By the end of 2016, I was 32 years old and maybe had been to two car museums in my entire life. I can’t really remember the first one, but the one I remember for sure was Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville, NC.

I had no idea the museum was even there until I bought a trailer at the business next door to move to Georgia. Less than one year after that, I started Miles Through Time Automotive Museum.

I had no clue what I was getting myself into 9 years ago. I did as much research as I could, which then led to a massive side project you know as automotivemuseumguide.com.

Initially, I created the guide with just my first round of research. I didn’t want to waste what I found and thought it would be helpful for visitors to find automotive museums, and helpful for the museums to get found.

Eventually, I scoured the entire internet, adding hundreds of automotive museums to the guide just in North America. Then I turned my attention to the rest of the world and added as many automotive museums globally as I could find.

Creating automotivemuseumguide.com and doing the best I can to maintain it by doing this. Plus, building Miles Through Time Automotive Museum into what it is today, has engulfed my entire life.

I’ve seen a LOT of car museums closed. I’ve seen a bunch of car museums get created. By far my favorite is to watch car museums grow.

Miles Through Time Automotive Museum opened its doors in 2017 and hasn’t stopped growing. From one car to about 30, back down to about 7 then up to 50, then 75 and now averaging 130 full-size vehicles on display at any given time.

Growth comes with many challenges. Even as we keep getting things donated to the museum, it creates issues that need to be solved. If a collection is donated and needs a display cabinet, that costs the museum $550, and we have to find a place for it.

If an additional vehicle is added to the museum, we again have to make it fit, purchase signage, and if it’s donated I will probably go get it, like I did last week.

These are wonderful challenges to have, but no doubt they are challenges. Aside from wanting to ensure the museum has a place to call home forever, and being able to do all the things we need to do as a museum, one of the biggest reasons we are going to have to move the museum is space.

It’s amazing how many square feet can be filled so quickly with automotive history. Miles Through Time has been growing for years, both in size collection and space, but now we’re maxed out.

The only option now is to build our own facility, which will be no small feet, especially since the building needs to be about 100,000 square feet. Before we can even get to the true cost of building, step one is to acquire property, which is no small feat.

The good news is property where the museum will prosper is available. The bad news is property is very expensive. I found this 30 acre site right on the highway, but it’s not a small chunk of money and will require the help of someone with way more financial abilities than I have.

All I need is one person with the right mindset and financial ability to help Miles Through Time Automotive Museum blossom into the future campus. It’s hard to envision how we will get there, but it would have been hard to envision getting to where we are now, eight years ago.

Growth is the absolute best, and speaking of campus, Gilmore Car Museum, is a campus of museums. Gilmore is adding a $3.6 million Performance Car Gallery that looks amazing and will be almost 14,000 square feet. Gilmore is already the biggest car museum, and it doesn’t look like anyone else is going to catch up any time soon.

The National Corvette Museum is adding 30,000 square feet to the museum and a 66,000 square foot collection facility, which will cost over $14 million.

I remember visiting the Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum years ago and at the time they were adding what they call the “Big Room,” which was the addition of 55,000 square feet to bring their total to 125,000 square feet. I haven’t had a chance to go back since, but I would imagine the “big room” is already full.

The last museum I want to share is the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum. This museum opened the year before Miles Through Time, and although I’ve never had a chance to visit, I’ve always had a connection to this museum, just because of how new they were when I started.

The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum has been constantly improving, and they recently broke ground on a 5,000 square foot expansion that should be open by the end of the year. I’m sure they would like to increase even more, but sometimes you just need to expand in 5,000 square foot increments.

It’s a wonderful sign when automotive museums are showing growth. It’s important to have great organizations set up to preserve and share automotive history.

It does not matter what automotive museum you choose to support. You can have a favorite, or you can just visit as many as you can, and that helps support them.

I hope someday soon I can share with you the real future site of the Miles Through Time Automotive Museum Campus. Until then, make sure you visit these museums once they reopen with their new spaces.

If you want to see more, visit the Weekly 3.

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.

I hope you had a fantastic 4th of July weekend. I spent Friday and Saturday at Miles Through Time Automotive Museum and got to talk to all kinds of people from all over the world. The furthest visitor was from Czechia.

I spent Sunday driving up to Massachusetts to pick up a donated 1986 Honda CRX from the original owner. I’ll be picking the car up, hopefully, before noon on Monday, and then I’ll head back to Georgia. 

