Most museums ask you to be quiet. The Museum of American Speed invites you to gawk at a 1,500-horsepower supercharged Chrysler and argue about whether the Offenhauser or the Ford flathead changed the sport more. It is 150,000 square feet of engines, race cars, pedal toys, and Indy history spread across three floors on the Speedway Motors campus in west Lincoln — and getting your group there without someone playing navigator on West O Street is the part this guide takes care of.
The museum sits at 599 Oakcreek Drive, Lincoln, NE 68528, reached from downtown via West O Street heading west to South Folsom Street and Oakcreek Drive. That last stretch is Speedway Motors territory — a private corporate campus where the signage is clear, the lot is paved and spacious, and a charter bus has plenty of room to pull in, unload, and park without threading a downtown parking garage. This guide covers the drop-off and parking details, which vehicle fits your group, what shapes the price, and how the visit actually runs once you get there.
Call 502-242-0101 any time to get a quote.
Address
599 Oakcreek Dr, Lincoln, NE 68528
Phone
(402) 323-3166
Summer hours (May–Sep)
Mon–Sat, 10 am – 4:30 pm
Winter hours (Oct–Apr)
Fri–Sat, 10 am – 4:30 pm
Facility size
150,000 sq ft across three levels
Adult admission
$15 · Seniors/Veterans $10 · Youth $5
What Is the Museum of American Speed?
The Museum of American Speed is a nonprofit automobile museum founded in 1992 by Bill and Joyce Smith — the same family behind Speedway Motors, one of the oldest performance parts companies in the country. Bill Smith spent six decades collecting engines, race cars, and speed equipment, and what you see across those three floors is the physical result of that obsession. The museum moved to its current location on the Speedway Motors corporate campus in 2001 and has expanded steadily since, adding a major new wing in 2024 that brought the Unser and Herzog galleries under one roof alongside expanded NASCAR, off-road racing, drag racing, and land speed displays.
The collection is genuinely hard to summarize. There are over 600 rare engines documenting a continuous chronology of American high-performance development, more than 130 race cars and automobiles, the world's largest collection of pedal toy cars, a Soap Box Derby collection, motorized toys, midget race cars, go-karts, and a music room with a ceiling lined with autographed guitars. The new Unser Vault unites the Unser Racing Museum collection with Bobby Unser's personal artifacts — interactive displays, the 1971 Gurney Eagle Bobby raced, the Johnny Lightning Special Al Unser drove to his first Indy win, and memorabilia that spans four generations of a racing family.
Plan at least two to three hours for a thorough visit; enthusiasts routinely spend a full afternoon.
Where Your Bus Drops Off and Parks
The location on the Speedway Motors campus is one of the better group-transportation situations in Lincoln. Oakcreek Drive is a low-traffic access road off South Folsom Street, and the museum sits at the end of it with a generous paved surface lot in front. There are no parking garages with clearance issues, no downtown one-way street puzzles, and no metered blocks to juggle.
A charter bus or minibus pulls in, unloads at the front entrance, and has room to park without displacing a row of visitors. The ramp at the front entrance leads directly into the museum, and an elevator services all three floors.
For school and group field trips, the museum's team works with you in advance on logistics — call (402) 323-3166 to coordinate your group's arrival time and any special tour arrangements. Weekday visits include a guided tour at 1 pm; Saturday visits are self-guided, and guided tours for groups can be arranged in advance. The Unser Vault is accessible noon–2 pm on weekday visits.
We always recommend contacting the museum directly before your visit to confirm current group access and parking protocols, particularly if you are bringing a full-size charter bus, so there are no surprises on Oakcreek Drive.
The logistics in brief: pull into the Speedway Motors campus via Oakcreek Drive off South Folsom Street, unload at the front ramp, and park in the surface lot. No garage clearance issues, no metered time limits, no downtown scramble. That is the whole picture — and it is a lot cleaner than most Lincoln destinations.
Which Bus Fits Your Group?
