The Weekly 3
I try to visit as many automotive museums as I can. There was a time when I came really close to traveling the country in an RV just to visit and film automotive museums.
The RV I chose to do this in was a bit optimistic. It was way more cool than practical. Have you heard of a Mauck?
Ultimately, it was going to work for the purpose I needed, so I had to sell it. That combined with all of my other responsibilities, I’m just not able to travel as much as I’d like.
Today, it’s even worse. My only opportunities to visit automotive museums are during my trips to the NAAM conference. Which is coming up in a few weeks and I will be visiting a few museums.
Or, during my trips to pick up donated vehicles for Miles Through Time Automotive Museum, which, amazingly enough, has sent me all over the country. Unfortunately, I’m usually pressed for time, but I try my best to visit what I can.
I had an opportunity to visit the Midwest Dream Car Collection during one of my cross-country trips, and it did not disappoint. The museum was founded by Ward and Brenda Morgan, whom I have not had the opportunity to meet, but their Curator Doug Meloan is a stud.
I’ve known Doug for years through NAAM and Midwest Dream Car Collection is younger than the Automotive Museum Guide, so I’ve been able to watch it grow. If you want to see a wide array of absolutely beautiful cars, visit this museum.
I look for any excuse to send me back. I even got to drive Doug’s convertible Cadillac. If you’ve never driven a couch in a boat with the top down, you’re missing out.
The Automotive Addiction is another museum I got to visit during one of my trips. This museum is the absolute closest actual creation to what I intended Miles Through Time Automotive Museum to originally be.
I got to have dinner with the founder, Iyar Koren, who is a great guy. I let him know he took my idea, but executed it way better. The museum is pretty much all privately stored cars in a mall. Owners have access to their cars, and visitors can visit through the mall.
The only difference between what I did and Iyar, is he opened the museum in a heavily populated and high-traffic area with a substantial amount of financial backing, and I didn’t. 😉 I loved visiting and seeing how well the concept was working.
Bill’s Backyard Classics is one I have not been able to visit yet. The museum is the private collection of Bill and Linda Pratt. There are over 90 vehicles in the collection ranging from 1920 to 2012. If you like cars, this museum is worth a visit.
If you want to see more, visit the Weekly 3.
WHICH AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM WILL YOU VISIT NEXT?
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.
Explore Automotive Museums in
KANSAS
Midwest Dream Car Collection
Midwest Dream Car Collection began as the private collection of Ward and Brenda Morgan. Through their vision, passion, and generosity, the museum opened to the public in the spring of 2019 and later became a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Explore Automotive Museums in
UTAH
Automotive Addiction
Automotive Addiction offers guided tours in their two mall locations. There are rare and exotic cars on display, many of which are being stored by vehicle owners.
Explore Automotive Museums in
TEXAS
Bill’s Backyard Classics
Bill’s Backyard Classics has vehicles that take you back in time. Their current inventory consists of over 100 vehicles. These include cars and trucks, all kinds of makes and models that span a period from the 1920s to 2012.
Check out Past Newsletters
Automotive Museums Milestones
There is always some sort of milestone that can be achieved. Sometimes, you may not even realize it's a milestone until it happens.
‘Tis the Season of Automotive Museums
There are a lot of automotive museums with seasonal hours. This could be staffing constraints, weather, seasonal tourist locations, etc.
The Rise of Automotive Museum Admission
Free automotive museums are great. There are not that many options, but there are a few, usually with limited hours, and in most cases, donations are encouraged or at least greatly appreciated.
Automotive Museums & SWEEPSTAKES
A few years ago, I did my first sweepstakes for Miles Through Time Automotive Museum.
There Is Always Something More To Discover
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The World Lost Some Amazing Visionaries
Unfortunately, museum founders passing away is inevitable. What happens next can sometimes be very disappointing.
Visit An 11,000 sqft. Museum To A Museum With Over 400 Vehicles
This week, I've got three automotive museums to share with you that are all incredibly different from each other.
From Tesla to Offroad Passion
The odds are you have some sort of automotive passion running through your veins. You do not need to start a museum, but visiting automotive museum will help feed your passion.
From Collections like Jay Leno’s to Truck Stops and Jurassic Parks
There is always the option to just display a bunch of cars in a room, but that can be boring, and will probably be difficult to keep people visiting overtime.
Automotive History From Around The World
The Automotive Museum Guide shows you where automotive museums are all over the world.