Love classic cars? Then I have THE BOOK for you. It’s incredible, in-depth, and a true treasure. Written by Michael Milne (we love his site, ChangesInLongitude), this is a passion project like no other.

The destinations covered in the book range from full-throttle collections, like the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Henry Ford Museum, to hidden treasures like the Pontiac-Oakland Museum in Illinois and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Iowa. 

The guide also includes sights like the Dale Trail in “The Intimidator’s” North Carolina hometown, as well as “car-iosities” such as Cadillac Ranch in Texas and Carhenge in Nebraska … which are as wonderfully quirky as they sound.

LeMay America's Car Museum, Tacoma, WA

Whatever your specialty, be it Model Ts, elegant roadsters of the 1920s, the “tail fin” era, muscle cars, or racecars, fans of classic and vintage cars will find all their favorites here. Highly recommended.

We were lucky enough to chat with Michael, and learn about his book, fostering a love for automotive history, and more. Here’s what he had to say.

Please tell us about your book, the Roadster Guide to America’s Classic Car Museums & Attractions…

I love cars of all eras and constantly seek out museums and attractions that showcase them wherever I travel. But there didn’t exist a current, in-depth guide to them – so I created one. 

Along with my wife (and fellow travel writer) Larissa, we spent two years on an epic American road trip, driving cross-country four times, seeking out the best automotive collections that are also open to the public. The result is this comprehensive guide that presents over 225 auto-themed museums and sights from all across America, featuring every era and genre of automobilia. 

Keystone Tractor Works Museum, Colonial Heights, VA

What led to your interest in classic cars?

Ever since I drove my first pedal car as a toddler in Ohio, I’ve been fascinated with automobiles and always noticed when the grown-ups in my neighborhood got a new car. That was the end of the tail-fin era so there was always something interesting coming down the street. My first car as a teenager was a very used ’75 Pontiac Firebird that I’d still like to find someday.

Tucker Torpedo, Dick's Classic Car Garage, San Marcos, TX

How can parents and educators foster a love for automotive history in their kids/students?

America’s automotive history ties so much into the history of the 20th century that it needs to be preserved for future generations. Some car museums get this importance and realize how they need to impart this knowledge to today’s youth. They’reat a crossroads, though. They can no longer just be a large room with shiny cars lined up behind rope barriers with static placards describing them. They need to tell a story that is engaging to the younger generation. Last year, the Washington Post published a story about the potential future demise of classic cars as a hobby. Attendance at any car show reveals the aging out of the typical collector car hobbyist.

It’s more difficult to get kids interested in cars these days, since they are so scheduled in their activities, and spend so much time staring at screens, that a car is just a means of getting from one activity to another. In fact, many teenagers don’t even get their driver’s licenses as soon as they are eligible, a far cry from my day when you were itching for the mobility and freedom that a car provides.

Using educational tools, some museums are fighting this trend. The World of Speed Motorsports Museum in Oregon offers automotive educational curricula for grades pre-K through 12 on it website. Examples include scavenger hunts for the little ones up to educational opportunities for high school students in career and technical education. They team up with a local community college to offer courses such as automotive repair that are disappearing from public schools. When I was a high school student in the ‘70s, many of these courses were regularly offered but now they’ve been replaced.

One of the educational programs offered by the Northwest Vintage Car & Motorcycle Museum (also in Oregon) involves high school students building and restoring Ford Model T speedsters and other vintage vehicles. Making car museums more hands-on bodes well for future trends in the vintage car hobby.

R.E. Olds Transportation Museum, Lansing, MI

We love research! What was it like, researching your book?

Unlike our earlier book, Philadelphia Liberty Trail, where much of the research was historical in nature, most of the research for this book took place on-site at the destinations covered in the book. Be it a colossal collection like the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan, or tracking down Carhenge in a remote section of Nebraska, we were fortunate to see the sights up close and personal.

Carhenge, NE

What was the most surprising thing you found, while researching and writing your book?

How automotive history permeates so many aspects of American life and culture. There’s an anecdote about Henry Ford in the book that really highlights the industrious nature of the automotive pioneer. The frames of early Model Ts were made out of wood. Ford took the leftover scraps and developed a method of creating charcoal briquettes out of them, even building a charcoal factory for that purpose. Originally called Ford Charcoal, the name was later changed to Kingsford, the ubiquitous brand that is seen at almost any backyard barbecue. While the book brings readers to more than 225 vintage car sights, it also highlights quirky facts like this from America’s automotive history.

NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte, NC

What's the best advice you can give to someone about visiting the attractions in the book?

I’d select a cluster of sights that are of interest and plan a road trip around them. For example, in one day along Route 66 in New Mexico you can visit the Route 66 Auto Museum, Russell’s Truck & Travel Plaza, with its wonderful vintage car collection, the Lewis Antique Auto & Toy Museum, where hundreds of old cars are basking in the sun, and the Unser Racing Museum.

Another potential road trip is to central Pennsylvania on what I call the Pennsylvania Tucker Trail. In one day car buffs can see five Tuckers, three of them are at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey while two more, including the prototype of this rare vehicle, are located two hoursaway at the William E. Swigart, Jr. Auto Museum.

Tampa Bay Automobile Museum Tatra

Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

The book is available on Amazon or by reaching out to me directly at Michael[at]ChangesInLongitude.com.

Toy cars at the Museum of Automobiles in Morrilton, Arkansas

All photos courtesy and copyright Michael Milne