Our Two Cents: Favorite Spots For A Car Show
It seems like every city or town now has multiple car shows that service the unique needs of their local car communities. They’re often held at schools, churches, coffee shops, and even at car dealerships. Of course, concours lawns and track paddocks get the job done, too. Shows are usually remarkably easy to find, too, especially if you have a Facebook account and use the Events Near Me feature.
With all the diversity inherent in modern car shows, I wondered what the staff here at Hagerty Media personally like when the time comes for them to get out of the house and interact with others in our world of automobiles. Let’s see what we came up with!
No Thanks
“Anywhere but a car show.” – Stefan Lombard
Small Gatherings With True Believers
“The formula of bringing like-minded car enthusiasts together on an early morning for coffee and conversations was a strong pull for me. My favorite show is one that became a thing thanks to Instagram, became unmanageable because of Instagram, and is now a fun place to grab a coffee and learn more about a wide array of cars from passionate owners of all generations.
The show seems to go on no matter the weather, as many showgoers know that cars don’t melt in the rain. But it rarely gets big enough to make it impossible to chat with the owner of every car in attendance, something that feels more like a rarity these days. It was nice to see that Google Maps memorialized this little show, making something that’s informal into a memorable event for the ages.” – Sajeev Mehta
Race Tracks
“I prefer ‘car shows’ where the vehicles move and I am stationary. So: the end of the back straight at Mid-Ohio, anywhere I can place my ladder and shoot photos in the infield at Daytona, or on the pit wall of any track.” – Eddy Eckart
“You need to come to Woodward Dream Cruise: Park your butt in a lawn chair and watch the show go by.” – Eric Weiner
“I’d be down for that.” – Eddy Eckart
Goodwood Revival/Festival of Speed
“I still have fond memories of the Goodwood Revival, where I was luxuriating in a hospitality suite, champagne flute in hand, while vintage race cars zipped by a mere 25 feet away. It is a fine combination of the Monterey Historics and the Pebble Beach Concours, in one event.” – Joe DeMatio
“I’m with Joe. Goodwood is the answer. I don’t really like car shows, but attending Goodwood Festival of Speed is my all-time favorite car-related experience. I would go every year to both Revival and Festival of Speed if I could.” – Ben Woodworth
“Goodwood Festival of Speed all day. Great mix of awesome/rare to see old stuff that runs, plus whatever new-fangled stuff the OEMs want to peddle, plus general civility with their queues and bacon baps in the morning, etc. etc. 10/10 event.” – Matt Tuccillo
McPherson College C.A.R.S. Show
“The best spot of all is standing in front of Templeton Hall while the cars clear out of the annual McPherson College C.A.R.S Show. Back in the old days, the students would verbally bolster the courage of anyone hesitant about doing burnouts while exiting the show field, usually under the handshake agreement with campus maintenance that said students would come back and remove the evidence the next day.
Now, professor Ed Barr stands out front with a custom sign of his own making that keeps the tire smoke in the tread, but I still go back every year to stand in that spot to enjoy the cars. These days I get to make small talk with Ed while watching the cars. It’s a win/win.” – Kyle Smith
More Race Track Love
“I’m also team race track. I will never forget the experience of walking through the fence at Laguna Seca with my photo vest during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and having a screaming V-12 from a 60s Ferrari prototype come screaming past a few feet from me. I didn’t have earplugs in, which was a mistake.
That whole day was incredible, watching cars slide and hustle around a famous track like Laguna. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the action—which eventually cost me my well-being, as I got sick from some combination of adrenaline, excitement, dehydration, and very, very poor nutrition. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.” – Nathan Petroelje
Monterey Historics
“For me, it has to be the paddock at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca. You’ll spot everything from every price range. From as attainable as Austin-Healey Sprites and Triumph TR6s to exclusive as GT40s and vintage Can Am racers. Trek on up to the top of the Corkscrew and you’ll see a fantastic show. Now, I hear the vintage weekend at Road America is pretty epic as well. That is my favorite track to spectate, so I’ll need to get off my butt and attend to see if it becomes my new favorite.” – Greg Ingold
Bonneville Speed Week
“Dry, crusty desert salt beds. You get to watch the sun rise over teams of the most passionate and helpful enthusiasts as they prepare their cars and bikes like they’re about to go to battle.” – James Hewitt
One Person Car Show?
