America’s love of the automobile spans many decades, centuries, and generations. Car museums connect the past, present, and future of the automobile. Some of them specialize in specific time periods, while others focus on niche classes. Regardless, there’s a car museum for every enthusiasts, here’s our bucket list recommendations.
The Henry Ford
Dearborn, Michigan
Sprawling over 25 acres, the Henry Ford includes the Henry Ford Museum of Innovation, as well as an immersive experience knowns as the Greenfield Village. This unique ‘village’ will send you back to Detroit boom era, you can even take a ride along in a Ford Model T.
America’s Packard Museum
Dayton, OH
Visit the largest public collection of Packards automobiles in the world at America’s Packard Museum. View 50 Packards in an actual Packard dealership that even has the original fixtures. This museum also offers educational programs and hosts private events.
Blackhawk Museum
Danville, California
This is not an exclusive automotive museum, but it does have an impressive classic car collection on display. The collection is high-end and priceless, with an emphasis on historically significant vehicles from all over the globe.
Petersen Automotive Museum
Los Angeles, California
It goes without saying that every car enthusiast needs to visit the Petersen Auto Museum once in their lives. Their exhibits are changed frequently to feature different themes and collections, so really, you could visit the Petersen several times, even several times a year and you’ll see something new each time. Occupying an entire city block, plan on spending the whole day when you plan your visit.
Gilmore Car Museum
Hickory Corners, MI
The Gilmore Car Museum currently holds the title of being the largest auto museum in North America, with over 400 vehicles on exhibit, and 190,000 square feet of display space. Walk through the history of America through the automobile, and learn about collecting, preserving, and interpreting the automobile.