The right vehicle is the one that seats everyone comfortably and keeps the group together from pickup to museum entrance. Here is how the fleet breaks down for a Museum of American Speed visit.
| Vehicle | Typical capacity | Best for | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprinter van / 14-passenger Sprinter limo | Up to ~14 | Small crews, corporate groups, private tours | Premium leather, USB charging, tinted windows |
| 15–35 passenger minibus | ~15–35 | Family reunions, club outings, mid-size groups | Powerful A/C, reclining seats, overhead storage |
| Party bus (15–50 passengers) | ~15–50 | Celebration trips, car-club outings, milestone visits | Built-in bar, LED lighting, premium sound |
| 40–56 passenger charter bus | Up to 56 | School groups, large clubs, corporate outings | Reclining seats, climate control, WiFi, power outlets, onboard restroom, undercarriage bays |
For school field trips, a full-size charter bus is the workhorse: it seats an entire grade level, stores lunchboxes and backpacks in the undercarriage bays, and an onboard restroom means the schedule stays intact without roadside stops. For car clubs and enthusiast groups heading out for a day of automotive history, a party bus turns the ride itself into part of the occasion. ADA-accessible vehicles are available with advance notice — mention the need when you request a quote and we'll get you the right vehicle.
Call 502-242-0101 to find the right fit for your group.
Bus vs. Driving Separately: The Honest Comparison
The Speedway Motors campus has ample parking, so driving separately is not a parking-lot nightmare the way a downtown destination would be. The real argument for a bus is coordination, not parking. When your group spans multiple addresses across Lincoln — everyone meeting at a school, a clubhouse, a hotel, or a collection of private homes — someone has to organize the convoy.
And the deeper into the afternoon that convoy goes, the more likely a car gets turned around on West O Street, a family arrives 30 minutes after everyone else, or half the group misses the 1 pm guided tour because they hit a red light on Folsom Street. One bus cuts all of that out: one pickup, one arrival, one tour start, one departure.
| Option | Group arrives together? | Someone has to manage the logistics? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charter bus or minibus | Yes — everyone in one vehicle | No — route is taken care of | Groups of ~10–56 |
| Caravan of personal vehicles | Not reliably | Yes — constant coordination | Very small groups |
| Rideshare caravan | Not reliably | Yes — multiple ETAs | 1–4 per car |
For school groups specifically, a charter bus also gives teachers a controlled environment from first bell to last: headcount on board, no lost students in a parking lot, and no parent volunteer stuck in traffic on South 14th Street who missed the morning meeting. For car clubs and enthusiast organizations, the social dynamic of a bus ride sets a different tone than a convoy — the conversation starts before you ever reach Oakcreek Drive.
What Does a Lincoln Bus Rental to the Museum of American Speed Cost?
Charter bus pricing in Lincoln is quote-based, not a fixed rate, because the quote is shaped by a handful of factors that are different for every group. Your vehicle size, how many hours the bus is reserved, your pickup location(s), and whether the visit is a round trip or a multi-stop itinerary all move the number. A school field trip that picks up at one address, runs two and a half hours at the museum, and returns to the same address is a straightforward quote.
A corporate outing that sweeps three hotels, runs five hours including lunch, and adds a Haymarket stop on the way back is a different calculation.
For real ranges: 15- to 35-passenger minibuses typically run in the range of $125–$250/hour for a Lincoln bus rental; full-size 40- to 56-passenger charter buses run approximately $150–$300/hour. Sprinter limos for smaller VIP groups run roughly $170–$344/hour. Most museum day trips are billed over three to five hours depending on travel time and how long your group plans to spend inside.
Because all-inclusive pricing is available in under 30 seconds, the fastest way to a real number is to call 502-242-0101 with your headcount, date, and pickup point — and the quote covers the whole picture, no surprises.
The per-person math is worth doing. A 40-person group on a four-hour charter bus rental at $200/hour comes to $20 per person for coordinated round-trip transportation. That is before you factor in the time the trip organizer does not have to spend managing a 10-car convoy, confirming who is still behind, and calling the two parents whose GPS led them to West O Street instead of Oakcreek Drive.
