A heads up for any car oriented future Florida visitors, just remember to leave, traffic sucks.
Too many hurricanes, too much humidity, and too many humans per hectare for me to stay!
***
For posterity, but I'm not including the pictures from the MSN article.
17 Florida Car Museums for Auto Lovers
Story by Alvin James
American Muscle Car Museum©seng1011/Flickr
This Melbourne museum houses Mark Pieloch’s collection of over 400 cars in a massive 123,000 square foot complex. The focus stays squarely on American muscle from the 1950s through 1970s, though modern supercars like the 2022 Ford GT make appearances.
The private museum operates on 42 acres and includes restoration facilities where visitors can watch cars being brought back to life. Not open to the public, but hosts educational tours for schools and assisted living communities.
Revs Institute
©jimculp/Flickr
Located in Naples, this 80,000 square foot facility maintains over 120 historically significant automobiles. The New York Times declared it “the finest sports car collection in America”.
One highlight is the extensive Corvette history section, plus the legendary Porsche 917 race car that dominated championships in the ’70s. The museum operates Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tampa Bay Automobile Museum
©al904/Flickr
This Pinellas Park museum features pioneering designs from Citroën, Daimler, Tatra, and Cord. The collection emphasizes creativity and engineering imagination over pure horsepower.
The museum showcases over 60 meticulously restored vehicles with detailed explanations of their design and manufacturing. European engineering meets American innovation. The museum also houses a replica of James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5.
Classic Car Museum of St. Augustine
©stevenm_61/Flickr
This 30,000 square foot facility in America’s oldest city combines museum space with event hosting. The collection features three rare Tucker automobiles from 1948, when only 51 were ever produced.
The museum’s oldest vehicle is a 1895 Rochet-Schneider. And there’s a café serving coffee and sandwiches for when all that car-gazing works up an appetite. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Orlando Auto Museum
©zombieite/Flickr
This International Drive attraction houses over 1,200 cars spanning automotive history. The museum claims status as Florida’s largest automobile museum of any kind.
The James Bond spy car collection steals the show, featuring vehicles from “Goldfinger,” “The Spy Who Loved Me,” and “The World Is Not Enough”. Movie cars include multiple Batmobiles and the DeLorean from “Back to the Future Part II.” All this spans 250,000 square feet of display space.
Tallahassee Automobile Museum
©friedebach/Flickr
This museum connects people with history through one of the nation’s largest automobile collections, operating since 1996. The collection ranges from a 1860 horse-drawn funeral hearse to three different Batmobiles.
But cars are just the beginning here. The museum also houses Native American artifacts, antique appliances, and pianos. Founded by collector DeVoe Moore, who started customizing cars in high school.
Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
©13539555@N00/Flickr
“Big Daddy” Don Garlits established this Ocala museum to celebrate drag racing’s evolution from hot rodding to high-tech speed machines. The museum displays about 90 racing cars in the Drag Race Building and another 50 vehicles in the Antique Car Building.
Garlits’ famous “Swamp Rat” cars occupy places of honor, representing nearly 40 incarnations of his most successful design. The museum also houses the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
Dauer Museum of Classic Cars
©myoldpostcards/Flickr
This Sunrise museum showcases over 55 classic cars from 1906 to 2020, including Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley models. The experience feels like entering a time machine.
The museum recreates historical settings with features like a replica 1934 Texaco gas station. Beyond cars, displays include antique television broadcasting equipment and a transmission electron microscope. Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Brumos Collection
©jeffbpictures/Flickr
Located in Jacksonville, this museum evolved from a racing team and Porsche dealership into a shrine to automotive innovation. The collection starts with a 1894 Peugeot and includes Porsche racing cars from 1953 through 2017.
The museum is divided into two sections: early racing innovations and dedicated Porsche history. Digital kiosks in front of every car provide detailed information about each vehicle’s significance. Still smells faintly of motor oil and victory.
Elliott Museum
©craigknapp_photographer/Flickr
This Stuart museum features the coolest automotive storage system in America — a three-level robotic racking system that retrieves cars like a giant vending machine. More than 100 vehicles showcase transportation’s impact on American culture.
Notable vehicles include a reproduction 1886 Benz Patent Motor Wagon, a 1903 Stanley Steamer Runabout, and a 1905 REO Roadster. The museum also houses art collections and baseball memorabilia. Named after inventor Sterling Elliott, who held over 125 automotive patents.
Sarasota Classic Car Museum
©jonmcclintock/Flickr
Recognized as the second oldest continuously operating antique car museum in the nation. The museum recently relocated but maintains its reputation for quality classic vehicle displays.
The collection includes over 75 vintage cars from makers like Bentley, Alfa Romeo, Cadillac, and Ferrari. Features a reproduction of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral carriage that appeared on the History Channel.
The Collection on Palmetto
©kenlane/Flickr
This Clearwater museum operates as a non-profit foundation dedicated to showcasing technology and innovation in early automobiles and engines. The facility displays early American automobiles alongside industrial engines.
The collection emphasizes educational value over sheer volume. Notable vehicles include a 1906 Winton Model K. Perfect for visitors who appreciate the mechanical artistry behind automotive development.
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
©jpellgen/Flickr
Located right at Daytona International Speedway, this museum honors individuals who made significant impacts in motorsports. The facility showcases the lives and achievements of inductees across the broad spectrum of racing vehicles.
Being at the speedway adds authenticity you can practically taste in the air. The museum includes a section dedicated to the Daytona 500, one of racing’s most prestigious events.
Ragtops Motorcars Museum
©myoldpostcards/Flickr
This museum evolved from a premier destination for special interest automobiles housed in an 8,000 square foot facility. While not as large as it once was, the same wave of nostalgia washes over visitors.
The collection focuses on unique motorcars that tell stories from automotive history. Each vehicle represents a piece of the past that sparks memories and connections to bygone eras.
Museum 66
©kb35/Flickr
This tribute to America’s Mother Road showcases vehicles that traveled the famous Route 66 highway. The collection focuses on cars, trucks, and motorcycles that defined cross-country travel during the road’s golden era.
The museum captures the romance of the open road when Route 66 connected dreams with destinations across America.
Edison Ford Museum
©stevenm_61/Flickr
This Fort Myers museum showcases invention and innovation artifacts alongside antique automobiles. The collection prominently displays Thomas Edison’s 1916 Model T and a 1914 Model T calliope.
The museum connects automotive history with broader American innovation. Additional vintage Ford vehicles demonstrate how the automobile transformed American society. The connection between Edison’s electrical innovations and automotive development creates a fascinating historical context.
Museum of Speed
©hugo90/Flickr
This attraction focuses on vehicles built purely for velocity rather than practicality. The collection spans from early land speed record attempts to modern drag racing machines.
- Vintage racing motorcycles
- Land speed record cars
- Experimental racing prototypes
- Speed equipment and memorabilia.
The museum demonstrates humanity’s obsession with going faster, from the first horseless carriages to today’s rocket-powered vehicles.
***
Where the rubber meets the road
©friedebach/Flickr
These museums prove that Florida’s love affair with automobiles runs deeper than just having great driving weather. From drag racing legends to European engineering marvels, the state preserves automotive history in all its chrome-covered glory.
