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National Automobile Museum
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
Sun 10 am - 4 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
26 reviews for National Automobile Museum
Review Highlights
"I was so amazed at seeing these cars up close and personal."
(in 22 reviews)
"They have sooo many cars from different eras."
(in 2 reviews)
"Use your own headphones for the self guided tour."
(in 2 reviews)
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26 reviews in English
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Review from Rebecca K.
San Jose, CA
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Boyfriend and I visited Reno to be sorely disappointed of the lack of things to do here.. so we googled some stuff and found ourselves here at the National Automobile Museum!
We both thoroughly enjoyed our time here! We went on a very intimate tour, just me, my boyfriend and the docent volunteer and he took us around the 4 galleries of automobiles explaining all of the cars he felt like were worth mentioning. The fact that he was only a volunteer and he knew SO much about the cars was SO impressive. I was so amazed at seeing these cars up close and personal. I always saw them in movies and pictures but in real life these cars are HUGE!!!!
Anyways, I'll let you see for yourself why this museum is amazing. There's just something about the history in those cars. Makes you feel like a true American and makes you proud that you are one. -
Review from Ashley E.
Reno, NV
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place so cool. What a unique thing to have so close to home. If you're passing through Reno, you have to stop here. It's so amazing to see how much has changed within the last hundred years. Bill Harrah was an avid collector, and we are so lucky that he was. There are so many car that you haven't even heard of here! All within 4 different galleries, you definitely get a feel for the way things have progressed. I can't say that I'm a huge car fan, but it's still something that we can all appreciate.
The reason why I decided to go was actually for the Mutant Art Car exhibit that will be at the museum until I think March..? Having gone to Burning Man a handful of times, I can't say that what they have there is super impressive (it's no 200 ft. dragon blasting dub step with over 100 people dancing on it), but if you've never been, it's a great way to see what people conjure up to bring out to the desert.
The lady at the front desk was super helpful, and really friendly. This is a must do if you haven't yet.
$10 for Adults.
$4 for anyone under 18. -
Review from Greg R.
Apple Valley, CA
12/5/2011
Wow. Just wow.
I was expecting something more like the car collection at the Imperial Hotel in Las Vegas, so I was blown away. 220 (?) cars, dating from before 1900 to the 1960s or so. An unimaginable amount amount of work must have gone into restoring these vehicles.
We did the whole thing in one visit, and it was too much. If I was local or staying in the area, I would go through the whole thing fairly quickly one day, and then come back on subsequent days and focus on eras and/or rooms. The self-guided audio is probably a good idea. I would also recommend buying the book on the collection ($10), both as a reference and as a way of retaining the huge amount of information you receive in the museum itself. You can save a bit of time bypassing the artwork on the way into the exhibits themselves. They're interesting, but you're better off spending your time examining the real things.
Finally, bring a real camera. The cars are too beautiful and the lighting too spotty to rely on the phone in your camera. -
Review from Jon W.
San Leandro, CA
10/13/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Wow ..who woulda thunk Reno would have one the best car museums in the nation....
Any true American needs to pay homage to this this world class exhibit. Its a step back into time with Harrah's immaculate collection. Fortunately most of the vehicles were recovered after his passing. The museum is very, very well thought out. From the presentation of the time periods, the organization of the rooms, the lighting (even my non photo shooting ass took some great shots) and the overall layout of the building will make you feel like yur Back to the Future part 3 ... and yes, there is a Delorean.. a gold one.
Be prepared for a very educational experience. Use your own headphones for the self guided tour. You can spend 30 minutes zipping thru everything, or you can spend all day immersed in American history. My fave.. Elvis's Caddie - hunka hunka burnin luv! -
Review from Kim C.
Alameda, CA
Finally a museum I wasn't bored at! Being that the Mr is a car fanatic/enthusiast, we decided to check this place out. They have sooo many cars from different eras. You start at one end in one era and it slowlly progresses through to different eras.
We fell in love with so many cars!! After wiping our drool up off of the floor, we realized that cars are so different now. Though they get better gas mileage and can go faster nowadays, the look and style is lacking.
Loooove this museum, took tons of pictures and I highly recommend! $10 per adult well worth it.
Tip: It took us 2.5 hours to walk through it all and read the majority of the descriptions. This may take some time!! -
Review from Emily L.
Washoe, NV
9/8/2011
I can't believe I've lived in Reno my whole life and only just visited the National Automobile Museum for the first time, last year.
When we went in, I couldn't believe what I'd missed out on for so many years. The museum is well kept, easy to look at and easy to pace oneself through. I'm not a stop-and-read-ever-single-sign kind of museum goer. I like to move more quickly. Some of the family took more time than others, and it all worked out nicely. My daughter loved some of the historical dresses they had on display, and we also had a little too much fun putting on dress-up clothes and posing for pictures in a display car.
This museum is a Reno must-see. -
Review from Wenzhong X.
San Jose, CA
12/2/2011
This got to be the top place to go if one visits Reno. They have a stunning collection of classic cars that defined the history of automobile industry. It is truly amazing!
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Review from M. K.
Castro Valley, CA
8/4/2011
This is a great museum not just for car enthusiasts, but for anyone wanting a glimpse into American history. And for the small amount you have to pay to get in, this experience is well worth it!
Not only do you get to see an amazing collection of cars from the turn of the 20th to the 1970s (some owned, used and/or donated by celebrities like Elvis, James Dean, Lana Turner, Andy Griffith or Frank Sinatra), but a FREE audio tour is included in the price!
I particularly found the exhibits on Alice Ramsey (first woman to drive across the US) and on the Thomas Flyer (the car that won the 1908 New York to Paris race) very interesting, educational and inspiring.
Perhaps the only criticism is that it was at times confusing to find your way through the route they wanted you to stay on. But this is truly a minor complaint. -
Review from Gabby M.
San Mateo, CA
6/20/2011
OK this place is so much fun. I wanted to drive all these cars home! its so cool how they have some of the clothing that goes with the era of each car. i had a lot more fun here than i expected i would.
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Review from Cheri M.
Merced, CA
7/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
This Museum has a huge selection of Cars from every era. Its wonderful to just walk around, look and take pictures. They have an awesome AC system. The movie about William Harrah is cool too but the seats are definitely for skinny people.
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Review from Chris Y.
4/29/2010 2 photos
Easily the biggest collection of cars I've ever seen in one place! There are four huge galleries to look through, and if you are a car guy like me, it can take hours to go through. My wife enjoyed it at first, but I didn't move through the galleries quick enough to her liking. There's just so much to see!! So she was pretty burnt out by the fourth gallery. I would definitely come here again!
I really enjoyed how well laid-out the collection is; it's very easy to view cars from multiple angles, and take great photos!!Listed in: For Car Guys (and girls)
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Review from Lainie L.
Oakland, CA
12/21/2006 1 photo
Do you like cars?
I don't mean as in. . .gee, I like a nice Subaru.
I mean do you LOVE cars. As in, "OH MY GOD, did you see that sweet ass ride over there?"
Car love is something I inherited from my dad. He loved cars. So much so that there are many pictures of my mom and his beloved dog, Cleo, taken in his 1953 Chevy Bel-Air Convertible. My mom is all vampy, vixen like. Cleo looks lovingly into the camera. Sorry girls, the eye behind the shutter is fixed adoringly on the car.
I would say that my favorite period for cars are the 30's, 40's and 50's - I like the bold lines and curves of those cars. I like the innovative ideas people were coming up with as far as speed and style. I like how most cars of that era look like curvy women. Sexy.
I spend more time in Reno than I'd like to admit. I am not a gambler but my boyfriend has a route there and in order to spend more time with him, I sometimes go to Reno with him. The first few times were fun. I went to casinos, had asthma attacks from all the cigarette smoke and lost $10.00. Went to a few buffets and learned that when a buffet is bad, well, there is nothing worse. I was getting pretty bored with Reno until one day, at the Grand Sierra Resort, amongst the dismal display of humanity two shiny beacons of happiness were on display. . . two cars from the National Automobile Museum. Finally, something I could do in Reno that I could *love*! yay!
We went at opening on a Sunday. 10am. . .my nose pressed expectantly against the glass door. The first two displays sunk my heart. One old rusted out chassis and a history of old Nevada. Uh oh. I got suckered in by a tourist trap. Then the next display is a working garage where the only car on display was a 1994 Toyota truck owned by the in house mechanic. Uh oh. But then. . . nirvana. . .as you round a corner, a faux street scene unfolds and you're in business! Gallery one is 1890's to 1910 - the birth of horseless carriages, etc. Very interesting as you see evolution of style in not only the bodies of the cars but the technology as well. Steam engines, electrics engines with forty small batteries to power it. They also have clothing and artifacts from that era.
Gallery Two is the teens to 1930's - make sure not to miss the all copper Rolls Royce - not only is the body incredible but the V12 engine will make your knees weak.
Gallery Three was my favorite. It was the '30's to the '50's and these are the cars that really get my engine revving (sorry). My favorites were the 1948 Delahaye Type 135M Franay Convertible (thanks for introducing me to this car, Andy R.) and 1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl Phaeton - one of six ever made and unreal in it's design. Just gorgeous! You can't touch the cars on display which is a real bummer - I have this need to run my fingers along the seductive curves of these cars but alas, it's not allowed. They do have some that are parked on the faux streets that you can at least get up close and personal with including a Jeep Wagoneer customized for one of the Harrah clan with a Ferrari engine - he wanted a car that would withstand the roads in the winter but also could haul ass. . .hence, the Jerrari was born.
Gallery four was my least favorite - hot rods and racing cars except for one exception which was the 1938 Phantom Corsair which was a prototype car. I had seen pictures of this car before and fell in love with it. It was so amazing to see it up close and personal. I think gallery four was a highlight for my sweetheart as it also contained a real Bat-mobile complete with the bat signal projected onto the wall. His eyes unglazed and he spent a good fifteen minutes taking it all in.
Muscle cars are woefully under represented here, unfortunately.
We got there at 10 and were done at closing time. I read every placard, I took in every detail of every car and left this place floating on air. Old cars are like great art to me and I loved this place.
FINALLY! A REAL reason to go to Reno! -
Review from Vicky L.
1/6/2009
Impressive collection and definitely information filled. I think I'd appreciate this place more if I was into cars... It as nice seeing how the auto industry developed and learning new trivia facts.
I have to say I had the most fun sitting and playing dress up in one of their "photo booth" cars... and coloring at the kids station. =P
Oh yeah... who can miss the "gold plated - delaurean?" -
Review from Ann L.
9/14/2009
I recommend the National Automobile Museum. It's a Gem in the AAA guidebook and I can see why. If you like cars then you MUST go here!
It's only $10 for adults, $9 with AAA card. Seniors $8, w/ AAA card $7! They take credit cards.
It opens from 9:30am-5pm. We got there a little after 9:30am and stayed until 1pm!
Lots to see here. FREE Audio tour w/ the paid admission.
I recommend the Audito Tour - it makes it less boring then just reading everything. I liked it. The cars look GREAT too.
There's 4 galleries:
Gallery 1- cars from 1890s-1910s
Gallery 2 - Tweens - 1930s
Gallery 3 -1930s - 1950s
Gallery 4 - 1950s & Beyond
There's an Automotive Shop - didn't see anybody working on cars
Theatre - short 20 min movie, I did fall asleep so I missed the good stuff, oh well.
There's one car that you can get inside w/ a sign said "Photo Op" and you can even dress up: ladies hats & men's long coat. That was fun.
Some of the cars featured:
1936 Mercedes - Benz
1907 Thomas Flyer
1913 Stutz
Lana Turner's Chrysler
1933 Cadillac
Beatnik Bandit
Phantom Corsair
Small store to buy stuff. Bathrooms available.
Recommended if you're into cars, photography (Allowed & Flash too) & in Reno!
They have their own FREE parking lot in the back. That's nice.
Website:
http://www.automuseum....Listed in: Reno, NV & area
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Review from Lorrie M.
1/5/2009
I think this is definitely an interesting museum with a lot of cars and a great historical collection while at it. Many of these cars are in very good condition and worthy of such a grand collection.
However, overall, this place was kind of boring and there weren't really enough interesting facts or cars to keep me occupied, and I'm a car enthusiast that finds just about everything car related to be exciting.
This could be due to the extreme lack of any new / recent cars ... but it is a historical museum. The layout is pretty good and there are four galleries of significantly different types of cars from different eras. The video was funny at the end and it was a good way to kill about an hour or so. I wouldn't go back though. -
Review from Micaela M.
Sparks, NV
9/17/2009
My family was in town with nothing to do except empty their pockets at the casinos, so I decided to take them here. I am really glad I did!
I had so much fun looking at all the different cars!! My grandpa used to sell cars back in the day, and he knew a lot about some of them, which was cool because I got my own personal little tour! They have it decorated pretty cool, with old oil stations and stuff.
A really good way to kill at least two or three hours. -
Review from Tito Y.
Emeryville, CA
8/15/2009
Put down your chips and cards, the Harrah Collection is a must see!!!!
I too didn't see any Volvo's. But going there, I knew this museum was not about having every single car manufacture in their museum. Historically, Volvo was indeed an important element of the history of automobiles, but it wasn't just wasn't part of Bill Harrah's car collection at this time.
I love the exhibit spaces with lots of adoration towards momentous personal transportation appearances, including Porsche, Ferrari, Dela Hayes, Mercedes, Ford and so many others. Cars were separated in a cute replicated town as eras, Vintage Early, Early, Pre-War (Art Deco), Post War, and 60s-70s. It seemed all do run and are impeccably maintained.