Getting There: The Drive From Lincoln to Oakcreek Drive
The Museum of American Speed is in west Lincoln, roughly three to four miles from downtown via West O Street. The campus sits just off South Folsom Street on Oakcreek Drive, and the route from most parts of the city is straightforward without any notable choke points under normal conditions. From downtown and the Haymarket district, the trip runs west on West O Street to South Folsom Street, then south a short distance to Oakcreek Drive.
From southeast Lincoln and neighborhoods near 27th Street, a direct approach runs west on Van Dorn Street to Folsom. From the University of Nebraska campus, West O Street is the primary corridor westbound.
The corridor along West O Street carries meaningful daily traffic, particularly near the I-180 interchange and westward through the South Street and Cornhusker Highway intersections. Morning school-trip departures beat most of that congestion. Afternoon returns, particularly on Fridays or during University of Nebraska home football weekends, are when West O Street earns its reputation.
If your group's visit ends on a game-day Friday afternoon in September or October, build in extra time on the return leg — Memorial Stadium traffic floods the O Street corridor by mid-afternoon on those dates, and what is normally a ten-minute ride from the campus to downtown can double. A charter bus keeps your group comfortable while that plays out, instead of five separate cars scattered across the backup with different ETAs.
Planning Your Visit: Hours, Admission, and Group Logistics
The museum operates on two seasonal schedules. From May through September, it is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am – 4:30 pm. From October through April, hours contract to Friday and Saturday only, 10 am – 4:30 pm.
The museum is closed on all major holidays — Memorial Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. That winter schedule is a detail worth planning around: if your group is targeting a fall or spring visit outside the summer window, Friday is the only weekday option from October onward.
Admission runs $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (60+), veterans, and college students with ID, $5 for youth ages 6–17, and free for children 5 and under and active military with ID. Group pricing and advance arrangements are handled directly with the museum at (402) 323-3166. Wheelchairs are available on request.
Food and drink are not permitted in the exhibit areas, so plan a pre- or post-visit meal separately — the Haymarket District is a natural stop on the way back to downtown Lincoln, with restaurants a short ride from the campus.
Weekday visits include a guided tour at 1 pm, which is the anchor around which most group itineraries should be built. Saturday visits are self-guided. If your group wants a guided tour on a Saturday or at a time outside the scheduled 1 pm weekday option, arrange it in advance by calling the museum.
The Unser Vault is accessible noon–2 pm on weekdays. For school groups, the museum will work with you to develop a tour matched to your learning objectives and age group — fill out their online form or call to get that conversation started well before your visit date.
The winter schedule catches first-timers off guard: the museum is open Friday and Saturday only from October through April. A Tuesday field trip or a Wednesday corporate outing is not possible during the winter months. Check the official Museum of American Speed visit page before you lock in a date, and call to confirm any group arrangements at least a few weeks in advance.
What Your Group Will See: Three Floors of American Racing History
The 150,000-square-foot layout across three levels means most groups need more time than they expect. A quick orientation helps your group move through without missing the highlights.
The ground floor anchors the collection with engines — over 600 of them, arranged in a continuous chronology from early overhead-valve designs through the fuel-injected and turbocharged units that defined the sport in the twentieth century. This is the core of what the Smiths set out to build: a museum of speed equipment, not just race cars, documenting how American ingenuity pushed horsepower forward decade by decade. Plan time here for engineering-focused visitors; the density of hardware is unusual even by museum standards.
Upper floors carry the race vehicles: midget cars, go-karts, Indy cars, dragsters, custom show cars, NASCAR stockers, off-road racing machines, and land speed record vehicles. The world's largest collection of pedal toy cars occupies its own dedicated space — a crowd-pleaser for groups that include younger visitors who need a counterpoint to the technical exhibits. The music room, with its ceiling of autographed guitars, is one of the more unexpected stops in the building.
The Unser and Herzog galleries, opened in 2025, are the newest draw. The Unser Vault brings together the full Unser Racing Museum collection — previously in Albuquerque, New Mexico — with Bobby Unser's personal artifacts. The 1971 Gurney Eagle that Bobby drove, the Johnny Lightning Special from Al Unser's first Indy 500 win, and interactive displays tracing four generations of the Unser family's racing legacy are all here.
For any group with even a passing interest in American open-wheel racing, this is the anchor of the visit. Check the museum's homepage for current exhibit updates before your group arrives.
Trip Types That Work Well at the Museum of American Speed
Different groups, same destination. Here are the visits we coordinate most often for this museum.
- School field trips. The museum's educational staff tailors tours to specific grade levels and learning objectives — science, engineering, and American history all connect naturally to the collection. A charter bus handles the group from school pickup to museum drop-off and back, with undercarriage bays for lunchboxes and the onboard restroom keeping the schedule intact. Book the bus as soon as your field trip date is confirmed; spring semester dates in April and May book out quickly.
- Car club and enthusiast outings. For groups of gearheads, the engine chronology alone is worth the trip. A party bus makes the ride itself part of the day out — built-in bar, LED lighting, and a sound system from pickup to the Oakcreek Drive entrance.
- Corporate and team outings. A museum visit is a change of pace from a conference room: give your team three floors of American ingenuity and a guided tour, then debrief over lunch in the Haymarket. A minibus handles the logistics cleanly without the carpool coordination.
- Family reunions and milestone celebrations. Multi-generational groups that span die-hard racing fans and curious grandkids find the range of the collection genuinely serves everyone. A charter bus keeps the whole family together from pickup to museum and back.
- Auto mechanics and vocational programs. Community colleges and technical programs around Lincoln have used the engine collection as a hands-on supplement to coursework. The museum's willingness to work with educational groups on custom tour content makes this a natural fit.
Pairing the Museum with Other Lincoln Stops
The Museum of American Speed is in west Lincoln, and the most natural pairing is a visit to the Haymarket District on the way back toward downtown — a short ride east along West O Street puts your group at the Historic Haymarket's brick-street restaurants and breweries in under ten minutes. For groups that want a full day, a morning museum visit followed by lunch in the Haymarket and an afternoon stop at another Lincoln destination is a natural arc. Pinnacle Bank Arena and Memorial Stadium are both in the downtown-to-campus corridor, and a bus makes multi-stop itineraries simple — your group stays together while the route adjusts around your plan rather than the other way around.
If your group's visit includes out-of-town guests flying into Lincoln Airport (LNK) at 2400 W Adams St, the museum and the airport are roughly equidistant from downtown Lincoln heading in opposite directions — an airport pickup folded into a museum day trip is a common request. A charter bus collects arriving guests at LNK, sweeps the hotel for local attendees, and arrives at Oakcreek Drive as a single group instead of a staggered arrival from four different ride requests. Call 502-242-0101 to build a multi-stop itinerary around your group's schedule.
Booking, Timing, and What to Confirm
The museum's visit profile is low-surge compared to a Cornhusker game day or a Pinnacle Bank Arena concert, which means availability for a museum day trip is generally good with two to four weeks of lead time. That said, spring school-trip season is when bus availability in Lincoln tightens. If your field trip falls in April or May — when every Lincoln-area school is trying to get one more educational trip in before the summer break — the right-size vehicles book out fast.
Confirm your date as soon as your school calendar is set, not when the permission slips come back.
For corporate and club outings, the winter schedule constraint (October–April hours are Friday–Saturday only) is worth checking before you set a meeting-room date for a Tuesday in November that the museum cannot accommodate. The summer window from May through September gives the most scheduling flexibility with Monday through Saturday hours. Confirm current operating hours directly with the museum before you finalize any group booking, since seasonal adjustments can happen.
Here is how a typical booking goes:
- Contact the museum at (402) 323-3166 to confirm your visit date, group size, and whether you need a guided tour arranged in advance.
- Request a bus quote from us with your headcount, pickup location(s), date, and approximate visit length — call 502-242-0101 or use the online quote tool for instant availability.
- Confirm pickup times for your group, particularly if sweeping multiple locations, and set an end-of-visit window so the bus is waiting on Oakcreek Drive when your group exits.
