Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, Philadelphia: Hours, Address, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Reviews: 4.5/5
Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Located in Philadelphia, PA, the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum is one of the world's greatest collections of racing sports cars. Through our theme, "The Spirit of Competition", we celebrate the history and evolution of these magnificent machines. Assembled over 50 years by renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Frederick Simeone, the Museum contains over 65 historically significant cars including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Mercedes, Jaguar, Bentley, Porsche, Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford and more. We are open Tuesday through Sunday for General Admission and there is always something new and exciting happening here. We offer many different types of events including our world famous Demo Days, Special Events, Special Exhibits and more. The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit institution.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
311 reviews
Excellent
234
Very good
68
Average
9
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Rudolfo699
Philadelphia, PA147 contributions
Friends
TOTALLY AWESOME!
An excellent collection of race cars and other high performance cars dating from 1909 right up to 2002. 10 minutes from the airport, totally worth seeing. The day I was there with my father and a friend, was a Tuesday, and we were lucky enough to catch them running a 1931 Bentley 4.5L Supercharged. They were going to do a demo with it the following weekend, and they needed to make sure it would run without any problems.
That's right, all of these cars actually run, and they drive them to demonstrate them to the public.
An excellent collection of race cars and other high performance cars dating from 1909 right up to 2002. 10 minutes from the airport, totally worth seeing. The day I was there with my father and a friend, was a Tuesday, and we were lucky enough to catch them running a 1931 Bentley 4.5L Supercharged. They were going to do a demo with it the following weekend, and they needed to make sure it would run without any problems.
That's right, all of these cars actually run, and they drive them to demonstrate them to the public.
Written November 27, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Scott G
Durham, NC66 contributions
Solo
I have been to several car museums, and this one is tops in the pre-1950s cars. They also excel in race cars, not just classic cars. I saw on MotorWeek that they routinely take the cars out and run them around the lot and the public is welcome.
Written October 23, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
tabhauser
Glen Cove, NY772 contributions
I have been to many car museums but this one is unique as it has historical race cars. It is a place for any enthusiast
Written July 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Caden M
1 contribution
Family
We stumbled upon this museum while visiting from Florida and it became the highlight of our trip! The staff is extremely passionate and every exhibit is a beautiful tribute to the race-car at hand. Highly recommend
Written June 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
34fordkellya
Sharpsburg, GA23 contributions
Friends
The displays were well done with beautiful cars with a rich racing history! There is also a fabulous automotive library that has literature on racing, the men who raced, where they race and the cars they drove.
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ReneeL1012
Silver Spring, MD14 contributions
Heard about this museum just a couple of hours from us. My husband is a lover of Formula I racing and British sports cars, and this month's exhibit was dedicated to the British race cars. Thought it might be a fun way to kill a couple of hours, but it was even better than we'd hoped. Displayed in a large hanger area, with different sections very neatly decorated for the locations they would have been found, the cars were all parked with plaques explaining the history of the cars, drivers, and trivia and fun facts to go with them. Fun for the race car lover but also for those of us only casually interested. About 90 minutes is right for this, but if you want to absorb every detail you could easily spend 2 hours. They have a variety of "themes" for their monthly exhibits, so check the website to see what is coming up.
Written January 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Daniel B
Douglassville, PA12 contributions
So many historic automobiles all in one location; download the free app and you get a detailed walking tour. Loved seeing the LeMans cars and the Daytona Cobra as well as the Corvette Grand Sport that I remembered as a kid, and there's just so much more as well. Highly recommended!
Written December 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
AV9920
19 contributions
Thank you TripAdvisor for helping us uncover this hidden gem! Prior Philly excursions had already taken us to the main tourist attractions (e.g. Independence Hall, Philadelphia Museum of Arts, ReadingTerminal Market, etc.,) so we were looking for something different to do indoors (the weather was expected to be quite chilly) and didn’t involve a ton of walking (one person in our group was still recuperating from surgery.) We’re not car enthusiasts, but we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.There are about 70 antique racing cars on display ranging from the late 1920s-late 1970s, including several cars which won the prestigious Le Mans race. There is also an app you can download, which provides detailed information about each of the car models. (Listen selectively. 4 hours worth of information on the app!) As others have already mentioned, it wasn’t particularly busy so no worries about jostling through crowds to see the cars. Unfortunately, we weren’t there on a demo day, but would absolutely make a return visit for one of those events. And now is a particularly great time to go given the Ford vs Ferrari movie being released later this month (and yes, they do have one of the 1966 Fords on display!) For those visiting from out of town, you do need a car to get there as it isn't accessible by public transportation. It is, however, located nearby the airport making it a great beginning or ending stop to your Phildelphia adventure.
