This Rockford-area hidden gem was just recognized with an international award

ROSCOE — A Roscoe museum has been recognized with an international honor.

The online travel company Tripadvisor announced Historic Auto Attractions, 13825 Metric Drive, was the winner of its 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award.

The award honors travelers' favorite destinations, hotels, restaurants, things to do and more, based on the opinions collected from travelers and diners around the world on Tripadvisor over a 12-month period. 

Travelers’ Choice award-winners are among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor.

“I just think it’s fabulous after all of the hours and work we put into this thing,” museum owner Wayne Lensing said. 

Historic Auto Attractions features an extensive collection of vintage vehicles, including presidential limousines, gangster-era cars and memorabilia and cars from iconic TV shows and movies, including Batman, Ghostbusters and Back to the Future. 

History buffs may want to check out the extensive collection of John F. Kennedy and Kennedy family artifacts and memorabilia, the Sept. 11 memorial room, Egyptian artifacts, the Old West area and an exhibit honoring the nation’s space program.

Related:Roscoe’s ’little gem’ auto museum is about to get bigger

“We have a nice NASA collection out of Houston that’s on loan for educational uses,” Lensing said. 

For fans of 20th-century celebrities, the museum showcases cars and memorabilia belonging to Elvis Presley, Howard Hughes and John Dillinger. The museum also features clothing worn by Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne. 

Historic Auto Attractions was founded in 2001 and has five employees. Lensing expanded his museum campus by 50,000 square feet of space this year including a banquet room. 

“All I care to do out of all this is break even,” Lensing said. “Somehow make everything flush out when I am done.”

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday until the end of November and will reopen in May 2023.

Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Contact him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen.