Step into Hollywood History: A Closer Look at Famous Cars from Movies and TV at the Volo Museum

Updated: 6 days ago

A great place for the whole family to enjoy. The Volo Museum is a true treat for all ages! Check out their historical collection of classic cars and cars that were featured in movies and tv shows. Check out their other exhibits including military exhibit, Titanic exhibit, dinosaur animatronics, and so much more!

Attention all collectors, historians, movie and celebrity buffs! Here’s a place that is popular for all ages and generations. The Volo Museum in Volo, IL is a must-see place and if you have never been there then you are definitely missing out. This museum has countless designer and classic cars that anyone can buy, sell, or trade but, that’s not all! Not only do they have a collection of unique cars but many other different attractions. To start, they have a collection of cars that were in popular movies and tv shows such as Batman, Back to the Future, and The Munsters. Other vehicles that you will see were previously owned by celebrities that include Johnny Cash and Britney Spears. Have you ever seen someone drive down the road in a giant shopping cart or a giant red wagon? The Volo Museum have both! Maybe take a walk down memory lane and see the vehicles that were used at the Disney World and Disney Land parks. If that still doesn’t pique your interest, there are plenty of other attractions that don’t involve cars. Travel back in time and see the animatronic dinosaurs. There is also a large collection of classic carnival attractions and music hall. They also have a Military exhibit and a newly added historical Titanic Exhibit. You can even take a narrated train, trolley, or bus tour! The Volo Museum has so much to see and do.

One thing that you may notice is the care that goes into The Volo Museum. The Gram family had purchased this non-operating dairy farm in 1960. The two teenage sons, Greg and Bill, developed a hobby for restoring cars. Much to their surprise their hobby turned into their first sale. The two teenage boys then realized they had a business on their hands restoring collected classic cars. What started out as a car collecting business is now expanded into an attraction museum of 75-acres. Four generations in total of the Gram family have operated The Volo Museum with 5th generation set for training in the future. The Gram family still living on property shows how much they care in preserving history and sharing joy with others. Their collection is already large and impressive but that is not stopping them from changing and adding more. Bring your whole family and see what they have to offer. You won’t be disappointed!

Know Before You Go

Not Everything is in One Building

With the land previously being a dairy farm, each exhibit is held in its own building. Which means you’ll be going outside to get to the next exhibit. It is great on beautiful sunny days to get fresh air while exploring the grounds. It makes you feel that you're out and about without the feeling of being sheltered in and have no idea if it’s day or night. The downfall is on a rainy day but don’t let that deter you from going. Most of the buildings are close together and besides a little rain never hurts. If rain is in the forecast just plan ahead for what you think you’ll need and enjoy the day.

Bring Cash and Coins for Rides

Remember when stores and malls had those small one rider rides for the kids? Well, the Volo Museum has them! The kids can ride them too! There are also antique arcade games. What is a childhood memory for you, is a whole new adventure for your little ones. Just remember to bring some cash or coins to activate the rides and games.

Follow the Arrows

Pay attention to where you are walking. The Volo Museum is a large place, but they also have a lot to see. To keep a good flow of foot traffic and, so you don’t miss anything, pay attention to which direction the arrows are pointing. Most areas only have room for one direction foot traffic. Following the arrows will give you plenty of space from people so you don’t feel crowded or bump into others.

You Can Have a Full Day of Fun

If you want the full experience, then you’ll want to purchase the full access tickets. It’s definitely worth it to see it all! For how long it takes to walk through the museum depends on your speed and how long you stop to look at things or play games. With the full access tickets, you can easily spend the entire day at the museum if you'd like. They have a playground and play areas for kids if they need to burn off some extra energy. If you get hungry, there's plenty to eat! You can sit down and relax for bite to eat at Grams Central Station or for a quick snack you can choose between Munchin' Junction or Jurassic Jen's. While enjoying your meal at Grams Central Station, you'll be entertained by shows from classic animatronics.

They Have an Antique Mall

The Volo Antique Mall is located right on the 75-acre property of The Volo Museum. There is no admission fee to enter The Volo Antique Mall. With 300 dealer shops you can easily spend hours discovering what they have to offer. You know you will find neat things especially when The Volo Antique Mall is internationally known thanks to being featured on Discovery Channel and The History Channel.

My Experience

The first time I went to The Volo Museum was on Mother’s Day. Family plans had changed, and we were trying to figure out what to do to celebrate the holiday. I had heard about The Volo Museum, but I didn’t want to spend the entire day just looking at cars, especially for Mother’s Day. My husband reassured me that it was a place that was more than just a collection of cars and that me and the kids would have a joyful time. Boy, was he right! It was so neat seeing all the vehicles that were in the movies and tv shows. They even had an exhibit of all the displays that were used at Disney stores in the 90’s. It was an incredible flash back that I thought I would never see in person ever again. When we left at the end of the day, I was truly in awe. The Gram family has done an incredible job with sharing their collections. My best advise that I could give you is Go! Have a great time!

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Location

27582 Volo Village Rd.

Volo, IL. 60073