Just 30 minutes south of Seattle’s city center, the LeMay America’s Car Museum in Tacoma is 165000 square feet. That’s a pretty big garage! With over 350 cars on display, this museum tracks the history of classic cars from the early 20th century all the way up to today’s super cars. There’s lecture halls, a car clubhouse, and outdoor space for car auctions and shows. It opened in 2012, and since that time it’s even opened 2 satellite locations. America’s Car Museum is a destination spot for anyone who’s into cars, classic or new. In fact, it’s such a destination it’s considered one of the top ten car museums in the entire world.
One exhibit that really presents the American obsession with cars is the Ford F-150 series pickup truck. The exhibit traces the 67-year history of the F-150 and how it impacted American culture. After all, it was only a couple decades ago that American car manufacturers were still some of the biggest employers in the country. Other cool staples at the museum are the Ferrari exhibit, the 1960’s British and American car display, and the antique luxury car exhibit. LeMay’s even has a Baker Electric: an electric car created by an Ohio-based car company. It was sold around the turn of the 20th century, when electric cars were way more popular than gasoline-powered cars. Yup – we’ve had electric cars since the late 19th century – it’s not a new trend, it’s a really old recycled one.
When you’ve finished wandering around this absolutely monster-sized car garage, Washington is home to several other transportation museums that are a lot of fun. Check them out!