Address: 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle Danville, California 94506
Ken Behring and Don Williams which formed a partnership founded the Blackhawk Automotive Museum and first created it in August 1988. The Blackhawk Museum is created to provide the public with access to a wide variety of automotive collections from classic, vintage cars to the new exotic race cars to provide enjoyment and educational enrichment. The Museum is open Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the admission fees are $15 for adults, $10 for students, Seniors 65 and over, Military Vets, and it is free for children under 6 and active military.
It took us about 45 minutes to an hour drive from San Francisco via I-80, CA-24 East, and 680 North. The City of Danville is very nice, quiet and a lot of rich or famous celebrities and athletes live in the community. We parked on the side of the Museum with at least 20-30 parking spaces available but have other parking areas around the Museum. The Blackhawk Museum comprises of 5 galleries which are the Classic Cars Collection, World of Nature, Into China, Art of Africa, and the Spirit of the Old West. Most of them are on the 1st floor except the Spirit of the Old West which is located on the 3rd floor.
The first gallery that we went to was the “Classic Car Collections” where I saw the famous 1967 Fastback Mustang named “Eleanor” from the movie “Gone in 60 seconds”. Some were rare collectibles such as the 1937 Lavish Copper Kettle Rolls Royce Phantom III Sedanca DeVille, 2016 Ferrari F12fdf with 770 horsepower, and the famous 1963 Ford Thunderbird “Italian” concept. But my favorite was the wide array of a gleaming, exotic, flashy sports car such as the 2017 Lamborghini “Centenario” 770 hp, 2014 Ferrari “LaFerrari” and many more.
Secondly, we visited the “Art of Africa” gallery where we saw a lot of unique arts created by Sub-Saharan Africa indigenous people that lived on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. Some of the artifacts that we saw include 3D works human images, paintings, musical instruments, weapons, ceremonial African masks, and many more.
Thirdly, we visited the “Into China” gallery which included a variety of arts of Chinese history and culture. It features exceptional reproductions and fine arts from China such as The Imperial Dragon Throne, detailed scale model of the Forbidden City, Emperor’s Terracotta Warriors, Wood Carvings of Chinese masters, traditional Yak bone carvings and a collection of ceramic vases, and many more.
Fourthly, we visited the “World of Nature” gallery which is cool and reminded me of the Rain Forrest Cafe due to its three-dimensional animal sounds in the background. My daughter loved and was impressed with this gallery due to its neon colors and background animal sounds. It has more than 600 species on display and they all look real with great craftsmanship. My favorite animals were the Rhinoceros which actually moves and the lions of Savannah.
Lastly, we visited the “Spirit of the Old West” gallery which is composed of old west collections from the mid-1700 through the early 1900s. We saw a lot of artifacts such as native American tools and weaponry, rare and unique firearms, artifacts of native American life, canoes, and a large-scale model of the old west. The one that caught my eye was the cool old western stagecoach and the large Bison display located in the front of the entrance.
Overall it was a fun, educational, unique museum that offers different historical galleries that are good for all ages. We came out learning a few historical facts especially my daughter where she can share her knowledge with her classmates at school.
Tips: Come in early before 10 a.m. to avoid large crowds and try to start off with the Car Collections gallery which for me is the main highlight of the museum. Take a picture of the cascading water fountain and the huge elephant in front of the museum. Try the local Beep’s Burger which is located near the water fountain. We ordered the famous 1/4 lb hamburger and the thick chicken sandwich with garlic and curly fries. The 1/4 lb hamburger was savory and the chicken sandwich was thick. There are other restaurants and stores available in the area.
Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about Blackhawk Museum after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.