Planning a vacation? Museums are a great addition to any trip — and here’s a lineup of the best transportation museums in every state you can drive to.

By Bruce Hampson

t’s said that Americans have a love affair with their cars, but that’s only partially true. What we have is a love affair with personal transportation — and with the freedom to point those machines in any direction we choose, whenever we choose. Americans love to travel — and when it comes to travel, mostly we love to drive to where we’re going.

That was just as true before the pandemic as it is today. There’s a reason for that: The United States is a big place. The lower 48 states occupy more than 3,119,884 square miles, and more than 2.95 million square miles of that is contiguous land. Add in Alaska — which we can also drive to and through — and the numbers grow another 20% or so. That’s a lot of real estate.

That’s really the biggest difference between RVers in America and our European counterparts. Stateside, we think nothing of traveling from, say, San Diego, California, to Yellowstone National Park for a vacation; it’s a trip of roughly 1,100 miles in each direction. Put another way, it’s about the same distance as Rome, Italy, is to Madrid, Spain. That’s not a drive many Europeans take.

In fact, the sheer size of America is something most European RVers can’t wrap their arms around. Heck, the state of Oregon, all by itself, is larger in area than the United Kingdom. The state of Montana is 9,000 square miles larger than Germany. It’s a big place. And that’s also why we like big vehicles, from sedans and SUVs to pickup trucks and RVs — because when you travel for long distances, you like to do it in comfort.

So, yea, we love our vehicles. Cars and motorcycles may not have been invented in America, but people like Henry Ford, William Harley and three guys with the last name of Davidson — Walter, Arthur and William — put them in people’s garages. As for flight, the birthplace of aviation is Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, while railroads did more in their era for moving people than any other conveyance. America’s rail and highway systems are second to none.

Given all that, the staff of RV Enthusiast wondered just how many states paid homage to transportation with museums and vehicle collections. The answer, as we discovered, was quickly evident: all of them, in one fashion or another.

So, we decided to put together a lineup of the best.

The rules were simple: identify the best automotive, air and rail museums, state by state. Then, of course, we broke the rules, because some RVE staffers are just as enamored with motorcycles as they are with four-wheeled vehicles. You’ll also find a firefighting museum in here, along with a repository of John Deere tractors, because, well, we thought they were cool. We did manage to hold the line on space and maritime museums, because adding them to the mix would have made a difficult task completely unmanageable. Either or both may show up in a future list if you like what we’ve done here and would like to see more.

Keep in mind that this lineup is completely subjective. After scrolling through literally thousands of web pages and social media sites during a week-long odyssey to compile this list, we had to choose just two from each state — so a lot of interesting places were left on the cutting-room floor. This was especially a problem with a state like Florida, home to such historical automotive repositories as the Sarasota Classic Car Museum, the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum and even Don Garlits’ Museum of Drag Racing. All are places we’d visit in a New York minute — and none are included here. And, since this list trends towards overlooked jewels, we sometimes ignored the obvious for the understated.

We also shied away from museums focusing on the exploits of just one person. Hence, we bypassed stockcar hotshoe Mark Martin’s museum in Batesville, Arkansas, the Evel Knievel museum in Topeka, Kansas, the Penske Racing Museum in Phoenix, Arizona…and a lot of others.

This is not, by the way, a travelogue. RV Enthusiast leaves the fluffy travel stories to the other guys, so don’t expect to see page upon page memorializing where we went, what we did and what we ate and drank. This list simply provides a short overview of what we feel are the top transportation museums across this huge country, interesting places that should be on your radar when outlining your next vacation. The roads you take to get there, what you see, what else you do — it’s all up to you. And, while we’ve also included a possible RV park to stay at near the primary museum for each state, we haven’t vetted any of them. While each tends to own exemplary reviews, they — like the museums — are only suggestions. We just planted the seed; it’s up to you as to whether it grows into anything.

