National Automobile Museum

National Automobile Museum

National Automobile Museum
4.8
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
The National Automobile Museum is one of the top Reno attractions with a “Wow!” factor you won't want to miss. Our Museum has more than 240 rare, one-of-a-kind, antique and collector cars with authentic street scenes and sounds that bring displays to life. With artifacts, a theatre presentation, audio tours, and a Museum Store – there’s lots to see and do. The Museum is located at 1 Museum Drive near Downtown Reno, on the banks of the Truckee River. There’s free parking in the Museum lot on Museum Drive off of Mill Street.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.

The area

Address
Reach out directly

See what travelers are saying

  • 1948~Ford
    Auburn, California170 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An excellent, well run Automobile Museum. We visited during Hot August Nights and elected to purchase tickets to an evening comedy show. While the museum is a 10 on a 10 scale, the comedy show was not very funny. The person who introduced the comedians was rude, crude, and vulgar. Both headliners were OK, but next time we will just visit the museum.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written August 15, 2024
  • Esteban MH
    Bogota, Colombia35 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This museums have an incredible collection of automobiles and cars, telling the story from the original cars to today. They also have a lot of places to take pictures with your family, a gift shop, a movie teather showing documentaries all day and a whole section for your kids. You have to go there if you are in Reno!
    Visited November 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written November 29, 2024
  • Greg Garnett
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I was definitely impressed. The collection of over 240 cars is incredible, especially seeing some of the rare, vintage models up close. The museum does a great job bringing everything to life with the street scenes and sounds—it's like stepping into a different time. I also enjoyed the audio tour, which gave a lot of insight into the history behind the cars. The location near the Truckee River is pretty scenic, and parking was easy and free.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written January 8, 2025
  • phvi2617
    Anaheim, California752 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    I'm not really a car aficionado, but it was really interesting to check out this collection of automobiles, particularly the early ones from the late 1800s and early 1900s. All the vehicles are wonderfully restored, and there is even a section on movie cars. It seemed like certain parts of the museum are being revamped, and there are some areas where there's a lot of empty space. Even so, it's still a unique and entertaining way to spend an hour or two, whether or not you're into cars.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written June 23, 2024
  • Spiral_Staircase
    London, United Kingdom45 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pleasant experience spending an hour wandering around this small museum. You could spend a lot longer if you’re really into your cars. Staff were helpful and the vehicles are all in stunning condition. Gift shop leaves a lot to be desired so didn’t leave with any souvenirs.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written September 21, 2024
  • desertclimber
    Henderson, Nevada33 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I enjoyed this so much that I went 2 days in a row. The cars, the history, the joy of stepping back in time, was better than I expected. Find out when they offer the guided tour, and plan your visit for that time (there's no extra charge). The volunteers are knowledgeable, friendly and made the experience so much more fun. I can't think of any better experience while in Reno.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written June 12, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.8
4.8 of 5 bubbles1,849 reviews
Excellent
1,466
Very good
338
Average
36
Poor
6
Terrible
3

Jerry W
67 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
My wife and I recently visited this museum for about 3 hours. If you are a car buff or history buff this museum is a must see. It contains over 270 vehicles starting with early steam driven types. The collection has unique cars of all types since the invention of cars. It also includes race cars and cars which belonged to celebrities or were in movies. The museum offers discounts for veterans and seniors.
Written October 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Patrick R
Bay Area Houston, TX343 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
Too many great cars to see and enjoy in less than two hours. Doesn’t cost much to enjoy the exhibits and the free guided tour was a special bonus. Definitely a great adventure to those that enjoy autos, history and industry development. Many personal stories are associated with the Id visual exhibits. Good for the family but it is a rather long walking tour and limited drinks/food available. Don’t miss this adventure!
Written July 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barry B
6 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
Really enjoyed the stroll through the Automotive history museum. A real testament to the innovation and love for cars. The older cars (late 1800's early 1900's are beautiful and most interesting to me. I liked to see the facts on sale prices and other tidbits of information highlighting design elements. There are guided tours but an audio guide with self paced selection based on exhibit# would have been an improvement for me.
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sarah4nil
Raleigh, NC91 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
This is a terrific auto museum, has an extensive collection, great history, and every automobile is polished to a spotless shine. Museum has old time feel with a few streets having olden day storefronts, gas pumps, etc. We were lucky to be on time for the 1:30PM docent tour which was excellent and lasted about 90 minutes. We got so much more out of that tour than just walking around on our own. There was even a Model T photo car and prop (hats, costume) that visitors can put on to take a fun photo!
Written August 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David O
Toronto, Canada83 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Solo
For $15 the value is outstanding. You will easily enjoy 2 hours+ at a leisurely pace taking in the collection. A very large and pristine collection dating back to late 1800’s up to 1980’s DeLoreans. Very friendly staff and themed layout between the galleries make the visit all the more nostalgic.

Best time seems to be weekdays, early morning, for much less crowds.
Written October 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mina M
Aberdeen, UK39 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
Absolute highlight of our stop in Reno. It is a really good museum, with very knowledgeable and friendly volunteers. I would like to say you must go to visit it, however Reno was such a disappointment it is hard to justify going for the museum only. However, if you are very travelling through the area or you are staying somewhere around Tahoe, it is definitely worth a visit. It has a great car park (which felt surprisingly secure given the surroundings) and you can avoid going into Reno completely.
Written December 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TarHeel
Durham, NC1,145 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
We visited this museum as part of our package tour. Although I'm not the biggest gearhead, I did enjoy many of the vintage cars and the stories of some of them. I guess there's an element of nostalgia also for people of a certain age, and also some glamor seeing cars owned by famous movie stars. Beyond just cars, the museum also has exhibits with vintage clothing and some other items. I might not have visited this attraction on my own, but was glad that our tour group stopped here. I can see why it's rated one of the best car museums in the country.
Written October 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kelly W
29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Couples
I saw the original Harrahs auto collection as an elementary school kid. It was overwhelming and not particularly organized. Very thankful this piece of Reno history was maintained and improved. Bill Harrah has some very unique cars and the museum preserved them in their collection. We did the docent tour with Bill Bradley. He was amazing - brought the vehicles to life with his stories and extensive knowledge.
Written April 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

StevieDeviant
Birmingham, AL45 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Couples
We visited Reno for a few days and saw the national car museum on trip advisor and decide to check it out. This is one of the best automóviles and history of automobile museums that I have ever visited. Yes, you can walk through this in a couple of hours, but honestly there is so much information that you could spend the day. They do allow you to leave and come back on the same day if you like. I learned a great deal about the history of many cars here that are one of a kind. The added bonus of seeing some famous movie cars was also nice. Highly recommend a visit.
Written April 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David B
Athens, GA696 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
Based on reviews, we decided to make a visit to this museum and were not disappointed. The large majority of the collection is pre-1940. Seeing some of the early vehicles and reading the history was interesting. The evolution of the auto is pretty amazing. There are makers I had never heard of, especially with the very early vehicles. Knowing some of these are truly 1 of a kind or one of the last ones left is really cool.

The meat of the collection will take most of your time. The later vehicles are neat to see, like the Batmobile.

Highly recommend carving out a few hours and making a visit when in Reno.
Written July 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 1,785
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

National Automobile Museum (2025) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Reviews)

All Reno HotelsReno Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Reno
All things to do in Reno
RestaurantsFlightsVacation RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars