Art, the King, and Fire. Yes, these are all automotive museums
“Car museum” is the shortest and easiest way to identify a place that may have some cool cars to see. It’s a great search term.
Jul 19, 2026
Towards the end of 2005, I turned 21 years old, which is also when I met my future wife, Torie. There wasn’t a whole lot else going on in my life. I was working full-time with Pepsi, trying to finish my degree and halfway through my first enlistment contract.
Mel Martin, on the other hand, had already established himself as an expert mechanic. A very successful real estate developer and avid car collector.
In 2005 Mel created Martin Auto Museum. I’ve had the privilege of spending some time with Mel and what he has created is special. I’ve been able to visit the current location, but just Miles Through Time Automotive Museum, he had humbler beginnings.
Mel has amassed a huge collection of cars that even includes one of the uber-rare Tuckers. If you’re a Tucker fan like me, you’ll want to visit just to see #1021.
Back in 2005 again, Chick-Fil-A had been serving their breakfast menu for one year. Truett Cathy, the founder, was 84 years and had quite the car collection he accumulated over the years.
Unfortunately, Truett passed away in 2014 at the age of 93, and many of his cars went to auction as so many do under similar circumstances. However, a few were kept and could be considered a pleasant surprise if you visit the Chick-Fil-A Backstage Tour.
This is definitely not your typical car museum, and it really isn’t a “car museum,” but it is an impressive car collection curated by a man with a vision who had tremendous success in his life.
Surprisingly enough, despite living in the Atlanta metro, I have not had time to visit Chick-Fil-Backstage Tour. It is on my list though, and if I can find the right person to talk to, there could be some synergy with Miles Through Time. I have a vision. 😉
Back in 2005, Marshall Belden Sr.’s Canton Classic Car Museum had already been open for 27 years, and sadly, Mr. Beden had been gone for 10 years.
It’s great to see Marshall’s vision stay alive so many decades after he’s been gone, which unfortunately is uncommon in the “car museum” world, but only because so many “museums” are really private collections.
There’s nothing really wrong with that, but it does almost always put an expiration date on the museum, which is something I admittedly avoid.
Sometimes you never really know what the future will be. I believe it is always best to go do what you can now, rather than put anything off. Whether it is the museum you’re considering visiting, or something else in your life, it’s best to just do it.
If you want to see more, visit the Weekly 3.
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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.
Created in 2005, the Martin Auto Museum is the brainchild of owner and founder Mel Martin. Mel saw a need to share a collection of vehicles that represent significant periods in automotive history.
Truett Cathy was known for his huge car collection, most of which has been auctioned off to raise funds for charity, but there is still a collection of 20+ vehicles you can see on display at Chick-fil-A Backstage Tour.
The Canton Classic Car Museum was established by the late Marshall Belden, Sr in 1978. The museum currently exhibits forty rare and unusual classic and special interest automobiles.
“Car museum” is the shortest and easiest way to identify a place that may have some cool cars to see. It’s a great search term.
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
The Weekly 3I 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...
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.
Just about every museum’s mission is some version of preserving and sharing automotive history, which is true and necessary.
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.
I would argue that sometimes a car museum is just a car museum, but the best are all 3.
If you need an excuse to ride or drive somewhere, just open up the MAP and find a museum to visit.
Visit as many museums as you can. Volunteer if possible. Become an advocate. If you have a collection or even just one car or priceless knowledge, share it.
It’s funny how often I get asked why I do the things I do. Why did I start Miles Through Time Automotive Museum?
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