Just as foodies may plan their travels around visiting a certain restaurant or winery, car-lovers like me try to play our travels so we might visit a car museum or auto collection. Here are three great car museums here in the United States:
The Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas
Located on the enclosed top floors of the parking garage of the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the Imperial Palace car collection is now run by an outside auto sales and auction company, and the museum is one of the few car museums where everything is for sale. If you do well enough in the casino, you can take your winnings upstairs and drive off in a classic.
The collection was opened in 1981, and I’ve visited many times. There are always about 200 interesting cars, a nice range of celebrity cars, race cars, and other custom and rare vehicles. The collection changes, but there’s also always some interesting political cars. The last time I was there, they had American presidential limos as well as cars from Mussolini and the emperor of Japan. They have a separate room filled with Duesenbergs, which are breathtaking. Adult tickets are $8.95, kids and seniors are $5, and the collection is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tip: Free tickets are readily available – check in front of the casino doors on Las Vegas Boulevard. There are usually hotel employees passing out flyers with free tickets to encourage people to come into the casino. A free ticket is also available for printing on the Collection’s website.
The Auto Collections (inside the Imperial Palace)
3535 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, NV
autocollections.com
Petersen Automotive Museum
The Petersen Museum is located in Los Angeles and was started by the visionary publisher Robert Petersen and his wife Margie. Petersen created Hot Rod Magazine and many other automotive publications. Their donation of over $30 million helped establish the museum, which has really come into its own in the past few years. After starting out as a just a bunch of cool cars, the museum now has themed exhibits and exhibitions celebrating all things automotive.
Exhibits on legendary driver Phil Hill, another on scooters, and one on supercars show the museum’s diversity. Adult admission is $10, kids are $5. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The museum is almost across the street from the great Los Angeles County Museum of Art, making it easy to visit both in the same afternoon.
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
petersen.org
Blackhawk Museum
Just outside San Francisco, the Blackhawk Museum shows featured vehicles from the Blackhawk Collection, known worldwide as one of the finest collections in the world. This is not mainly modern cars; these are classic vehicles from the first part of the 20th century, cars that are featured in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and other highbrow auto shows. They are known as “coachbuilt” because they were built by separate companies. One company would build the chassis and engine, another was known for auto bodies, and others were known to fit out the interior. I’ve seen the cars at different shows and events, and they are works of art. The museum displays about 100 cars, along with a rotating exhibitions.
Blackhawk Museum
3700 Blackhawk Plaza Drive, Danville, CA
blackhawkmuseum.org
Freddy Sherman is a world traveler and editor of the travel blog travel4people.com. Follow him on Twitter @thefredsherman.
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