“Best spot for a car show: fourth parking meter down on the left where someone has wedged a bone-stock six-cylinder ‘72 Nova on steelies into the otherwise dull lineup of plastic, all-activity, five-star crash-rated corpuscles. One-car car shows are the absolute best car shows.” – Aaron Robinson
My favorites are these
Large estates and golf courses.
Race tracks like Summit Raceway Park for the Pontiac Nationals.
Local cars and coffee
Local Parks
Winks Drive in
I will be attending a large show at Hale Farm in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This will be on a working farm and village that has many buildings near 200 years old. This should prove to be interesting with the mix of cars invited. This event brings any kind exotics. Muscle, Sports and race car you can think of. Even some very old vintage cars. No awards just a charity event but fun.
Have fun there, hyper! I had that on my radar but may end up being out of town. I talked with the folks at the Crawford Museum (who are helping put on the show) and they were really excited for this year.
I have done this show since it was on the Golf Course. I really enjoy it. I have met so many people and gotten to see and sit in some amazing cars.
Even with a lowly Pontiac I get treated very well.
Anyone in Akron Cleveland Check it out in two weeks.
No one has mentioned the every Saturday cruise in at the McDonalds in Scottsdale AZ. On good guys weekend they can have 500 cars show up. You will see everything from exotics to ratrods. Food and drink at hand and everyone has always been friendly to me.
Gee, too bad we can’t all sit at “Goodwood Revival…luxuriating in a hospitality suite, champagne flute in hand, while vintage race cars zipped by a mere 25 feet away”. That seems a tad exclusionary for most of us. I can’t pick which kind of place I like best for a car show, because so far, I’ve liked ’em all for one reason or another. About the best thing I can offer is I prefer grass and shade to blacktop and direct sun in July!
Have you looked at the cost on their website? For the entire 3 days, are $130 (currency converted). A decent concert costs more than that or a ticket to a NASCAR race is about that, and you get so much more. If you’re based in the UK as I expect some readers are, that’s a pretty attainable cost to see a bunch of important race cars up close.
Or might I suggest putting that $130 towards removing the chip off your shoulder?
I don’t know where you’ve seen that quoted, but the three-day admission price quoted here is £255 ($355): https://www.goodwood.com/motorsport/goodwood-revival/tickets-and-packages/?days=ef4c1b74-fe83-4d8c-8f24-53bed98a2262&p=1
That’s quite a discount over the daily rate. All £100 ($132) gets you is standard Sunday admission. Saturday is more expensive at £115 ($151). I’ve been to Goodwood several times in a working capacity and would never want to go as a guest. Maybe it was good years ago but the atmosphere feels very plasticky now.
If you can get me from the American Northwest to England to spend 3 days sipping champagne in a hospitality tent at next year’s Goodwood Revival all for $130, please let me know: a) where to wire you the money (and there’ll be an extra 10-spot in it for you for your trouble😉), and b) what time my flight leaves! Oh, and I’m not picky, you can put me up at a Motel 6 or the UK equivalent…
To really have fun with the one-person car show, set up an EZ-Up behind the car and sit in a lawn chair.
Are you daring me? In this case I think a Soccer field this weekend would be perfect. Rat Rod …..
Opening picture is from the Woodward Dream Cruise and it’s not included in the list? 15 mile rolling car show with car shows at every parking lot up the way! Hard to beat.
Also, not too far away from Woodward is Bakers of Milford, MI. Great turnout every Sunday during the “Cruise” season.
I think I will do this next time I take my wife in the Mustang to run errands, I usually wait with the car anyway and I always have a chair in the trunk. I’ll open the hood, place out my car show fodder and relax in the crisp fall air.
The All British Field Meet at Vancouver’s VanDusen Garden is about as good as it gets. Hundreds of British cars and motorcycles gather on the lawns of the garden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkXD_S7XtNE
I’ve been to this one a time or two. I mostly follow hot rods and other American cars but the ABFM in my mind made the other vintage cars very accessible and enjoyable. The last thing I want to do is spend an afternoon around pompous people more interested in their champagne and caviar and clothing labels than the cars. I have a soft spot for British cars especially MGs and Healeys. VanDusen was always more like a community block party than a formal gathering of import vintage cars. I suppose it’s because British cars are accessible to so many owners unlike other imported collectables. The ABFM is just plain fun.
