America on Wheels is a small two-story museum in Allentown, PA dedicated to the history of over-the-road transportation. The museum aims to hold the interest of the entire family by providing interesting cars and signage for the adults and hands-on activities for the kids.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Using these links may earn me a small commission but will not cost you anything.
There are several permanent exhibits. The Mack Trucks exhibit has several old Mack trucks and Mack memorabilia, as well as a timeline of the history of Mack. There is also a short video that you can watch about the history of Mack Trucks. While the adults are watching the video, the kids can pretend to drive a Mack truck. In the same gallery there is an exhibit on race cars, with a photo op where kids can sit in a mini racecar. There is also a mechanics garage with signage about the changes that have occurred in cars, making it much more difficult for individuals to work on their own vehicles. While the adults are busy reading, the kids can be entertained at the mini mechanics garage – opening and closing the garage door and making the car on the lift go up and down. My favorite exhibit in this gallery was the car owned by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary that was featured on the cover of their 1700 album.
The North Gallery focused mainly on electric cars through-out history and had a display on hydrogen cars, presenting them as the possible wave of the future. I was amazed to learn that electric cars were produced in the early 1900’s. There are several very old cars in this gallery, as well as a display of bicycles and motorcycles.
Off of the gift shop is the small “Kids’ Car & Restoration Center.” This area has a wall with a large car picture with the basic parts labeled, a workbench with some tools displayed, and most exciting – a model car on a lift that the kids can pretend to change the tires, check the battery and oil, change the air filter, add oil, and use several “tools” that have sound effects.
There are two galleries upstairs. One small gallery is dedicated to information on restoration of antique vehicles. The other is a rotating exhibit. When we visited, the rotating exhibit was “The Mustang at 60: An American Icon Stampedes in the Future.” On display were 15 Mustangs, ranging from 1964 to 2024. These cars were immaculate and we really enjoyed viewing them. There were numerous prize-winning models on display.
The most moving exhibit in the museum is the Military Vette. This 1992 Corvette pays tribute to all those who lost their lives in 9-11, as well as to all the service members who were killed fighting the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. The car contains all of their names, as well as many moving images representing the war against terrorism. This once traveling memorial is now on permanent display at America on Wheels.
The museum has plenty of free parking available. There is a small gift shop and a café (although it wasn’t open during our visit). Through-out the museum there were friendly museum staff who were willing to answer any questions and to provide more information about the exhibits. We spent about 1 ½ hours at the museum, wandering leisurely through the exhibits, taking time to read some of the signage.
Adult admission is $16 and children are $10. Check the museum website before you go as there are times that children and seniors can visit for free. The museum also offers military discounts, participates in Museums for All, and offers Big Brother/Big Sister free admission. The museum is open limited days and hours so be sure to check their website before planning a trip.
My Takeaway
America on Wheels is a very well-done museum and is a good activity for a variety of ages (Our group ranged from 2-75 years old). It is not a museum that I would return to again and again but if you like cars and history, I think it is definitely worth a visit.