We marked the start of our 2015 Wild West adventure with a stop at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Ind. What a fun place to visit if you are a camping enthusiast! The RV museum is home to dozens of vintage campers–many of which you can walk through. Located just off I-80, the hall of fame would make a great place to stretch your legs on your next RVing adventure through Indiana!
A placard introduced the collection of travel trailers with these words: “The all-American family experience of travel with a ‘home on wheels’ is often replete with memories and stories of the road and images of the scenic places across our vast wonderland. We hope your visit here will bring back memories of family good times on the road and excite the wanderlust for new adventures.” It certainly did for us: We had a blast seeing all the different kinds of campers and how they evolved over the decades. Although today’s RVs are awesome, there’s just something special about the vintage ones. (And we can probably trace our journey of remodeling a 1976 Silver Streak back to our visit to the hall of fame.)
The Elkhart collection includes the world’s oldest camper from 1913, which a Ford Model “T” would have towed.
Another “housecar” on display came from Hollywood: Paramount Studios had the 1931 Chevrolet custom made for actress Mae West to entice her away from vaudeville and to the silver screen.
I was particularly amazed by the attention to detail and design in the vintage models. Here’s just a sampling of what the museum has to offer. My iPhone was having a hard time that day capturing crisp pictures in the dim lighting, but you’ll get the idea 🙂 :
The facility also offers an extensive library that contains resources archiving the recreational vehicle and manufactured housing industries. Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for children ages 6-16 (but a $30 group rate for families), and $10 for seniors. And of course they have on-site parking for campers. 🙂
Leave a Reply