Hopefully, it will. While few new transportation museums have opened of late, a number have been shuttered, from the Yanke Motor Museum in Boise, Idaho, to the Arizona Open Wheel Racing Museum in Phoenix and the once-amazing Tupelo (Mississippi) Automobile Museum with its 174 cars. We’re all the poorer for it when these historical machines are taken off public display. Visit as many as you can, while you can.

Just be sure to call ahead to ensure the museum is open. Exhibits often change and museums sometimes close temporarily if the transition requires more than simply moving vehicles; others have adjusted their hours due to the pandemic. Also, prices noted are for adult admission; most museums have lower fees for younger enthusiasts and may offer family passes.

Be sure to tune in next month for part two of Planes, Trains and Automobiles — we still have literally half of America yet to explore!

You’ll find plenty of vintage automobiles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum — including the world’s largest collection of Lotus racecars — but the multi-level museum’s true attraction is its dedication to the international history of the motorcycle. Founded by racer George Barber and now run as a tax-exempt foundation, the museum has more than 1,600 motorcycles in its collection that span more than 100 years. Some 200 different manufacturers from 20 countries are represented, with more than 900 motorcycles on display at any time. Restored to original condition, it’s said 99% of them can be run within an hour’s time. $16.50.

• Also worth a visit: The International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Talladega (motorsportshalloffame.com): This six-building campus is home to more than 100 historic vehicles from various worlds of racing; it also includes the 14,000-volume McCaig-Wellborn Motorsports Research Library, said to be the most comprehensive collection of motorsports information on Earth. $12

Where to stay: Hoover Met Complex RV Park, Hoover (hoovermetcomplex.com/rv-park/).

If all the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum offered was its world-class collection of vintage automobiles, it would be well worth a visit — but the museum also includes exhibits of period fashions plus photos, accessories and videos heralding back to the golden age of personal transportation, from Victorian times through the Art Deco era. Nearly 100 rare and historical vehicles are on display, including several that are said to be the only surviving models of their kind ever built. Part of the Wedgewood Resort. $15.

• Also worth a visit: Pioneer Air Museum, Fairbanks (pioneerair.museum): Devoted to preserving the heritage of aviation in interior and arctic Alaska aviation. $5.

Where to stay: River’s Edge Resort, Fairbanks (riversedge.net)

Spanning 80 acres — including an amazing outdoor display of dozens of vintage and modern aircraft and six indoor hanger exhibits (three dedicated to WWII) that, together, encompass more than 250,000 square feet of space — the Pima Air & Space Museum is the largest air museum in America. Want to view a B-29 Superfortress, the heralded bomber of WWII, or the SR-71 Blackbird, the world’s fastest spy plane? More than 400 aircraft are on display, along with galleries centered upon aircraft carriers, women in flight, various bomb groups and dozens of others. There’s also an aerospace gallery, with a capsule from the Apollo 13 movie, a moon rock and more. $16.50.

• Also worth a visit: Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting, Phoenix (hallofflame.org): The world’s largest firefighting museum has more than 100 fully restored piece of fire apparatus on display, dating from 1725 to 2004. $15.

Where to stay: Tucson/Lazydays KOA Resort, Tucson (koa.com/campgrounds/tucson-lazydays)

Housed in three hangers — one of which is a wooden hanger from the 1940s and listed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places — the Arkansas Air & Military Museum’s collection of about two dozen machines includes military aircraft from WWI, WWII and Vietnam. And, many of them still fly. Beyond the aircraft, the museum stages displays of support vehicles, engines, uniforms and patches, artifacts and even weapons. $10.

• Also worth a visit: The Museum of Automobiles, Morrilton (museumofautos.com): First started in 1964 by Wintrop Rockefeller, the original collection was later sold to Bill Harrah. A non-profit reopened the museum in 1976 and today it houses more than 50 vehicles dating from 1904 to 1967, along with an antique gun display, antique arcade exhibit, gas pumps, pedal cars and more. $10.

Where to stay: Hog Valley RV and Treehouse Resort, Fayetteville (hogvalleyrv.com)

Founded by Robert E. Petersen, who came up with the idea for Hot Rod magazine in 1948 and went on to create a publishing empire, “The Petersen” is considered the most important automotive museum in America. Specializing in automotive history, the recently renovated museum continually changes its exhibits — in early October, for example, the museum featured “Bond in Motion,” the official collection of original James Bond vehicles; Supercars: a century of spectacle and speed; Pole Position: the Juan Gonzalez Formula One Collection; and Reclaimed Rust: the James Hetfield Collection. Be sure to tour The Vault, as well — featuring 250 vehicles from around the world. $17.

• Also worth a visit: Nethercutt Museum, Sylmar (nethercuttcollection.org): J.B. Nethercutt was a founder of Merle Norman Cosmetics and had a love of automobiles; more than 250 American and European autos from his collection, dating from 1898 to 1997, are on display — including the 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ Arlington Torpedo Sedan named “Most Elegant” at the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Free.

Where to stay: Hollywood RV Park, Van Nuys (hollywoodrvpark.com).

Begun by J.D. Forney 60 years ago with a 1921 Kissel, the Forney Museum now encompasses more than 600 artifacts relating to transportation — and includes everything from a Union Pacific “Big Boy” steam locomotive to a 1988 Denver Cable Car, a Stutz fire engine, buggies, aircraft and even Amelia Earhardt’s 1923 Kissel “Gold Bug.” Housed in a 70,000-square-foot facility, the museum also features an Indian motorcycle collection, 1923 Case steam tractor and, in a special gallery, transportation art and a 500-piece Matchbox collection. $14.

• Also worth a visit: The Cussler Museum, Arvada (cusslermuseum.com): Anyone who’s ever read a Clive Cussler novel knows the writer appreciates fine automobiles, and this museum started by Cussler features more than 100 significant automobiles of 1906-1965 vintage. $10.

Where to stay: River’s Edge Resort, Fairbanks (riversedge.net)

Few museums can boast of surviving a tornado, but the New England air Museum did in 1979. Now housed in six buildings (including three large exhibit hangers) and an outdoor display area, its more than 100 aircraft range from early flying machines to jets and include the last remaining four-engine American flying Sikorsky VS-44A (donated by actress Maureen O-Hara), a restored B-29 Superfortress and what are said to be the oldest surviving Sikorsky- and Kaman-built aircraft — even an 1870 Silas Brooks balloon basket. The museum also boasts extensive collections of engines, instruments, aircraft parts, uniforms and personal memorabilia. Adjacent to Bradley International Airport. $16.

• Also worth a visit: Connecticut Trolley Museum, East Windsor (ct-trolley.org): The oldest incorporated museum dedicated to electric railroading in the U.S., the museum features more than 70 pieces of equipment dating back to 1869. $10.

Where to stay: Wilderness Lake Campground, Willington (wildernesslakect.com)

Located on the Dover Air Force Base, the Air Mobility Command Museum focuses on an overlooked but critical aspect of U.S. Air Force history: humanitarian airlifts, cargo and air refueling. As such, many of its more than 30 aircraft (housed within one hanger and outdoors) are transport aircraft and include huge machines such as the C-130 Hercules, C-141A and C-141B Starlifter and the KC-97L Stratofreighter. Military fighters include the F-101B Voodoo and B-17G Flying Fortress, among others. The museum also features video and panoramic tours, simulators and exhibits of airlifts during the Korean war and Vietnam. Free.

• Also worth a visit: Marshall Steam Museum, Hockessin (test.auburnheights.org): The museum features the world’s largest operating collection of Stanley steam cars as well as gas- and electric-powered vintage automobiles and scaled-down reproductions of steam locomotives. $8.

Where to stay: Killens Pond State Park, Felton (destateparks.com/PondsRivers/KillensPond)

Housed in a 100,000-square-foot building, the Tallahassee Automobile Museum houses more than 160 vehicles ranging from a 1900 Snell to a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro customized to look like a Pontiac Trans Am. And while the focus is on American musclecars, it also boasts three Batmobiles. There’s an amazing array of other collections, as well, including one of the largest assemblages of Case knives in existence, outboard motors dating back to 1908, boats, adding machines and antique brass cash registers, pedal cars — even a fascinating collection of Steinway pianos. More than just a car museum, the Tallahassee Automobile Museum celebrates Americana. $17.50.

• Also worth a visit: Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, Pinellas Park (tbauto.org): This 18,000-square-foot facility is home to 75 cars, mostly from the 1920s and ’30s, that were specifically chosen for their innovation and engineering. $12.

Where to stay: Tallahassee RV Park, Tallahassee (tallahasseervpark.com)

Opened in 1984 with 20 aircraft displayed on a field, the Museum of Aviation has grown to be the second-largest museum in the U.S. Air Force. Located adjacent to Robins Air Force Base, it encompasses several hangers and outdoor displays, home to about 90 aircraft including the SR-71A Blackbird that set records for speed (2,193 mph) and horizontal flight (86, 069 feet), a P-40N Warhawk, F-4D Phantom II and many more. Popular exhibits include the 14th AF Flying Tigers, the Tuskegee Airmen and the 483rd Bomb Group. Plus, housed in the Century of Flight hanger is the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Free.

• Also worth a visit: Old Car City USA, White (oldcarcityusa.com): This is a place only a gearhead could love — billed as “the world’s largest known classic car junkyard,” it offers 4,000 vehicles in various states of disrepair spread across 34 acres. Bring a camera. $30.

Where to stay: Fair Harbor RV Park, Perry (fairharborrvpark.com)

When John and Sue Paul moved to Boise, Idaho, in 1986, they brought with them two WWII-era planes. As John began restoring a third plane in a local hanger, people gathered to watch — and began leaving boxes of memorabilia. The museum began in that hanger before moving to Nampa in 2000 due to its size. Among its permanent collection are warbirds from WWI through the cold war, including such iconic machines as a P-51C Mustang, P-40E Kittyhawk and F-104 Starfighter. There also are a pair of restored MIGs, and displays also include a half-dozen “visiting” aircraft, along with memorabilia from WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. $14.

• Also worth a visit: Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center, Hayden (http://www.birdaviationmuseum.com): Founded by Dr. Forrest Bird, an inventor and aviation enthusiast, the museum features a rotating number of about 20 aircraft and memorabilia exhibits. The museum stresses the historic achievements of aviators and innovators who helped create modern technology. Free.

Where to stay: Center Point RV Park, Nampa (centerpointrv.com)

It’s called the Volo Auto Museum, but it’s more than cars, which comprise only about half of the 33 unique exhibits. There’s also a display of vintage campers, music machines, vintage snowmobiles — even playable antique arcades. Who doesn’t want to get a fortune from Zoltar (remember the movie Big?). As for the cars, there’s a Duesenberg room, a Batmobile collection, TV and movie cars, special-interest cars, vintage cars and tractors, cars of the rich and famous…the galleries go on and on, including one for finned boats of the ‘50s to vintage bicycles and a half-dozen jets in the aviation exhibit. And be sure to tour Jurassic Gardens. $19.95.

• Also worth a visit: Historic Auto Attractions, Roscoe (historicautoattractions.com/m/index.asp): “Eclectic” is the only way to describe this repository which brands itself as “the place where history meets entertainment” — such as the movie car the duo Bonnie and Clyde (played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty) were killed in to the actual hats the gangsters wore the day they died. There’s also a wealth of unusual memorabilia housed in exhibit rooms including Gangsterland, Movieland and TVLand. $15.

Where to stay: River’s Edge Resort, Fairbanks (riversedge.net)

These two world-class museums are located right next to each other in northeast Indiana, and we can’t imagine touring one without touring the other. Housed inside the Auburn Automobile Co.’s historic 1929 Art Deco building, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg museum honors its namesake cars considered to be works of art — particularly those built during the 1930s — along with other noteworthy machines. More than 120 vehicles are on display, along with related and limited-time exhibits. $12.50. The National Automotive and Truck Museum is likewise housed in an historic structure: the Service & New Parts building and L-29 building where E.L. Cord expanded his automotive empire. Included within the numerous galleries is a recreated Auburn dealership, a Hudson gallery, pedal cars and the Gallery of the American Truck Driver — and among the amazing vehicles on display is the 1953 GM Futurliner #10, one of only 12 built. $10.

