Antique Automobile Club of America Museum - Hershey, Pennsylvania American Motor Vehicle Museum

The Antique Automobile Club of America Museum provides displays depicting American Motor Vehicle history and is situated at Museum Drive in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The museum opens daily from 9am to 5pm, but remains closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It is only a one and a half hour drive from Baltimore and two hours from Washington D.C.

The museum was incorporated in 1993 as a non profit educational institution at a small storage and display area in Governor Road, Hershey. In that same year a $12 million campaign began to build a larger museum and it eventually opened in June 2003 at its current site on Museum Drive. As well as exhibiting vehicles from years gone by, the museum aims to promote awareness of the role of the automobile in 20th century America through workshops and other educational programs.

Exhibitions display vintage cars in various settings across the United States over a period of eight decades, although some of the vehicles date back to the end of the 19th century. There are a wide variety of cars, trucks, jeeps and hearses that span over 100 hundred years of American vehicle history. Vehicles in the permanent exhibitions are regularly rotated and whilst the museum has a collection of over 150 vehicles, only 75-100 classic cars and trucks are displayed at any one time.

A partnership between the museum and the Antique Motorcycle Club of America was created in 2008, with a new AMCA Gallery displaying bikes from 1884 to 1973. There are several special exhibitions on display each year in the Cammack Gallery, which focus on specific manufacturers, vehicle types and historical themes. On the lower level of the building is the United States' largest display of buses under one roof in the Museum of Bus Transportation.

A number of education programs are offered at the museum, with tours that support state curriculum standards in history, English, math, economics, science and technology scheduled Monday to Thursdays. The displays depicting specific decades in the 20th century enable classes to understand that period in history by seeing and doing. Little Wheelers is a one hour program designed for 3 to 5 year olds, and involves listening to a car themed story, singing songs and role play in old cars.

Presentations can be taken to school classrooms as well, with vehicles such as a 1930s Ford Pick up Truck or a 70s Cadillac brought to the site. Adult education programs are also provided with lectures from the museum curator or car collectors, as well as demonstrations, workshops and vehicle displays. Visitors can investigate simple machines, make a take home project, or explore car-related books and puzzles for several age levels.

The museum can be hired for weddings receptions, banquets and meetings. Weddings can be held inside with room for 40-400 guests, or in the spacious grounds outside. There are also meeting rooms for up to 50 attendees and a theater with a large screen for presentations.