I was in Florida a few months ago and had the chance to visit the Garlits Museum. The dosant said it was OK to take pictures so I will try to share them here if I can figure out how to attach them. ....sorry guys...it says "the image is too large" ????? This old geezer don't know how to remedy that. (they are .jpg files)
The wife and i visited in 2012 and i would have to say i rate that place at the top of my list, just wish he was there to meet in person on the day.
back in the 70s we visited the museum on a trip to Disney with the kids. It was right before the official grand opening and we had the place to ourselves that morning. My wife still laughs about repeatedly telling me to mind the ropes and keep my hands off. It was my "disney adventure" for sure. While we were walking around Don came out of his office and I said hello and cautiously asked if I could get a picture with him. What a great guy, got a great pic by the carbureted Swamp Rat that I still have in my scrapbook. Told Don I could recall seeing him at Dover Drag Strip in the 60s when he was still touring with a pickup truck and trailer and he took time to talk with anyone who ventured to say hello. Bet the museum is much bigger after all these years and maybe I'll get another chance to visit. Hope you can post Blackrat40.
Took the kids to Disney world a few years ago. Got to stop by for a while . here an album i started. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/media/albums/don-garlits-museum.34888/
For years I would drive by on I75 and see the sign for his museum but never stopped. Then a few years ago we went to BilletProof that was held there and we toured the museum. WOW does not explain how cool this place is ! Don never threw anything away in his life and all of it is there to see. Since then we have gone back again and found even more stuff to look at that we missed the first time. Can't recommend it enough. Don
I have been there several times. On one of the visits ( about 15 yrs ago ) there was an older lady greeting people at the entrance. She said, " Hello, I am Don's Mom" . Very nice lady and a great son .
Stopped there in 1987 , i undestand it has grown some since then. They had a rack full of old team uniforms for sale , almost all brown jolly rancher outfits but I found this one and the lady at the counter said it was really Don's.
I want to go and take the tour with Don. I read somewhere that he takes you back to his shop and fires cars up.
I visited in December last year and was just blown away with both the drag racing museum and Don's old car museum. I spent hours and hours there and took plenty of pics. I was lucky enough to meet Don's wife, Pat, (who has unfortunately since then passed away) As Don's Hot Rods said above, Big Daddy has clearly hung onto everything he has ever owned and some of it is a true history of hot rodding. (Hang on, .......... Don's Hot Rods is from Florida, is that THE Don....????) There are some very important racing machines there - obviously most of the Swamp Rats, but also so many of Don's competitors cars are there too. There are literally hundreds of cars and they are immaculate. The old car museum has at least one of each of the 'important' Fords from the late 20's to the end of the 30's and beyond, and they are restored to such a high standard it is fantastic. I can recommend a visit to anyone but make sure you plan on spending all day there. You will enjoy every minute of it. Cheers.
I've visited a few times and took my 16-year-old car guy son there for the first time this past January. We spent a few hours there and had a fantastic time. A visit to the Garlits museum and a trip to Sonny's BBQ around the corner makes for a great day indeed.
I was there last September, only had an hour and a half to look around but managed to see most everything. 300+ pics in the album - click here to see them. 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 002 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 026 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 027 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 031 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 033 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 145 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 150 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 206 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 220 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr 092213 Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 315 by SoCalCarCulture, on Flickr
Posting these for "blackrat40" who had problems getting them to the proper size. They are of his trip to the Museum.
Outstanding job by member "loudbang" of resizing and posting my pic's.! Thanks! Check out the dragster in pic #4 with topside exhaust modification (like a flathead Cadillac).
Wife & I stopped in a few years, pace was empty,some dude was cutting grass out back and told us just go in. We looked around for maybe an hour or so and were about to leave and he walked up and it was Big Daddy himself. He asked what we thought, he talked about the old racing days and then took us back in to show us his favorite items and then took us in a back room room to show us his special items he won't put on display. He talked to us like he had known us for years. what a great guy.
I went in last week, only had 2.5 hours before they closed up. This is one of those places where you can walk up and down the same aisle for hours and see something different every trip. Besides the cars, there is an incredible amount of memorabilia, parts, and just random stuff to see that it'll sure keep you busy. Don is WAY more than just a drag racer, he's a gearhead. This is a place that needs to be on "the list" of places you got to go.
Been there twice and planning to see more. The vast amount of unique stuff there is just breathtaking, one can literally spend hours just looking small items and thinking their involvement in developing drag racing and hot rodding during the years. You couldn't put up such a collection even with money anymore. It's priceless. And to me including such cars as Pontiac Fiero and Chevy Corvair on display only shows how open minded enthusiast Don is. My hat is off.
in 1957 (?) I was at the starting line at Vacaville drag strip when "Cook & Bidwell" Broke 150 mph/1/4 mile. It was really impressive to see that dragster again.
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