• Also worth a visit: The RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum, Elkhart (rvmhhalloffame.org): Even non-RVers will enjoy this glimpse into the history of recreational vehicles, with exhibits including actress Mae West’s 1931 Chevrolet Housecar, a 1937 Hunt Housecar, a 1915 Model T with 1916 “Telescope apartment and dozens more. $12.

Where to stay: Elkhart Campground, Elkhart (elkhartcampground.com)

Founded in 1989, the National Motorcycle Museum has grown from 40 vehicles on display to more than 450. Featured bikes range from a 1909 Royal Pioneer to a Harley-Davidson XR750 “cut-away” bike — considered the most dominant production racer ever built — and even Evel Knievel’s X2 Rocket Bike. Many of the galleries also feature four-wheeled and winged machines, including the STECO Aerohydroplane tucked in amongst pre-1915 motorcycles within the Early American Transportation Innovation exhibit. Other galleries include “Barn Find,” with dusty, rusty and crusty motorcycles set among agricultural and automotive iron, and a 1920s-era gas station. $15.

• Also worth a visit: The John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum, Waterloo (deere.com/en/connect-with-john-deere/visit-john-deere/tractor-and-engine-museum/): Located at the site of its first factory, this museum and exhibits trace the company’s evolution from horse-drawn to horsepower. Free.

Where to stay: Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, Monticello (jellystonemonticello.com)

Between its huge hanger and the tarmac behind it, the Mid-America Air Museum is home to more than 100 aircraft across 80,000 square feet of exhibits, from jet fighters to the smallest-ever aircraft to carry Air Force One designation, a twin-prop Aero Commander L-26 used by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The displays cover more than 90 years of aviation of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The museum is located at the Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport, a former B-24 Liberator pilot training base during WWII. $7.

• Also worth a visit: The Kansas City Automotive Museum, Olathe (kansascityautomuseum.com): The museum rotates through more than 100 vehicles each year, with nearly 40 on display at any time. Each month also features a special gallery. $9.

Where to stay: Western Star RV Ranch, Liberal (travelks.com/listing/western-star-rv-ranch/1645/)

Filled with classic Corvettes, racecars and prototypes, the 115,000-square-foot Corvette Museum showcases more than 80 Corvettes on permanent display from every era since its inception in 1953, as well as ongoing special exhibits. It also features interactive hands-on displays — including a KidZone geared to those age 8 and younger — a C6 Corvette simulator, a viewable maintenance and preservation area and even an exhibit titled “Corvette Cave-in” which tells the story of the sinkhole that opened beneath the museum in 2014 and swallowed eight Corvettes. You can also eat at the Corvette Grill and, if it’s reopened for tours, check out the Corvette assembly plant just a quarter mile away. $15.

• Also worth a visit: Swope Cars of Yesteryear Museum, Elizabethtown (swopemuseum.com): Owned and operated by the Swope Family of Dealerships begun by Bill and Betty Swope, this collection covers 60 years of history with displays of everything from a 1910 Brush to a 1970 Ford Cobra Torino SCJ. Nearly 60 restored vehicles are on display. Free.

Where to stay: Bowling Green KOA Holiday, Bowling Green (koa.com/campgrounds/bowling-green/)

The National WWII Museum features immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences and an expansive collection of artifacts to take visitors inside the story of the war. The Road to Berlin, within the European theater galleries, recreates actual battle settings and villages with crumbling walls, bomb-torn rooftops and a realistic soundscape, while the Pacific Theater galleries include Road to Tokyo, retracing the grueling path to victory by way of New Guinea and Southeast Asia through the Pacific. The two realistic exhibitions include 19 immersive galleries covering 19,000 square feet of space. The museum also includes the John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion, the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, the Hall of Democracy and more. $29.50.

