This Museum shows cars from movies, presidential, racing and famous people. Not only does it show cars but also has memorialbelia from different eras...Presidential, war & rock stars. It has something for the entire family.
Even though the word "auto" is in the title it is so much more. I'm not a car fan but this little museum was a huge surprise. Such a varied collection....movie, famous people, Kennedy,Lincoln, and more. Great way to spend an afternoon in northern Illinois.
I took my father there and we both thoroughly enjoyed walking through, reading the background on the displays and talking about some of the eras
The hours change dramatically from season to season, for the price it is well worth a look see. They have a very unique and in depth selection of autos and related material to each story and time period. Also an area of local personalities.
a cool and interesting museum! great wax of presidents and a lot of historic cars!! a must see for all history lovers!
Interesting little museum but I wonder about the authenticity of their displays. One item in particular stood out to me since I'm familiar with similar fake autographs. They show what is supposed to be an autograph of Sitting Bull on a playing card stamped "$1 SOUVENIR 1884 BUFFALO BILL CODY'S WILD WEST SHOW". They claim cards like it were used as show souvenirs. This is an obvious fake since Sitting Bull was only with Buffalo Bill's Wild West for a few months in the summer of 1885. How did they get him to sign souvenirs a year before he was with the show? The show was known as "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" and the words "Cody" and "Show" were never used in any advertising. In 1884 admission to the show was 10 cents. $1 would have been a very expensive souvenir. It would be like paying $50 for a ticket to Dixie Stampede and buying a Dolly Parton autographed souvenir for $500. And the idea of signing playing cards for souvenirs is just silly. Most of the cards in a deck couldn't be used because there's no room for "autographs" around the suit symbols or on face cards. Are other displays genuine or are they reproductions only claiming to be genuine? It's really is fun to see all the cars. If any of them are reproductions they are well done and still look good.
I stumbled upon this museum while on the internet. It truly is a journey through time. It's not just a car museum. This is a collection of Americana and beyond. Some of the things here should be in the Smithsonian Museum in D.C as they're one of a kind and priceless. Things like John Wayne's personal items.Sitting Bulls autograph on a playing card. Dillingers death mask. A 1800's hearse. A huge assortment of President Kennedy's personal items. President Lincolns personal items and on and on. Historic cars. Cars from TV shows like Sanford and Son and Andy Griffith. There's just too much to list here. There's no signs or advertisement alerting you to this museum. The museum is located just north of Rockford, IL in Roscoe in a industrial park. Admission at the time was $13.00 and It's open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and mostly weekends through November. I loved this place and will gladly return. If your in the area you owe it to yourself to come and check this fantastic museum out.
I've been before, but after talking my husband into taking a trip to the USA I was keen for him to visit. Must admit having only visited a few years ago I wasn't expecting much change. Well how wrong could I be - there were new exhibitions and so many things I'd forgotten. We both had a wonderful visit and the gift shop is great.
We've been here multiple times for Father's Day. Every time it seems like the displays have grown. Although I personally have little to no interest in automobiles beyond their immediate function as a conveyance, the museum is full of interesting history that extend into the context of the vehicles displayed that make it a place of interest for people who, like me, really don't know the difference between a six and eight cylinder engine. The museum owns an interesting combination of historic pieces and movie reproductions, which, from my perspective, as a film history enthusiast, were actually more interesting.
I've been there several times, in fact I made a video I was so inspired.You tube has several videos... do a search with "historic auto attractions". Trip advisor has the wrong name listed... They changed their name from "museum" to "attractions" after the 1st year. Wheelchair (smooth cement floors), 1 level ground and wide isles.Attractions fit it better as you will find tons of history objects inside. It will take you a couple of hours or more to visit, so allow plenty of time. Kennedy era is covered in quite detail. WWII vehicles, wax figurines, white house artifacts, Tv memorabilia, racing cars, it's all there. ENJOY.