Travel Tips

Revel in the history of America’s finest automobiles

Driving around Venice and Sarasota there is never a shortage of classic cars to be seen. Every time I visit Venice, I am surprised to always see a beautiful refurbished classic car cruising through town, but I never know what kind of car I am seeing. It’s always exciting to spot these mint-condition rare classic cars cruising along Harbor Drive or Tamiami Trail, but unless you have extensive knowledge of the automobile industry, it may be difficult to truly appreciate the beauty of the timeless car you see cruising by.

Look no further than the Sarasota Classic Car Museum to provide an endless supply of information on classic, vintage, and muscle cars that are timeless pieces of American automobile history.  The museum showcases over 100 automobiles at a time, dating back as far as the turn of the twentieth century. These cars don’t just tell a story about the changing times of automobiles, but also the changing history of American society and they offer an educational way to spend the day while on vacation near Sarasota.

The Sarasota Classic Car Museum is a non-profit organization that researches automobiles to provide the public with knowledge regarding the beginning of automobiles and the diverse history and growth of the automobile industry. The car museum is maintained through generous cash donations from citizens who are interested in preserving this important part of American culture. This allows the museum to research, repair and acquire new antique vehicles and to maintain the performance of these cars. Classic cars are also acquired by exchanging with other car museums in the country and through car lovers donating their old refurbished gems. If you have an old classic car, the Sarasota Classic Car Museum also accepts car donations of every kind, and interested parties can contact the Sarasota Classic Car Museum at 941-355-6228 or log on to www.sarasotacarmuseum.org.

If you are just interested in visiting the museum while in the Sarasota area, they also offer a variety of other antiques’ displays as well. Ranging from jewelry to antique furniture and antique photographs, there is something eye catching to every visitor. There is also an entertaining antique games arcade for visitors to use for the original price of the games, which is usually only a few cents. Here visitors can take a step back in time to a game they played as a child or maybe to a game their parents or grandparents used to play! Don’t forget to visit the collectibles and gift shop where you can purchase replicas of your favorite cars in the museum.

During the evening the museum also operates as a banquet facility, offering a place for local residents to hold events like weddings, birthday parties, and holiday reunions. The museum has a beautiful 60,000 square foot facility with an open-air outdoor seating area that holds up to 500 people.

The best part of the services provided at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum is that they use some of the classic cars as part of their limousine service. What better way to arrive in fashion than to arrive in a timeless refurbished classic piece of history!

The museum is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm. Admission is $8.50/Adults, $7.50/Seniors, $5.75 for children 6-12, and free for children under 6. The Sarasota Classic Car Museum is located at 5500 N. Tamiami Trail and can be reached by taking US-41/Tamiami Trail N into Sarasota.