• Also worth a visit: DeQuincy Railroad Museum, DeQuincy (dequincyrailroadmuseum.com): Featuring artifacts from the Kansas City Southern, Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in the original 1923 Kansas City Southern depot. Outside displays include a 1913 steam locomotive; inside, the passenger waiting rooms are filled with displays. Free.

Where to stay: French Quarter RV Resort, New Orleans (fqrv.com)

Said to be the largest operational fleet of its kind in New England, the machines in the Owls Head Transportation Museum aren’t just static displays — these rare originals and historical replicas are maintained and demonstrated year-round. Grouped within various exhibits, the collection of more than 60 ground vehicles (automobiles), aircraft, motorcycles and bicycles include such rarities as an 1898 Leon Bolee Tri-car and 1938 Eliot Cricket III (cars), a 1910 Clark Bi-wing Ornithopter (aircraft), 1922 Royal Enfield (motorcycle) and 1868 Velocipede Boneshaker bicycle. The museum also includes the Lang Education Center of 6,000 books, 3,000 magazines and 10,000 photographs and negatives. $14.

• Also worth a visit: Seal Cove Auto Museum, Mount Desert Island (sealcoveautomuseum.org): If your pleasure is early Brass-Era cars, this is one for you. The museum has more than 50 of these 1890-1919 era cars on display, along with nearly a dozen motorcycles and motorized bicycles from the same period. $10.

Where to stay: Sennebec Lake Campground (sennebeclake.com)

Established at the original site where the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began building America’s first commercial railroad in 1829, the 40-acre B&O Railroad Museum’s collection of locomotives and rolling stock is said to represent “the first, last, best or only of their kind in existence.” They include the B&O No. 5300 “President Washington,” No. 25 “William Mason” and No. 57 steam locomotives, and the B&O No. 51 and CNJ No. 1000 diesel locomotives. You can also take a short trip on the One Mile Express to the museum’s restoration facility or ride the historic 1948 Royal Blue lounge car. The museum includes more than 6,000 historic railroading artifacts as well as the Hays T. Watkins Research Library. $20.

• Also worth a visit: College Park Aviation Museum, College Park (mncppc.org/1593/College-Park-Aviation-Museum): The “birthplace” of military aviation, College Park Airport was established in 1909 so Wilbur Wright could instruct the first military pilots. The museum, an official affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, preserves local history with 10 aircraft relating to the area’s early aviation as well as hosting traveling exhibits and displays. $3.

Where to stay: Ramblin’ Pines Campground, Woodbine (ramblinpinescampground.com)

Most museums focus on one segment of transportation. The American Heritage Museum, on the other hand, not only features nearly 30 automobiles — ranging from the Brass Era to the classics of the 1930s — but also boasts nearly two dozen aircraft, from a 1909 Curtiss Pusher to a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star jet fighter from the Korean War. And, the facility also is the largest military tank museum in the U.S. In fact, it was the donation of the massive collection of tanks, armored vehicles and military artifacts from the family of Jacques M. Littlefield to the Collings Foundation that laid the groundwork for the 65,000-square-foot museum. For an additional cost, you can ride in — or drive — one of several of them. $20.

• Also worth a visit: The Larz Anderson Auto Museum, Brookline (larzanderson.org): Home to “America’s oldest car collection” started by Larz Anderson more than 85 years ago, the museum is located in the original Anderson Carriage House and currently showcases 18 vintage autos from 1899-1959. Two special galleries run through April: Hidden Treasures (seldom seen vehicles) and Born of Necessity, an exhibit of pickup trucks. $12.

Where to stay: Minuteman Campground, Littleton (campatminuteman.com)

The Gilmore Car Museum started in the early 1960s when Donald Gilmore began collecting vintage automobiles; when it opened in 1966, it had 35 cars on display. Today, the 90-acre complex features more than 400 vehicles across 190,000 square feet of exhibit space and also includes six onsite partner museums, a restored and fully functioning diner, a recreated 1930s Shell Station, an 1890s train depot and several recreated automotive dealerships. There are even more than 100 vintage pedal cars on display and one of the largest collections of hood ornaments and automotive mascots ever assembled. Small wonder it’s considered North America’s largest auto museum. $16.

• Also worth a visit: Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Dearborn (thehenryford.org): Of course, it has cars — Henry Ford created the automobile assembly line and put a car in every garage — but there’s so much more to this museum, from race cars to freedom rides, modular houses to microprocessors. $25.

Where to stay: Mountain Glen Park, Kalamazoo (kalcounty.com/parks/markinglen/)

Located on a 500-acre campus, the Veit Automotive Foundation Museum arranges and displays its collection of more than 70 cars and 200-plus rare and unusual gas pumps in vintage-looking barns built to house the vehicles on display. The 4,000-square-foot Long Hay Barn Showroom, for example, shows the museum’s Chevy 1955-, ’56- and ’57 “Tri-Five” collection and about 70 pumps and advertising memorabilia, while the 6,200-square-foot Round Barn Showroom — modeled after a round barn found on Route 66 — is home to a collection of restored 1933 Ford Model 40’s, including the original prototype 1932 Ford Model Y used to develop the Model 40’s, plus vintage fuel pumps, pop coolers and an extensive oil can collection. The 21,000-square-foot Dairy Barn showroom houses a variety of cars plus the museum’s pedal car and scooter collections.

• Also worth a visit: The Shed Automotive Museum, Warroad (theshedwarroad.com): The private collection of Bob Martin, The Shed is a 24,000-square-foot museum that houses about 100 restored cars — mostly musclecars of the ‘60s and ‘70s, from Yenko Camaros to Superbirds. It doesn’t have set hours, so call first. Free.

Where to stay: Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey, Maple Grove (koa.com/campgrounds/minneapolis-northwest/)

Opened in the fall of 2020, the Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum traces the state’s impact upon aviation, including local aviators such as Col. John C. Brown and Apollo and Space Shuttle astronauts. The museum features 33,000 square feet of exhibits in 22 galleries, including homages to the Tuskegee Airmen, Hurricane Hunters, Crop Dusting and the Mississippi Aviation Hall of Fame. The museum also includes a number of hands-on displays and several flight simulators. $14.

• Also worth a visit: McComb Railroad Museum, McComb (mcrrmuseum.com): Called “the best rail museum south of Chicago,” the McComb museum includes several historic rail cars and a 200-ton steam locomotive, one of the largest ever built. The city, in fact, grew out of the railroad maintenance shops Col. Henry S. McComb established north of New Orleans, and the museum preserves its heritage. Free.

Where to stay: Baywood Campground & RV Park (southernrvparks.com)

Said to be “the largest collection of transportation vehicles in the world,” the 42-acre National Museum of Transportation’s rail and transit collections encompass more than 190 major exhibits. Train exhibits include the Union Pacific #4006 “Big Boy” — the largest successful steam engine ever built — and the 6,600-hp, two-engine Union Pacific diesel #6944. The museum owns more than 150 streetcars, locomotives and rail cars. It’s 60-strong transit collection includes buses, trucks, vintage automobiles and such rarities as “Fire Bug,” a car-sized firetruck created by legendary customizer George Barris, a 1923 Stanley Steamer, singer Bobby Darin’s custom “Dream Car” and a 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car. Did we tell you there’s also a towboat, several U.S. Air Force aircraft and a few vintage wagons? $15.

• Also worth a visit: Route 66 Car Museum, Springfield (66carmuseum.com): Guy Mace started collecting cars in 1990 when he bought a Jaguar. Now, his collection of more than 75 classic and vintage cars ranges from roadsters to station wagons and includes a 1933 Auburn 12 and 1927 Kissel Brougham — both former national first prize winners of the Antique Automobile Club of America. $15.

Where to stay: DraftKings at Casino Queen RV Park (draftkingsatcasinoqueen.com/stay/rv-park/)