The bus is reserved as a block of hours, so it can wait on the campus while your group explores and be right there when you walk out — no calling for a rideshare from the Speedway Motors parking lot, no coordinating who takes which car. You just arrive and depart as a group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly does the bus drop off at the Museum of American Speed?
The museum sits on the Speedway Motors corporate campus at 599 Oakcreek Drive, accessed via South Folsom Street. The surface lot in front of the main entrance has ample room for a charter bus or minibus to pull in, unload at the front ramp, and park without blocking other visitors. There are no parking garage clearance issues and no downtown metered restrictions.
For large groups, call (402) 323-3166 in advance to coordinate arrival timing with the museum's staff.
What are the Museum of American Speed's current hours?
Summer hours (May–September) are Monday through Saturday, 10 am – 4:30 pm, closed Sunday. Winter hours (October–April) are Friday and Saturday only, 10 am – 4:30 pm. The museum is closed on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.
Confirm current hours at the museum's visitor information page before your visit.
How much is admission for a group at the Museum of American Speed?
Adults pay $15; seniors (60+), veterans, and college students with ID pay $10; youth ages 6–17 pay $5; children 5 and under are free; active military with ID are free. Contact the museum directly at (402) 323-3166 to discuss group pricing and any discounts for larger parties.
Can we get a guided tour?
Weekday visits include a guided tour at 1 pm. Saturday visits are self-guided. Guided tours for groups outside the regular 1 pm weekday slot can be arranged in advance by contacting the museum.
The Unser Vault is accessible noon–2 pm on weekdays. For school groups, the museum tailors tours to specific learning objectives and age groups — call (402) 323-3166 to coordinate.
How long should we plan to spend at the museum?
Most visitors spend two to three hours; enthusiasts and school groups often run to three or four. The three-floor layout and density of the collection — over 600 engines, 130-plus vehicles, the Unser and Herzog galleries, and the pedal-car collection — rewards time. Build your bus booking around at least three hours on site, with buffer for transit from your pickup point.
How much does a Lincoln charter bus rental to the Museum of American Speed cost?
Pricing depends on your group size, vehicle type, number of hours, and pickup location(s). Minibuses typically run $125–$250/hour; full-size charter buses run approximately $150–$300/hour. A museum day trip for a school group of 40 students over four hours will look different from a corporate outing for 15 people over three hours.
Call 502-242-0101 with your specifics for an all-inclusive quote in under 30 seconds.
Can we add other Lincoln stops on the same trip?
Yes — we handle multi-stop trips all the time. The Haymarket District is the most natural pairing, roughly ten minutes east of the museum via West O Street. Memorial Stadium, Pinnacle Bank Arena, and Lincoln Airport are all reachable on the same trip.
Tell us your full itinerary when you request a quote and we'll build every stop into the schedule.
When should we book a bus for a spring school field trip?
As early as your date is confirmed. April and May are Lincoln's busiest school-trip window, and the right-size charter buses book out quickly across the metro. Waiting until March or April for a spring field trip usually means limited vehicle selection or premium availability.
Lock in the bus when you lock in the museum date — call 502-242-0101 to check availability now.
Is the museum accessible for guests with mobility needs?
Yes. The main entrance has a ramp and an elevator accesses all three floors. Wheelchairs are available on request — contact the museum in advance if your group has specific accessibility needs.
ADA-accessible buses are also available in our fleet; mention the requirement when you book and we'll get you the right vehicle.
Book Your Lincoln Bus to the Museum of American Speed
Three floors of engines, race cars, and speed history — and none of your group has to argue over who drove, who got lost on Folsom Street, or who forgot to confirm everyone was meeting at the right entrance. A charter bus or minibus from Party Bus Lincoln gets your group from any pickup point in Lincoln to 599 Oakcreek Drive as a single coordinated arrival, and the bus waits nearby while you work through the collection floor by floor. Call 502-242-0101 any time for an all-inclusive price quote, or use the online tool for instant availability.
