Extremely Quirky Destinations For Santa Clarita Residents To Visit –  The California Automobile Museum

Whether you are a history buff, a car enthusiast or both, the California Automobile Museum is the perfect quirky destination.

Embark on a thrilling journey with KHTS as we continue our multi-part series, uncovering the most unusual and exciting destinations for Santa Clarita residents to visit on their “quirky” getaway.

In the 55th part of the series , we will visit the California Museum in Sacramento, California .

The California Automobile Museum has over 130 cars and rotating exhibits yearly.

Past exhibits include “Rucas y Carruchas: Ladies in Lowriders,” the “Wood is Good” National Woodie Club and “Reel Cars,” which highlighted the importance of cars in filmmaking.

The cars on display are organized chronologically and represent a diverse range of vehicles driven in California over the past 120 years.

Although visitors can enjoy the museum on their own, docents are on hand to provide complimentary, individualized tours. If you have a big party, there are group tours and school tours.

The museum also hosts “Sunday Drives” on the third Sunday of every month, where visitors can ride in one of five museum cars for free with admission.

Another unique thing the California Automobile Museum offers is a wide variety of classes, from Model T driving to muscle car tune-ups.

Plus, there are designated story times where guests are transported into a world of engines, tires and the open road.

None of these would have been possible if not for the Towe Ford Museum.

Edward Towe’s personal collection, which included one of almost every Ford car ever made, from the pre-Model T to the Pinto, was shown to the public for the first time on May 1, 1987.

When it first opened, people from all over came to the Museum, and it did very well. However, in the mid-1990s, the IRS put a lien on the cars because of a tax dispute with Mr. Towe. When nobody was willing to buy the vehicles, the largest and most complete collection of Fords was put up for auction.

The Museum nearly met its demise when the Towe Ford Collection was sold at auction in 1997. Following the sale of the collection, the museum opened as the Towe Auto Museum near the banks of the Sacramento River, just below Old Town. It started showing cars of all makes and models, telling a much bigger story of the history of the car.

The Museum no longer had the Towe Collection, so in 2009, the Board of Directors officially changed its name to the California Automobile Museum. This change reflects the Museum’s larger mission over the last 35 years, which is to teach, entertain, preserve, and promote the automobile and how it affects our lives.

People can learn about cars by looking at the displays that surround many of them. These displays tell the story of how the car has changed our lives over time.

The California Automobile Museum owns about half of the cars on display. The other half are owned by private exhibitors. A few of the cars are on loan for one month, while others are there for five years. This means that the display is constantly changing.

So, if you want to experience the history of hundreds of cars on your quirky getaway, head to Sacramento to visit the California Automobile Museum.

Here is last week’s destination – The Bookhouse Hotel

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