I have yet to check it out but I hear that Carlyle in PA is a great event for us Northeasterners.
Tom, Carlisle Fall Swap starts 10/02/24 Wed – 10/06/24 Sun. if you near there is a great swap. can’t finish in one day if you take your time.my suggestion I go Thursday or preferred Friday early 7:00 am open before the crowd get in especially Sat & Sun. expect to do lots of walking. best swap in upper East Coast or if not all East.
Most of the towns near me have some monthly car show on their parks, city square, etc. that is always fun to go to. Free shows and lots of variety of cars.
Performance or car related shops tend to hold some regular/semi-regular shows where their customers and everyone invited get to show off their cars. Again, free and fun to go to.
I generally don’t care to pay for a car show where they judge cars, give trophies, etc. I don’t go for a trophy and I’m never going to win one versus some mega-buck restoration car that gets all the judges attention.
I like little local gatherings wherever they may be. For myself, there’s a little get-together in a parking lot every Friday (thank you to the department store that allows us to use the back part of your lot) where people bring their cars, whatever they may be. There’s no cost to show up and lots of automotive banter. I’ve seen between eight to 30 cars show up, so you never know what you’re going to see. It’s pleasant, relaxed and interesting. Oh, bring your own lawn chair too!
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix hosts a multitude of car shows throughout Schenley Park while the racers circle the golf course. Something for everyone.
Yep; Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is fantastic. So much more than just Schenley, though. Days of events around the city.
https://pvgp.org/
Bikes,too:
https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-motorcycle-touring/2019-pittsburgh-vintage-grand-prix-zm0z19ndzhur/
There is not a much better place in the world to have a car show than on the grounds of the Gilmore Auto Museum in Hickory Corners, MI. Just show up there on a Wed evening during the summer and you’ll see 1,000-1,200 collector cars displayed around the amazing grounds there for the weekly cruise-in. Attendees have access to all the “permanent car shows” inside all the museums located there, plus all the activities the Gilmore staff have going on. As a member of the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum located on the Gilmore grounds, I look forward to the “Lincoln Homecoming” activities held there each August. And when the Lincoln and Continental Owners Club holds a national LIncoln meet during homecoming, all the Lincolns displayed on the show fields are a spectacular vision. If you have not been to a car show or other event at The Gilmore, go to their website for the list of activities and pick one to attend yet this fall or next summer season. You’ll have a blast!
I expected The Gilmore to come a lot sooner on this list. Extra bonus – if it rains, there are more cars inside the buildings than you can see in one day
Kinda odd no mention of anything in the Motor city. Obviously Woodward is unparalleled in so many ways. We also have M1 Cars and Coffee plus a Radwood event and even a GM FWD meet up.
I’m kinda on the No Thanks side of the equation after 50 years of every type of show listed. All good thoughts, all fun over the years and something for everyone within this wonderful hobby. Used to take multiple cars to shows and ran a one day show for many years (grassed at a school and race track) for up to 1000 cars with thousands of spectators, at its peak. All great memories. Always preferred shows that had other attractions/distractions for the family, so they didn’t have to put up with me just talking cars all day. Now, for the rest of my time that I can work 3 pedals I prefer the open road with a destination in mind. All that said, Hot August Nights in Reno was a mind blower and I’ll get back as a spectator some day.
I live in Reno and was here for the very first one. It is the only show I attend anymore.
My wife and I hit Hot August Nights back in 1998 on our 25th anniversary trip – blew us away! Hope to make it back there again while I’m still able. Grandson and I take the 41 coupe to local shows and enjoy them.
San francisco: Sept 22 is 16th yr of a tiny show/gathering as part of the Cole St Fair. If you are near there you’ll figure it out.
I have to go with golf courses. Soft grass, beautiful landscapes, and a nearby club house for refreshments. This is why most major conours events are held on golf courses.
One of the best car shows in Arizona is the “Run to the Pines” Car Show, staged each September in Pinetop, up in the White Mountains. The show is on the driving range of one of the golf courses, and is surrounded by tall pines trees. It is a great weekend to get away after a hot summer down in the desert.