Four Great Road Trip Destinations for People Who Love Cars | McLarty Daniel Ford

Here at McLarty Daniel Ford, we not only sell, service and work on cars, we’re obsessed with cars! Many of us were blessed with the proverbial “gasoline in our veins” from an early age, eating, sleeping and breathing anything on four wheels or two. When you love cars like that, you tend to find ways to work your love of automobiles into most any getaway, from hitting a local car show while we’re in a strange town, to seeking out the region’s best automotive museums to drink in the rich history of the automobile in America. Seen below are a few of our favorite gearhead-related road-trip destinations in the region. And if you need a great new or used car, truck, van or SUV to get you there, come see us at McLarty Daniel Ford! Our selection is second to none, and our great hometown deals are worthy of a handshake. Stop in today for a test drive!

Darryl Starbird National Rod and Custom Car Hall of Fame
55251 E OK-85A, Afton, Oklahoma
In the history of custom cars, there are few with a bigger legacy than Darryl Starbird. In the 1950s and 60s, Starbird’s wild, futuristic creations were regulars on the show circuit, with several of his radically-altered autos becoming so famous through car magazines and shows that they were later remade as popular plastic model kits for Monogram. Today, Starbird’s influence is still going strong, inspiring both those who love cars and the next generation of custom car builders. You can see why at the Darryl Starbird National Rod and Custom Car Hall of Fame in Afton, Oklahoma. Sprawling over 40,000 square feet, the museum includes displays of over 50 custom cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles designed and built by Starbird, as well as memorabilia from his long career and cars by other well-known custom designers, painters and fabricators, including George Barris, Bill Hines and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Seen as a whole, it’s a great introduction to the history and evolution of the unique ideas and ingenuity that turned plain ol’ cars into rolling works of art. It’s definitely worth the drive, and Darryl and his wife are sometimes on hand to greet visitors and show them around.

Museum of Automobiles on Petit Jean Mountain
8 Jones Lane, Morrilton, Arkansas
Founded in 1964 near the mountaintop ranch of Winthrop Rockefeller, who would go on to be the governor of Arkansas, the Museum of Automobiles on Petit Jean features not only Rockefeller’s Cadillacs — famous for their sterling silver hood ornaments featuring a Santa Gertrudis Bull like the ones he raised on his ranch — but also one of the finest collections of restored classic cars, trucks and motorcycles in the region. The rare and significant vehicles on display range from the dawn of the 20th century to the late 1960s, including a 1920 Ford Model TT school bus, a 1913 Harley Davidson board track racer, 1937 Packard Towncar Model 120-C, a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr, a 1913 Cretors popcorn wagon, a 1947 Hudson Pickup, the world’s last known example of the Arkansas-made 1923 Climber touring car, and the Mustang convertible formerly owned by President Bill Clinton. Beautifully arranged and full of cars that have been lovingly restored to showroom-new condition, the museum is a real treat for those seeking fun on Petit Jean.

Ralph Foster Museum at College of the Ozarks
237 Christian St, Hollister, Missouri
If you’re of a… more mature vintage… chances are you’ve caught an episode or three of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the 1960s TV show featuring the fish-out-of-water adventures of the Clampetts, an Ozark mountain family who struck it rich and moved to a mansion in Beverly Hills. In addition to Uncle Jed, Ellie May, Granny and Jethro, another star of the show was their battered, ramshackle truck, which was featured in the intro to the show and nearly every episode. Created by legendary car customizer George Barris, the Clampett’s truck was actually based on a 1921 Oldsmobile Model 43 A touring car, which Barris found rotting away behind a rural feed store. Some hillbilly touches and a little faux-patina later, and the Olds became the truck which the Clampetts drove on the show for nine seasons. After the run of the show ended, series creator Paul Henning donated the truck to the Ralph Foster Museum on the campus of College of the Ozarks. It remains there as one of the museum’s most popular exhibits. If you’re someone who loves both cars and classic TV memorabilia, it makes for a very cool stop on any road trip to Branson.

The Celebrity Car Museum
1600 MO-76, Branson, Missouri
We not only love cars, we love movies about cars or even movies that just feature an iconic vehicle or two. Though it’s rare to get an up-close look at the real cars from some of your favorite movies, there’s a place within easy driving distance of Northwest Arkansas where you can see dozens of screen-used cars, trucks and motorcycles from some of the most famous movies of all time: The Celebrity Car Museum in Branson. The museum features loads of rare and screen-used vehicles from great flicks, including the shag-carpeted Dog Van from “Dumb and Dumber,” the Mystery Machine from the 2000s revival of the “Scooby Doo” franchise, a mid-1990s Ford Explorer used in “Jurassic Park,” an original Batmobile from the TV show, a Hudson sedan seen in “Driving Miss Daisy,” President Harry Truman’s presidential limo, a replica of the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” an appropriately blacked-out Ford LTD from the “Men in Black” films with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, a 1959 Cadillac Hearse remade as a replica of the ECTO 1 from “Ghostbusters,” several screen-used cars from the “Fast and Furious” and “Mission Impossible” films, a late-70’s “Bumblebee” Camaro from the “Transformers” franchise, and many, many more. It’s a stellar collection that’s sure to delight lovers of cars and films.

If you’re a lover of automobiles, be sure to check out any of the above suggestions if you get a chance. They’re all stellar stops or destinations for any roadtrip, and well within day-tripping distance on a single tank of gas from Northwest Arkansas. If you need a great new or used car to make that possible, cushier or easier, stop in today at McLarty Daniel Ford. We’ve got loads of great new and used cars, at prices that fit your budget. Shop our big selection online right now!

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