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    Motte Historical Museum

    4.8 (38 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

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    1960s
    Tania T.

    What a gem! This place is amazing!!! My husband and I took our 21 month old toddler here because he loves car and we were somewhat curious about this place. And let me te you, we were not disappointed. It's kinda located in the middle of nowhere, but there's plenty of parking space! They close pretty early, so make sure to check the hours before going. The whole museum is open to public, and is FREE. They do accept donations though. The whole experience probably would take you about 30 to 45 mins, maybe longer if you like to linger around, taking pics, or just staring at these beauties. They have a guestbook that you can sign and they are open as a venue for weddings, party, etc. Our toddler loves this place and were really enjoying the cars on display. He was kicking and screaming when it was time to go. Definitely recommend this place, super family friendly, and just a cool place for those that are into cars from the olden days.

    Large barn structure houses the classic cars.
    Lianne K.

    Imagine a giant barn structure, with a historic vibe and cool architecture, filled with lovingly restored cars. You can not only imagine it, you can visit it in Menifee. The Motte family, area farming pioneers, started collecting cars decades ago. They graciously share their acquisitions with the public, free of charge. Inside the barn, there's also a gift shop, plus a mini soda fountain. On the second level, there's a series of display boards depicting history of the valley. The cars span the birth of the horseless carriage era to the 50s. The paint jobs are so shiny and substantial. Very impressive! Love the gleaming chrome and general excellent condition of these classics. Each vehicle has a placard describing the significance of its manufacturing, and the tie to the Motte family. A number of the collection's cars and trucks took decades to restore. The labor-of-love vibe is evident in this sweet venue. It was worth the long drive to visit the site. Many weddings and other special events take place at the barn. It's a great spot for a milestone birthday celebration. The hostess told us all the cars are drive-able, and move out of the barn for large events. I enjoyed browsing through several photo books with past events. The building and collection offer a great backdrop for unique photos. Dear Hubby just reminded me to report how friendly and informative the hostess was. She was really welcoming. When she learned we drive out from Ventura County for the afternoon, she recommended checking out the Orange Empire Railroad Museum. Great suggestion, so that we doubled our experience in the area.

    Wayne S.

    The Motte Historical Museum of classic automobiles is a must see for any motor enthusias,car fan,historical fan as well as familys, couples,and so cal visitors and travelers! The museum,located in the historical Southern California community of Menifee,features a terrific collection of classic automobiles! The Motte Historical Museum was the dream of the Motte Brothers for the community as well as car fans alike.Open Wed-Sundays,the staff is a terrific group of knowlegdeable historical car enthusiasts! The friendly team offers great information for all its visitors!Be sure bring your camera,mobile,or pad fully charged because the Motte lets you capture all the pictures you like-lots of Instagram and selfie postables here! The museum is also available for special events,receptions,weddings and business events. Plenty of free parking and I-215 freeway close you'll have a great time at The Motte Historical Museum! . . . . #motte #mottehistoricalmuseum #seetheusa #menifee #menifeecalifornia #classiccars #carcollections #seetheusa #ilovecars #greatoldcars #museums #360photography #waynesalvatti #carphotography #automuseums #california #cars #ricohpentax #instagram #selfies #photografxworldwide #mobilephone #social #family #placestosee #socal

    Jenita P.

    Wow I cannot believe I've never been here before! I've lived in the area for years and always saw this barn looking place but never knew what was inside it! There's a small coffee truck outside of this place that I've been wanting to try also for years so when I finally had a chance to go there I decided to stop here and was in for a surprise! This place is awesome if you love cars! Great place to bring the kids and teach them some history on cars! I got there a little after opening and the lady didn't have the greatest attitude but I helped myself to seeing the cars and it was a good stop to kill some time! They also have car shows every so often! They rent out the space for events also!

    Louise C.

    We went here for the first time. We came here two other times but it was closed. It's a fun place if you are into old cars. You can also rent the place for parties and receptions. They let you take photos of the cars. Admission is free..which is nice. We moved from San Diego a year ago and nothing in San Diego is free! It's a perfect place to bring family and friends from out of town.

    At the door
    Sandy L.

    Is a beautiful car museum, is free to the public and you can have events as weddings. I love all the cars!!

    First time here!

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    9 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    10 months ago

    I love this landmark. Its a hidden jewel. I love the cars, the people and the entire building. Go and take your family!!!!

