Alabama is home to one of CNN’s most intriguing places to see in 2016.
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum made the national list of must-see destinations in the United States.
The museum, which is located in Barber Motorsports Park, is the brainchild of George Barber, a Birmingham native whose family built a dairy empire beginning in the 1930s. Mr. Barber went on to be a successful businessman in various industries and ultimately sold his original family business to Dean Foods in the late 1990s. He has maintained a love for cars and motorcycles throughout his life.
“George Barber’s zeal for speed ignited his vision for today’s museum,” Barber Motorsports says on its website. “Having raced Porsches in the 1960s, Barber held an impressive track record—63 first place wins. A thriving business executive, Barber rediscovered his motorsports passion in 1988 and began collecting and restoring classic cars.”
That passion spawned what is now known quite simply as the the world’s “best and largest” motorcycle collection, and it continues to grow.
CNN noted that the Museum is currently undergoing a $15 million expansion, which includes adding over 84,000 square feet to the existing 144,000 square foot facility. The expansion will be completed this fall and will allow the facility to display up to 1,000 motorcycles at a time. The new area will also allow an expanded display of Lotus race cars.
The Museum first opened in Birmingham in 1995 and moved to its current location in 2003. The park is also home to the world-famous Porsche Sport Driving School.
Unwinding after today's Alabama Economic Growth Summit. The @Porsche Sport Driving School at @BarberMotorPark = WOW. pic.twitter.com/VNk7cL9FOA
— Yellowhammer (@yhn) February 20, 2016
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is in excellent company on CNN’s list. Other attractions on the list include Pearl Harbor, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in California, the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.
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