USA TODAY 10Best
Museum of American Speed named Best Attraction for Car Lovers
Best Attraction for Car Lovers (2021)
If you’re a car geek, the USA is packed with places that celebrate these marvels of engineering. From car museums and factory tours to behind-the-wheel driving experiences and live auctions, these ten attractions should be on every automobile enthusiast’s bucket list.
The full list of winners is as follows:
- The Revs Institute - Naples, Fla.
- Mullin Automotive Museum - Oxnard, Calif.
- America's Car Museum - Tacoma, Wash.
- Antique Automobile Club of America Museum - Hershey, Penn.
- Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum - Philadelphia
- Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum - Birmingham, Ala.
- Mecum Auctions - Multiple Locations
- National Corvette Museum - Bowling Green, Ky.
- Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auctions - Multiple Locations
- Museum of American Speed - Lincoln, Neb.
Photo courtesy of The Revs Institute
No. 10:
The automobiles showcased at the Revs Institute in Naples are among the most important and rarest built, almost all meticulously restored to peak operational condition. Visitors can see more than 100 vehicles from 1896 to 1995, including a 1939 Mercedes W154 Grand Prix, Panhard et Lavassor Wagonette and the first Porsche 550-01.
Photo courtesy of Mullin Automotive Museum
No. 9:
This privately owned automobile in Oxnard, California showcases the personal collection of philanthropist Peter W. Mullin, with a focus on French coachbuilders. While the 46,000-square-foot museum is temporarily closed, it is typically open to the public for a few days each month. While the museum is closed, fans can follow the museum on Instagram for virtual docent-led tours of the collection.
Photo courtesy of America's Car Museum
No. 8:
America’s Car Museum celebrates the automobile with a collection of some 250 vehicles spanning more than a century of automotive history, as well as another 100 automobiles on loan from private collections. The museum is currently closed, but the ACM team has put together several at-home, automotive-inspired activities. Fans can support the museum while it’s closed by becoming a member or making a donation.
No. 7:
The AACA Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute, celebrates the automobile through a series of vintage cars on display and interactive exhibits covering cars, motorcycles and other automobiles from the 1890s to the 1980s. The collection currently includes some 150 vehicles, with 85 to 100 on display at any given time. While the museum is temporarily closed, supporters can visit virtually through the website, read items from the Museum Best Reads virtual bookshelf or try out some at-home STEAM activities geared toward kids.
Photo courtesy of R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia
No. 6:
The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia celebrates “The Spirit of Competition” with a collection of more than 65 historically significant cars, ranging from Ferrari and Bugatti to Corvette and Ford, collected by Frederick A. Simeone over the course of five decades.
Photo courtesy of Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
No. 5:
More than a quarter million people pass through the doors of the Barber Motorsports Museum each year to enjoy the collection of some 1,600 vintage motorcycles, of which around 890 are on display at any given time. The collection includes 113 Harley-Davidsons and 55 vintage Lotus cars. The museum is currently open and following public safety guidelines.
Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions
No. 4:
Car lovers get to see some of the world’s most coveted cars at the Mecum Auction. The company averages more than one auction per month (rotating between cities across the U.S.), giving auto enthusiasts plenty of opportunities to watch all the action of this collector car auction. Mecum On Time has brought the auction online, with automotive-themed collectibles posted in new auction sessions each week.
Photo courtesy of National Corvette Museum
No. 3:
The Corvette, America's legendary sports car, is manufactured only in Bowling Green, and the city also plays host to the National Corvette Museum. Here automobile enthusiasts will find a collection of more than 80 Corvettes in period settings alongside numerous interactive exhibits. Visitors can even snap a selfie behind the wheel of a 2015 Stingray.
Photo courtesy of Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction
No. 2:
Even if you’re not in the market for a classic car, the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction is a must for car lovers who get to see some hundreds of high-end autos on the auction block at their events around the country each year. There’s a bit of everything, from prewar classics and American muscle cars to souped-up hot rods and exotic vehicles, and the bidding makes for excellent people-watching.
Photo courtesy of Museum of American Speed
No. 1:
The Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed showcases history-making cars, from Indy 500 racers to one of the world’s largest collection of exotics. Museum exhibits cover topics beyond cars, including engines, toys, pedal cars and driving safety.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winners!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Jonathon Ramsey
Freelancer Jonathon Ramsey writes about anything... Read More
Freelancer Jonathon Ramsey writes about anything with wheels and all the places those wheels can go. Stories of taking a Wrangler 26,000 miles for whale and chicken tenders on the Arctic Sea, wrestling with Godzilla and burnouts in Australia, romping through spas and apple martinis in St. Moritz in an Aston Martin, and being an over-the-road trucker have landed in the pages of Car and Driver, Autoblog, The Drive, Boston magazine, and Daily Variety. He is now building a rig called the Jambulance and a trailer named Stig to make a 10,000-mile drive to the Northwest Territories to go jiggling. He has no idea what jiggling is, but it sounded like too much fun to decline. He has a website-in-eternal-progress at www.jrr.global.
Jonathon Ramsey
Freelancer Jonathon Ramsey writes about anything with wheels and all the places those wheels can go. Stories of taking a Wrangler 26,000 miles for whale and chicken tenders on the Arctic Sea, wrestling with Godzilla and burnouts in Australia, romping through spas and apple martinis in St. Moritz in an Aston Martin, and being an over-the-road trucker have landed in the pages of Car and Driver, Autoblog, The Drive, Boston magazine, and Daily Variety. He is now building a rig called the Jambulance and a trailer named Stig to make a 10,000-mile drive to the Northwest Territories to go jiggling. He has no idea what jiggling is, but it sounded like too much fun to decline. He has a website-in-eternal-progress at www.jrr.global.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
