Drive, He Said

If you’ve ever wanted a chance to drive a “Tin Lizzy,” look no further than the Gilmore Car Museum.

Located in Hickory Corners, about 160 miles from Chicago, the Gilmore Car Museum is an educational institution that’s dedicated itself to “preserving the history of the American automobile.” Sitting on a sprawling and beautiful 90-acre campus and hosting 130,000 visitors annually, the museum has over 430 unique vehicles throughout its numerous historic buildings and grounds, from the first “horseless carriages” of the 1880s to the sleek modern cars of today.

One of the most unique things the Gilmore offers is their Model T Driving Experience, a chance to sit behind the wheel and learn how to drive an authentic Model T from the museum’s fleet of vehicles. Participants get to drive three miles on the paved roads of the Gilmore’s campus with an expert instructor teaching everything from the starting basics, to how to use the early car’s various control and brake levers. The three-hour experience, running $150 per person, runs rain or shine May through October, though reservations are required.

If you’d rather sit back and let someone else do the driving, the museum offers a free experiential program called Vintage Rides that gives guests the opportunity to take a ride in a vintage car with a trained museum docent. The cars available for the experience may be anything from a 1930 classic Model A Woody to a 1967 Pontiac GTO. The program runs May through September, and is first come, first served, weather permitting.

Once out of the car, there’s still plenty to explore with numerous rotating exhibits as well as two distinct restaurants including the 1941 Blue Moon Diner, and an authentic re-creation of a 1930’s Shell Station. The Museum has parking for any kind of car, including RVs, and offers primitive camping on site. Old or young, licensed or still learning, the Gilmore Car Museum has something for everyone.