(269) 671-5089
6865 Hickory Rd., Hickory Corners, MI 49060
www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org
If I told you that one of the most incredible car museums you’ll ever go to isn’t in the Motor City, what would you say? If you said it was in Hickory Corners, you’d be absolutely right. And I’d say… how the heck did you know that?
Hickory Corners is about a half hour northeast of Kalamazoo in the heart of Michigan farm country. And when you get there, you’ll think this is some sort of mirage… but it’s not. It’s The Gilmore Car Museum, and it’s one of the most extensive collections of vintage cars, motorcycles and just plain cool car “stuff” you’ll ever see.
It all started in 1963 when Donald S. Gilmore’s wife, Genevieve, gave him an antique car for his birthday—a 1920 Pierce-Arrow “project car.” She thought it would be a nice hobby, but it turned into an incredibly wonderful obsession. So Mr. Gilmore purchased ninety acres of farm property, had several historic barns dismantled piece by piece and moved to the site and the rest, as they say, is car history.
Everything about this place is great: the incredible exhibits, the classic barns, the fresh air and beautiful scenery… Oh, and did I mention? There’s even a re-created 1930s service station, a small-town train station and the classic Blue Moon Diner that still serves vintage vittles. As for the cars, they are far too numerous to even begin to list here.
If you want to be driven to auto happiness of historic proportions, go to the Internet… find Hickory Corners and get to the Gilmore Car Museum. But just be prepared… there’s so much cool car stuff to see there, your brain will need a car-top carrier when you leave.