Museum of Automobiles

Whether the Museum of Automobiles is your destination or a stop along your journey, we welcome you!

Located just off of Arkansas 124, tucked amongst the pines, the Museum is a half-acre of indoor antique displays housed in a unique architectural marvel.

Opened in 1964 by the then future Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, the museum still houses several of his personal automobiles along with cars owned or driven by other notable people such as Elvis Presley and President John F. Kennedy. It displays vehicles from as early as 1904 and as late as 1981, with 48 in between, in addition to motorcycles and pedal cars. Also on display is an antique gun collection and coin machines including a functioning player piano. With such a variety, there is something for everyone!

Open ear-around excluding Christmas day.

Museum Admission

• Experienced Drivers Adults 18-64.. $15
• Vintage Drivers ages 65+.. $12
• Military & Veterans with ID.. $10
• Learners & Pedalers ages 7-18.. $10
• Pedalers & Younger less than 6.. FREE

The Museum of Automobiles began in October of 1964, a project by then future Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, where the rubber met the road in structural strength and integrity.
Rockefeller had the half-acre museum constructed as the largest tensile cable construction in the state at the time. One of his primary requirements: that it need no interior pillars for support. At the forefront of its Mid-Century Modern concrete and metal design, it was said to garner “as much attention as the wonderful antiques it housed,” by engineer Oliver Gatchell. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The structure was ideal for the collection Rockefeller amassed from a museum in Florida. When the owner and curator of the museum passed, it was closed and Rockefeller bought the collection of 33 cars. Upon Rockefeller’s death in 1973, the collection, minus his personal contributions, was sold again and the museum closed.

In 1976, a group of ten volunteers representing multiple car clubs, opened the museum’s doors again with 33 cars on loan from various car enthusiasts, and it has been open since. Now with 50 cars and numerous antique collections, there is something for everyone at the Museum of Automobiles on Petit Jean.