The goal is to try to stop at a few cool places on the way back. I’ll use the map on automotivemuseuumguide.com to see where we can stop. I brought my 17-year-old son with me to get him some time behind the wheel while towing something.

I’m well aware a 40-year-old Honda doesn’t sound appealing to everyone, but I promise you, it is appealing to many. I have no clue what will go on display in the museum next, whether it is temporarily on loan or donated to the museum, until it actually comes in.

This can be very stressful and complicated, but it also creates one of the most diverse collections you can imagine. Instead of one person, or a board or committee making decisions, anyone can be a part of the museum. This concept is unique, and I believe once we’re able to implement the future vision, Miles Through Time will be one of the top museum destinations in the world.

The Forney Museum of Transportation is also unique in its own right and has a collection of over 500 artifacts on display related to automotive transportation.

Another one-of-a-kind museum is Woody’s Classic Car and Baseball Museum is exactly what it sounds like. This museum is perfect for baseball and classic car fanatics.

Wisconsin Auto Museum’s collection has grown. The museum is now up to 30 Kissel’s on display. Not sure what a Kissel is? That’s a fantastic reason to visit. 😉

If you want to see more, visit the Weekly 3.

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.

On Saturday, we had our 10th Annual Car Show at Miles Through Time Automotive Museum. I opened the museum in 2017 with a car show and have done the same event every year since.

Putting on the show is stressful, expensive, and a lot of work, but it serves a couple of major purposes. The first is that it is a fundraiser for the museum that has compounding effects.

The other purpose is that it allows people that don’t have a vehicle on display in the museum to come be a part of the museum for a day. All kinds of cars, trucks, and motorcycles show up.

The point of our annual show has never been about being judged and trophies. It’s about sharing what you’re into, what you’re working on, even what you bought. It doesn’t matter.

We get everyone together and give them a platform to check out each other’s interests and talk to people. So many shows get divided by individual interests, and the complaints start rolling in.

Cars are too new, too old, too foreign, too basic, etc., and rather than talk to someone who brought something different, they are a lot of times ignored or shunned. I see it all the time.

There is a place for specialty shows. Concours shows, AACA shows, shows structured with judges that can make fair, educated decisions.

Outside these types of shows, predominantly local car shows, they’re just fundraising events, usually for charity. Even if it is “judged,” I can almost guarantee that the judges are just picking whatever they like. The reality is, though, you can’t blame them.

There is no fair way to judge these kinds of shows; they are just going to pick what they think is cool.  They aren’t going to get into any backstories, and a survivor car is probably not going to present as nicely as a car that has had $100k dumped into it.

There is no great solution to this conundrum. There are always going to be people who want to win, even if it is just a piece of paper printed at someone’s home saying they were in the Top 10 at a local church show, and if they don’t, they will be mad.

My people are the ones who go to shows because they want to be around other people who also like cars, trucks, and motorcycles. They want to see what people bring out and share what they have. The bonus is that it also helps charity.

Whether it’s a show to raise funds for a specific family in need, a church, a charity, or a museum, the proceeds raised help make a difference, and you have to spend a few hours having a good time.

Of course, if the local show is put on by a local promoter and all the proceeds go into their pocket, you may look at it a little differently. However, if you remove the “trophy” aspect from any show, you can just focus on having a good time.

The best “trophy” can be measured by how many people come up and talk to you about how awesome your ride is. Genuine admiration trumps plastic tchotchkes.*

*(A tchotchke (pronounced chäCH-kə) is a small, decorative item or trinket that has little to no practical value)

I discovered another hidden museum you can visit with an appointment. The Lampasas Auto Company Museum is mostly Ford, but there are some other really cool cars like a Ferrari Dino prototype.

Jack Frost Auto Museum is another one you can visit with an appointment; although new for 2026, they do have a small window of open hours on Tuesdays. The museum is also connected to a restoration shop, and they also sell vehicles, but the museum is separate.

Thinking outside the box of traditional “car museums,” the Federal Armored Museum is a cool place you can visit to see a bunch of armored vehicles.  Chances are you haven’t had many opportunities to see this kind of vehicle up close, but you can at this museum.

Now that my next annual show is a year from now, I should be able to get back on the road and start retrieving some vehicle donations from all over the country. This will give me some opportunities to visit more of these museums myself.

You can do the same. You use the MAP to find out where the closest museums are to you, no matter where you are, and find a way to tack on a museum visit while you’re out doing other things.

If you want to see more, visit the Weekly 3.

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.

I hope you had a great Father’s Day weekend. I got to see a lot of multi-generational families visit Miles Through Time Automotive Museum. The record is four generations, and they were very proud, rightfully so. 

It’s always great to see everyone having a good time in the museum, but there is something a little extra special when I see a parent or grandparent connect with their kid of any age. Those moments are special and will be cherished, but for me, it also shows some level of automotive passion being handed down in real time. 

Just about every museum’s mission is some version of preserving and sharing automotive history, which is true and necessary. However, the much-overlooked role of automotive museums is that they are incubators for automotive interest. 

There are a lot of different types of automotive museums, and a wide array of automotive-themed exhibits on display. This is because the automotive spectrum is vast, and anyone could find any part of it interesting. 

Historic Auto Attractions is a museum you’ll really enjoy if you like movie memorabilia. This museum has some famous cars on display you may recognize.

You’ve probably heard the name Coker. Coker Tires has been a big player in specialty tires for classic and vintage vehicles. Corky Corker, who is a genuinely good guy, founded the Coker Museum at Honest Charley. 

I’ve been to this museum twice; the cars are beautiful, the building is beautiful, and I did borrow the pallet rack idea to display vintage motorcycles. Admittedly, Coker’s pallet rack display of vintage bikes is way better than I was able to do, but he did inspire me.

Crawford Auto Aviation Museum is a part of the Western Reserve Historical Association. This museum has a lot of cool cars, and because it is a part of the WRHA, there is a lot more than just auto and aviation things to see when you visit.

If you missed it last week, Mike Yager’s, MY Garage Museum was completely destroyed by a tornado. Perhaps Mother Nature has a vendetta against Corvettes, but just like the National Corvette Museum and their sinkhole, Mike Yager already has a plan. 

If you want to see more, visit the Weekly 3.

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.

One thing I’ve noticed and have been saying for a while now is, “It’s easy for the older generation to visit an automotive museum and reminisce, but it’s especially important to capture the interest of the younger generations.”

The reality is, we are all just temporary caretakers of the things we love. I constantly hear about people’s kids and grandkids not caring about the vehicles that mean so much to the person I’m speaking with.

It’s a bummer, and I feel for those people, but I also hear just as often from people that their kids and grandkids are excited about their cars. 

An interesting observation I’ve noticed is that it is very common for the passion to skip a generation. I don’t have any scientific proof, but it does seem like the grandkids have a greater opportunity to connect with the grandparents’ automotive passion.

For example, my grandpa’s ’59 Cadillac means the world to me, and led to the creation of Miles Through Time Automotive Museum, but to my dad, it was just the family car when he was younger.

These youngest generations will experience a completely different way of life than my generation and back. However, that does not mean they won’t find 80-year-old cars cool, and keep the automotive passion going.

If you want to see this theory in action, just look at how many people are still passionate about Model Ts. The Model T has been out of production for 99 years, and yet I personally know fanatics in their 40s. 

There is no one alive today that has driven a brand-new Model T, and yet the passion for these vehicles is still strong. There’s even a Model T Museum. 

Yes, there is less interest in a Model T than in muscle cars of the 70s. Soon, there will be more interest in the rad era and less interest in ’70s muscles. None of it will disappear, especially if we all do our part to share our passions.

It doesn’t matter what your vehicle is. If you think it’s cool, give others an opportunity to think it’s cool too. Take it to a show, cruise in, share it in a museum, DRIVE IT!

One of the cool things about Miles Through Time Automotive Museum is that I have no idea what will come in next. Someone could donate a vehicle I’ve never seen before, or someone could loan a very special car. Either way, the museum provides a platform for visitors to at least see the car in-person.

Some of the very niche automotive museums you can visit may have it a little more difficult to capture a broader interest. Or perhaps because they are so niche, they have the ability to be hyper-focused on what they specialize in. 

My interests are way to all over the place to create this kind of museum, but there are some really great ones you can visit. The Pierce Arrow Museum is completely dedicated to Pierce Arrows.

Since you’re reading this, I’m sure you’ve heard of Pierce Arrows, but there are a lot of people out there that have never heard of this orphan brand. This museum is one of the many on the Gilmore campus, a place I’ve wanted to visit for years.

There is another museum that has been dedicated to Pierce Arrows, the Buffalo Transportation — Pierce Arrow Museum. This museum features the collection of James & Mary Ann Sandoro, which focuses on Buffalo’s transportation history, highlighting Pierce-Arrow, the Thomas Flyer, electric vehicles and a ton of automotive memorabilia, and more. 

