IF YOU love motorcycles, a motorsports museum in Alabama is the place to go. To see former President Bill Clinton's Mustang convertible, head for Arkansas. If Chaparral racecars are more to your liking, take a trip to West Texas. Here is a list of automotive museums in the South and South-Central states.
Motorcycles dominate the striking Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama.
Alabama
BARBER VINTAGE MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM The Barber Motorsports Park is the new home of this museum, founded by George Barber, a Birmingham businessman. The museum houses a collection of more than 1,000 motorcycles and 55 cars — including 36 Lotus models. Visitors can watch vehicle restorations or peruse a library with 6,000 publications on motorcycles and cars. Open daily. Admission fee. 6030 Barber Motorsports Parkway, Leeds, Ala. 35094. (205) 699-7275. barbermuseum.org
INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME Situated near the Talladega Superspeedway, this complex has three exhibit halls, the Motorsports Hall of Fame and the McCaig-Wellborn Motorsports Research Library, which has an expansive collection of motorsports information. The hall of fame’s 2008 inductees are Art Arfons, Robert “Red” Byron, Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Frank Kurtis, Everett “Cotton” Owens, and Ralph Seagraves. Tours of the motor speedway are available. Open daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission fee. Speedway Boulevard, exit 168 on Interstate 20 from Birmingham or exit 173 from Atlanta. Talladega, Ala. 35161. (256) 362-5002. motorsportshalloffame.com
MERCEDES-BENZ USA The visitor center at the German automaker’s only American plant tells the history of Daimler-Benz. Open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free. Call for factory tour reservations. 1 Mercedes Drive, Tuscaloosa, Ala. 35490. (888) 286-8762. mbusi.com
Arkansas
THE MUSEUM OF AUTOMOBILES Operated on Petit Jean Mountain by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, this museum was founded in 1964 by Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller to house his collection of antique and classic cars. On permanent display are 30 cars including the blue-flake Mustang once owned by Bill Clinton. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission fee. 8 Jones Lane, Morrilton, Ark. 72110. (501) 727-5427. museumofautos.com
Louisiana
ARK-LA-TEX ANTIQUE & CLASSIC VEHICLE MUSEUM Housed in a former auto and truck dealership opened in 1928, this museum displays more than 60 vintage cars, fire trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and other memorabilia. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission fee. 601 Spring Street, Shreveport, La. 71101. (318) 222-0227.
Mississippi
TUPELO AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM A big building displaying more than 100 antique, classic and collectible automobiles, including some being restored for future exhibits. Vehicles are chronologically displayed to illustrate the progress of more than a century of automobile design and engineering, from a 1886 Benz to a 1994 Dodge Viper. A rare Tucker, a Lincoln once owned by Elvis Presley, a Duesenberg and Hispano Suizas are also on display. Open daily except Mondays. Admission fee. 1 Otis Boulevard, Tupelo, Miss. (662) 842-4242. tupeloautomuseum.com
Oklahoma
MUSCLE CAR RANCH This outdoor museum displays muscle cars on a former 70-acre dairy farm. There are also Mack trucks and vintage motorcycles among several restored classic neon signs. Open daily. Donations accepted. 3609 S. 16th Street, Chickasha, Okla. 73018. (405) 222-4910. musclecarranch.com
TOWNSEND'S CLASSIC AND ANTIQUE AUTO MUSEUM About 100 automobiles from 1905 to the 1950s. Open Monday, Friday, and Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission fee. 8901 N. Harrison, Shawnee, Okla. 74804. (405) 275-9780.
Texas
CENTRAL TEXAS MUSEUM OF AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY A collection of several hundred cars showing the evolution of the automobile, including a rare British-built 1911 Napier and a 1933 Duesenberg roadster. From April 1 to Sept. 30, open Wednesday through Sunday, and Friday through Sunday the rest of the year. Admission fee. 2502 Highway 304, Smithville, Tex. 78957. (512) 237-2635. ctmah.org
PANHANDLE-PLAINS HISTORICAL MUSEUM Texas’s largest history museum includes a transportation exhibit that illustrates the many methods used to travel the Texas panhandle, from buggies, sleighs and wagons to automobiles from 1900 to the 1950s. A 1903 Model A Ford on display bears serial number 28, which the museum says makes it the oldest known automobile made on an assembly line. Open daily. Admission fee. 2503 Fourth Avenue, Canyon, Tex. 79016. (806) 651-2244. panhandleplains.org
PATE MUSEUM OF TRANSPORTATION The collection of A. M. Pate Jr., former owner of the Texas Refinery Company in Fort Worth, who died in 1988. On display are more than 30 vintage cars, including Rolls-Royces from the 1920s and 1930s and a 1938 Pierce-Arrow. Open daily except Mondays. Donations accepted. 18501 Highway 377 South, Fort Worth, Tex. 76101. (817) 396-4305.
PETROLEUM MUSEUM CHAPARRAL GALLERY The exhibit pays tribute to Jim Hall and his Chaparral racing cars, seven of which are on display. Hall is known as for introducing the movable wing in 1965. Open daily. Admission fee. 1500 Interstate 20 West, Midland, Tex. 79701. (432) 683-4403. petroleummuseum.org