TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Don't let the name fool you.
The Tallahassee Automobile Museum has more to offer than hot wheels and fast cars.
One hundred seventy-three rare, historic, and unique automobiles from all over the world.
Dating back from the 1900s to a 2022 corvette; each with a story to tell.
"These cars – this 32 Ford – to me it's a beautiful piece of equipment. No computers no AC. It was all hand done and people worked on it and look what they produced. A beautiful piece of equipment," DeVoe Moore, owner Tallahassee Automobile Museum said.
Moore started collecting knives at age 7; feeding his fascination with history and how things were constructed back then when everything was hands on.
As he grew, so did his collection of knives and cars too; leading Moore to open the Tallahassee Automobile Museum in 1996.
"Going through time with these cars is a really good example where you can see the original thought," Jack Adkins, a curator said. "The first time a speedometer was put on a car, the first time a backseat was put in a car."
But don't let the name fool you.
The Tallahassee Automobile Museum isn't just about its vast collection of pristine, award winning cars.
There are over 200 different collections housed at the museum.
Those antique Knives, Boats, Sports memorabilia, dolls, Batmobiles, motorcycles, Steinway pianos, Native American artifacts, fishing lures and brass fans; just to name a few.
The sheer magnitude of the collections is astonishing.
"We're trying to show you what America was capable of whenever you look at most of the collections we have here," Adkins said.
As Cassandra Bishop, a visitor to the museum found out, there's something for every interest.
"It's super, super cool. Whenever we came in we thought it was just a car museum but there's a ton of stuff here. The knife collection was really impressive. All of the historical golf stuff…I've never seen clubs like that before," Bishop said.
Of course, the cars remain the big attraction. Like this 1953 Cadillac Eldorado that Marilyn Monroe used to drive.
"People love coming through and seeing, especially the older generation. who can relate to these cars to see what they used to own, what they had what they sold," Moore said.
Priceless reflections of American history. Meticulously collected and preserved for generations to come.
A labor of love to educate and inspire; from one man to the city of Tallahassee.