Another niche orphan branded museum is the Pontiac Oakland Museum. Most people have probably heard of Pontiac, but the same probably can’t be said about Oakland. Visiting a museum like this will ensure you learn a lot about both brands.

If you want to see more, visit the Weekly 3.

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.

I would argue that sometimes a car museum is just a car museum, but the best are all 3.

I want to thank you for reading this. This is officially 256 weeks in a row of showcasing at least three automotive museums in North America. I saw at least three, because sometimes there is an opportunity to mention a few more.

This means I’ve been doing this for just shy of 5 years and have mentioned over 700 automotive museums. To give you an idea of how many automotive museums you can visit, it takes over 3 years to get through all the museums. Which, of course, doesn’t even include all the great museums you could visit abroad.

I will tell you, I have mastered the art of staying busy. It’s amazing how much time everything takes. Keeping the Automotive Museum Guide up-to-date requires way more hours than I would have expected when I first created it.

Combine AMG with running Miles Through Time Automotive Museum and promoting events like our 10th Annual Car Show, it’s a lot, and that doesn’t even include everything. 

The thing is, I really enjoy everything I created. Every time someone replies to thank me for this email or to tell me their story, it keeps me going. Meeting visitors in the museum who tell me they read these emails is also awesome.

Seeing visitors of Miles Through Time Automotive Museum get emotional because of what they see and read, reassures me that I’m doing something right. 

Knowing what I know now, I could easily create a car museum without anything. I boast about starting a museum with only one car I inherited, because it’s the truth and it was, and still is, very challenging.

The reality is, there are no shortage of cars out there. I could create a museum with borrowed cars, offer storage and consignment like I did originally and just have a warehouse full of cars. 

I’ve learned a lot about myself over the years, and I know exactly what kind of automotive museum I want Miles Through Time to be. I could borrow amazing cars from other museums. I could ask private collectors if I could borrow their cars, and the museum could have nothing but stunning cars on display.

If I did that, MTT would lose what makes it unique. I started the museum because I felt so privileged to have my grandpa’s car that I wanted to share it with as many people as I possibly could. I want people to know it’s not about the car, it’s about my grandpa (Pop).

Miles Through Time is not a car museum in the traditional sense, it’s more of a history museum. We are sharing the history and the stories behind the cars. I can’t say 100% of the vehicles on display are sentimental, but the vast majority are. 

Sharing why and how the cars mean so much to the owners that they want to either temporarily share with visitors or even donate them to the museum. That is our bread and butter. This is what gives me joy. 

I brought in a few motorcycles on loan over the weekend and these motorcycles are sentimental bikes that have been in the family. When the owner read the signage that went with the bikes, it was all he could do to hold back tears.

I’ve been caught getting choked up talking about my Pop’s car and I can’t even tell you how many donors and visitors I’ve met that have broken down in tears knowing their car was going to the museum, in the museum, or just the fact that a car was in the museum triggered an emotional reaction. This is what keeps me going.

I’m not rich. I don’t have a huge car collection. I’m not an automotive expert on really anything. I am passionate, and I understand that all kinds of cars do mean a lot to people. This is what makes Miles Through Time unique. 

MTT’s origin story is unique, but it’s more than just the origin story, the journey. How the museum has been shaped to be what it is today, and it’s about the future of the museum. It only takes one person to change the entire trajectory of the museum. 

Every museum is unique in its own way. Holly Classics is a pretty cool museum. John and Jane Hollansworth started the museum with their collection and after John passed away in 2023, Jeff and Darla Hollansworth expanded and improved the museum to honor John’s legacy.

The Penrose Heritage Museum is an entirely different type of museum. This museum is all about the legacy of the founders Spencer and Julie Penrose. A part of that legacy includes 30 carriages and 15 racecars.

Clifton Classic Chassis Auto Museum is a private collection of American cars from the 40s to the 80s. There are also paintings on display that date back to the 1700s. You can visit this museum on Fridays and Saturdays.

If you know anyone who’d like to get these emails, have them sign up HERE. It’s okay not to be interested in these emails, but if you could share Automotive Museum Guide with as many people as you can, you’d be helping all the automotive museums.

This will hopefully help keep museums open and get better. Without visitors, there are no museums, and many private collection “museums” are only temporary. Use AMG to find as many museums to visit as you can.

If you want to see more, visit the Weekly 3.

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.