There is some kind of way one can "adopt" a car and restore it as needed. I didn't inquire how that is done, but if you have some time with some handy ways to restore cars, give them a call. -
Review from A K.
El Dorado Hills, CA
2/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you are in Reno there is not much to do if you don't gamble, this can be your Saviour. There are four sections starting from early era cars to latest sports. I liked the place and worth the entry fees they charge. I was impressed with some of the earlier RR and Merc. Didn't see any BMW ...hmmm...may be they need to add those to make it 5 star :d
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Review from T C.
Scottsdale, AZ
7/26/2011
This place was a real kick! You'll see a crazy collection of autos covering the 20th century. I spent more time here than I expected.
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Review from Larisa S.
Concord, CA
4/16/2007
A great way to spend a couple of hours NOT in a Casino while in Reno. Not only are there a ton of old, neat cars to look at but it seemed like each car had it's own story -- like, "This Model T brought the very first bottle of milk into Reno in 1918" or something like that, totally nerdy and totally my kind of thing. The early car displays are also supplemented with other sorts of artifacts like clothes, jewelry, pipes and stuff. Also awesome are the entry ways into the different exhibit halls, they are all old-timey designed to look like 1930's movie theatres and saloons and different store fronts. Outside one of the halls they have an old touring car that you can climb into and an array of trench coats/men's hats and huge brimmed lace ladies hats that you can wear to make your own old timey photograph.
This place rules. One star for each time I wrote "old timey" in this review (and then some) -
Review from WeiHsiang L.
Oakland, CA
4/12/2009
Pretty cool place to take a look.
$10 or $9 if you have AAA membership.
Me and my girlfriend are not a big fan of cars, but it was fun and pretty worth visits.
The audio tour is free, make sure you ask the front desk about it. -
Review from MJ W.
La Mirada, CA
4/11/2011
Great auto museum! 220+ cars, many from Harrah's collection. A highlight of our family's stay in Reno!
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Review from Jessica K.
San Mateo, CA
8/12/2009
Came here during Hot August Nights, as if I wasn't overloaded on cars already! But I loved it. Not huge, but some Awesome cars are on display, real treasures. Definitely worth it, the people at the front desk were super friendly as well. Back to the cars, Wow!! Not just american cars, they have german & british as well, some movie & tv cars too, even a Tucker! I liked how the place is set up too, with old street scenes, also displays with period clothes, emblems, old signs....
My only complaint is about the gift shop. They have some awesome books, but the best ones were sealed! I understand they want to keep books in good shape, but I don't want to spend $30 or more on a book if I can't look through it first. There was a Steve McQueen car collection book I was dying to look at but again, all were sealed. C'mon you guys, you need a display copy, you can always mark it down later on....next time you're in Reno, don't pass this place up! -
Review from Mike G.
Reno, NV
4/6/2010
highly recommended. go when they have a guided tour, you'll get a lot more out of it. 1:30pm most days. If you're early then walk through at your pace and take lots of photos and save your questions, then the docent can tell you about most of the cars and answer your questions about the ones they don't cover. About 220 cars in the museum, can't discuss each one, it would take hours. Really cool cars and probably the best layout for presenting them. It's only $10, just go, then have drinks afterward.
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Review from Melanie C.
San Jose, CA
5/22/2005
The collection is huge. Nicely arranged with some street scenes including things from the time periods of the cars. Even a stop where you can put on hats and dusters and take a picture in one of the old cars. Some of the signs could have been a bit more informative; rather than just telling about the company that made it and what they did before, I find the more interesting information to be the new innovations- how this old car differs from the old car next to it; however some of that we were left to discern on our own. They had a variety of neat cars; unfortunately we had to rush through the last section of various racing cars and the area with the gold-plated De Lorean because we didn't allow enough time. My one personal complaint is that there was absolutely NO Volvos! Volvos should hold a great place in automotive history, and I don't understand why the 1984 minivan was there, but to not have any sorts of Volvos, I was disappointed. Otherwise a great, seemingly complete collection, at a very decent price. Great stop for visitors, just make sure to leave enough time.
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Review from Jennifer F.
San Jose, CA
8/19/2008
4.5 stars. I think this museum should be promoted more widely - it's a great way to spend an afternoon! True, the emphasis isn't on recent cars - but this is a really well put together collection from "horseless carriages" to models made just after WWII. The cars are glossy and well-maintained, and the audio tour (included with your $10 admission) was fun and informative. I loved the faux streetscape as a background to some of the later cars, and the small collection of dresses were fun to look at too. Everyone always says "Californians love their cars" - but I don't think I really believed it until I found myself fascinated by this collection. I'm guessing people who are into design will also find lots to look at. I will definitely recommend this place to my friends visiting Reno.
