon Company, Wisconsin Wheel Works, and the Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company. 

We can assume Lewis’s passion for his family heritage is the reason he does what he does and has decided to open it to the public.

The Browning-Kimball Classic Car Collection was the private collection of Matt and Barbara Browning. After they passed away, 9 of their prestigious vehicles were donated to the city of Ogden. The museum is part of the Ogden Union Station Museums.

Donating to a preexisting museum is a fantastic option if creating a standalone museum seems like too daunting of an option.  Many private collections have been absorbed by museums all over the world, and they have made those museums better.

The only thing I always point out to those considering donating their collections or even just one car. If it is something you want to do and the option of doing it while you are still alive is viable, do it so you can enjoy being a part of the museum.

I enjoy seeing the joy and excitement on donors’ faces when they get to spend time at the museum and talk to visitors. That is part of the reason why I created Miles Through Time. It’s not always possible for the donor to be able to visit the museum, but if they can, it is the absolute best.

The last museum I am going to share is the creation of Pat & Janell Hanlon. The founded the Hill Country Motorheads Motorcycle Museum. They have over 200 privately-owned motorcycles in the collection. The museum regularly showcases more than 70 bikes of many brands from around the world.

Pat had always had a motto of, “Show them, don’t hide them.”

I feel the exact same way, but I would also say ride them and drive them. 😉

Have a great week!

SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S 3 AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUMS.

Plan your next trip, discover your new favorite, or find the nearest museum

 Sean Mathis
Creator of Automotive Museum Guide
Founder of Miles Through Time Automotive Museum

P.S. Make sure you follow AMG on Facebook and join the FB Group to see what’s going on at all the museums.