Written November 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
BCM1225
Clarksburg, NJ321 contributions
I have been a Ford fan ever since the Daytona 500 of 1963 when Fords finished 1-5 in the race. Even though I attended the 1970 Daytona 500, my true love was road racing and my father and I would watch any road race on TV with my favorites being endurance racing. I remember(I'm now 70 so forgive any memory errors) watching both the Daytona Continental(before it became the 24 hours of) and Sebring races as Ford/Shelby made their foray into road racing on a large scale. I also recall when the 24 Hours of LEMANS was aired LIVE via satellite to the US. I remember the 1,2,3 sweep of Ford Mark II's and then the win by the Mark IV the following year.
My father and I went to Watkins Glen a number of times where we watched the GT40"s battle the 917 Porsches that also ran in the Can-Am race
Also this was brought back in vivid form during the DEMO day at Simeone when the Daytona Cobra and the three LeMans cars - 2 Fords and 1 Porsche were put through their paces. I just loved the sound and it reminded me of all the races my father and I went to from Bridgehampton to the Glen, to Lime Rock and Bryar and St Jovite. I pulled for the Fords in what ever form they were in.
My one wish that I shared at the museum was that I had hoped for a FORD TRANS AM Mustang(driven by Parnelli Jones) to be in the collection. Alas, it is not to be.
IF you love racing cars, go on a demo day for all the sights, sounds and smells of the past!!!
My father and I went to Watkins Glen a number of times where we watched the GT40"s battle the 917 Porsches that also ran in the Can-Am race
Also this was brought back in vivid form during the DEMO day at Simeone when the Daytona Cobra and the three LeMans cars - 2 Fords and 1 Porsche were put through their paces. I just loved the sound and it reminded me of all the races my father and I went to from Bridgehampton to the Glen, to Lime Rock and Bryar and St Jovite. I pulled for the Fords in what ever form they were in.
My one wish that I shared at the museum was that I had hoped for a FORD TRANS AM Mustang(driven by Parnelli Jones) to be in the collection. Alas, it is not to be.
IF you love racing cars, go on a demo day for all the sights, sounds and smells of the past!!!
Written September 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
bjx25
Hilton Head, SC169 contributions
Unusual display and some truly amazing examples - in many cases only 1 of its kind like the very special Bugatti.
Only a mile or so away from the Philadelphia Airport, so if changing flights or have a lengthy delay, for any car enthusiast, this is a great way to spend a few hours
Only a mile or so away from the Philadelphia Airport, so if changing flights or have a lengthy delay, for any car enthusiast, this is a great way to spend a few hours
Written July 31, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
What time is the last entrance?
thecatskinner
Pennsburg, PA95 contributions
I would suggest you look at their posted hours and then subtract your estimate of time you will spend there.
I would not think of less than two hours.
Anon8815
Trenton, NJ535 contributions
Is this worth going to if you are not a racing fan? Everyone likes looking at cool cars but I wonder how much would just be lost on us.
KatRedNJ
Metuchen, NJ62 contributions
The museum’s collection of cars is not strictly “race cars”. If you enjoy viewing “historic and classic” cars, you should find this place to be interesting enough. Be forewarned that the area where the museum is located does not offer restaurants.
It’s kind of like the outskirts of an airport (industrial).
TIP — try to go on a Saturday if you can. Dr Simeone himself is there and he talks about the cars and takes out a few cars and demonstrates them in the parking lot. Go to their website and look up Demo Days
KatrinaPa
PA595 contributions
Can you please tell me what happens on a Demo Day? Is the admission fee more expensive on those days?
Dave B
Philadelphia, PA54 contributions
There's no extra admission charge those day. There are usually 3 or 4 cars chosen from the collection that have something in common. Dr. Simeone discusses their significance and then the cars are started and run around the back of the lot. Visitors are encouraged to get close to inspect and photograph the cars.
Jando1968
Glasgow, UK17 contributions
Hi, We have booked for a room from 9 September for 6 nights No resort fees or taxes were included - can you tell me how much they will total for a 6 night stay? Thank you very much for your assistance.
SimeoneMuseum
Philadelphia, PA
Hello and thank you for contacting us. We do not have a hotel at our facility, but we recommend the Hampton Inn which is nearby.
Thanks and please let us know if we can help you with your visit to the Museum.
Esdjr3
Phoenixville, PA
how do I get there on public transportation?
MagaPhiladelphia
Philadelphia131 contributions
I drove there, but I think you can take the trolley 36 (subway-surface, Westbound) from Center City or 30th Street, and then walk. Check the route on the SEPTA website, it's very good. It is out of the way, but worth it!
