Antique Car Museum Guide – Virginia Car Museums

You don’t have to go far in the state of Virginia to find an antique car museum. Virginia is home to at least eight (or nine, if you stretch your definition of “car” to include tanks!). Here is a listing of all the vintage car collections I can find information on in Virginia.

The Car and Carriage Caravan Museum at the Luray Caverns traces the history of transportation in America. Items on display include horse-drawn carriages, coaches, wagons, and early automobiles. The automotive collection includes an 1892 Benz, a 1908 Baker Electric, a 1913 Stanley Steamer, and Rudolph Valentino’s 1925 Rolls Royce. You must purchase an admission to the Luray Caverns to get in to the museum. (540) 743 – 6551

The Roaring Twenties Antique Car Museum in Hood features 32 vintage cars on display, mostly from the 1920s and 1930s. The collection includes examples from Carter, Star, Stephen, Cleveland, Hupmobile, Paige, Nash, Essex, Packard and Cadillac. There are also horse-drawn carriages, old farm implements, and period advertising on display. (540) 948 – 6290

The Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke has cars and other vehicles from nearly every decade of the twentieth century. The museum focuses primarily on the railroad industry, but also has an aviation and aerospace section. (540) 342 – 5670

Fred’s Car Museum in Appomattox holds more than sixty five antique cars, dating from 1906 up to 1980. Highlights of the collection include a 1906 Schacht, a 1914 Saxton, a 1920 Piano Box Buggy, a 1936 Packard, and a very rare 1939 Lincoln V-12 limo. (434) 352-0606

The Accomack-Northampton Antique Car Museum in Parksley features a 1922 Durant, a 1935 Auburn, a 1956 Thunderbird, and lots of automobilia. (757) 665 – 6161

Eavers Classic Cars and Collectibles Museum in Staunton has over twenty classic cars on display, including a genuine 1965 Shelby AC Cobra, Elvis Presley’s last Cadillac, and a 1959 Devin sports car. (540) 337 – 1126

Old Cranks Motor Car Museum in Galax has a unique assortment of antique cars including a one-cylinder Orient Buckboard, a Detroit Electric and a Stanley Steamer. (276) 236 – 5114.

The Wood Brothers Racing Museum in Stuart covers 58 years of racing history. You can view the 1971 Purolator Mercury Cyclone, a 1989 Neil Bonnet Thunderbird, and a 1937 Glen Wood Ford Coach. There are also trophies, racing suits and helmets, and tons of other racing memorabilia. (276) 694 – 2121

The AAF Tank Museum in Danville doesn’t have antique cars, but I couldn’t leave them out! Their collection includes 117 tanks and artillery pieces, plus over twenty thousand other military related artifacts dating all the way back to 1509! (434) 836-5323

Quite a variety for the automotive enthusiast to choose from if you are passing through Virginia, or live nearby. As always, call ahead for information on hours and holiday schedules before making the trip.