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    10 months ago

    What a treasure this place is. The people who work there are so kind as well. We will go back many times.

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great Museum with a lot of nice cars! Free entry. They also do stuff for kids like Easter Egg Hunts. Great place and a great family.

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    My dad who is 86 loved seeing some of the cars from back in his day. I did not not know this place existed and right in my neighborhood.

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Outstanding museum and free. They also support the car community - a real gem in Romoland

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    11 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Cool place, get close to really nice classic cars, would recommend this place for anyone who loves classic cars

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    13 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Motte Historical Museum

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    Its FREE the museum is a 501(C) 3 non profit. We accept donations

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    Review Highlights - Motte Historical Museum

    Each vehicle has a placard describing the significance of its manufacturing, and the tie to the Motte family.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    They have great deals on Groupon that turned out to be a way better deal than buying the tickets…read moredirectly through the museum, I saved about $15 going this route and honestly I feel that Veterans should be able to also get free admission just as AD service members do, after all, they served our country just the same. We probably should have went when they first opened to beat the heat instead of walking around outside mid-afternoon. The volunteers at the entrance were really nice and helpful, our favorite was Max who took his time to explain the ins and outs of an F1 after helping our youngest climb into the cockpit. We purchased a few things at the gift shop, do we offer a military discount? Not sure because we weren't asked. There are many interesting things to browse around through here including a whole space section plus an underground bunker simulation, lots of hands on things that kept our kids occupied for a couple hours. My youngest was excited to find an f-15 outside, but bummed there were no f-18s that his daddy used to work on. All in all, it was an enlightening first experience, I love how all these volunteers are here doing something they love, although most seemed to just be there for social hour amongst themselves rather than speaking to the patrons. It was a fun family affair to kill time and learn new things!

    What a blast. I…read morejust happened to notice this place while on my way down to SD from Bakersfield. My wife and I made a point to stop by on the way home. So glad we did. This place is huge. We easily spent 3 hours here just looking around. There is free parking, a gift shop, old planes, new planes and so much. Plenty of room to walk around. Especially for my little one.

    Southern California Railway Museum

    Southern California Railway Museum

    4.1
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    Nice museum sadly some barn was close but it's was awesome to ride those old trolley…read more ------ But some railroad and demo aquipment need maintainace and need to be fixed

    This is mainly for the Hogwart's Express Adventure that my wife and I attended here at the Southern…read moreCalifornia Railway Museum. Though, I would imagine anyone attending any of their similar themed 'adventures', like their Polar Express Adventure or Thomas the Tank Engine Show, can expect a similar experience when coming here. First off, know that they do a pretty good job creating a fun event with what little they have in the way of recreating Hogwart's themed 'magic'. The entire show essentially consists of an opening waiting area you stay at until the show begins, the train itself where you watch the main stage play, and the Hogsmeade set where you end the night. Here's a more expansive rundown. Once you show your ticket, you start Platform 9 & 3/4, replete with photo ops, music from the first few movies, train station announcements, and a small gift shop selling Harry Potter merchandise. It's thankfully air conditioned, but gets a bit crowded as you approach the show start as everyone fully arrives. It's here where you first meet the train conductor and can get a sense of the over-the-top theatrics in store for the rest of your night. You then move on to the train itself, a fairly spacious cabin with an open area in the center for the actors, and multiple rows all facing toward them as they perform while the whole of it is in motion. The walls are lined with television screens that serve as both the view of the English countryside as you ride, as well as showing any special effects needed when 'spells' are cast during the show. And the cast consists of a young student from each of the four houses, the trolley cart pusher, and the aforementioned train conductor, all with that over-the-top performing you'd expect from any stage production. All of them seemed very knowledgable of the universe they were performing in, were fun to watch, and were even very personable both in between acts and after the show. And the Hogsmeade set at the end was essentially one giant gift shop with pretty much anything you could want for your Wizarding fantasies, including photo ops spots and toy train sets. There was even Butterbeer on tap, though it was vastly inferior to it's Universal Studios counterpart. In the end, if you go in expecting a cute show (younger actors giving it their all for the cheap seats) within the confines of their limitations (a small stage at the center of a moving train), with special effects purely consisting of animations on a nearby television screen ... you won't be too disappointed and your kids should be well entertained. If you have limited coin to spend, stick with Harry Potter Land at Universal. But, if you can splurge on both, coming here isn't too bad.

    Motte Historical Museum - museums - Updated August 2026

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