18.9 Miles from Lake Sumter Landing, 30-minute drive time

"Big Daddy" Don Garlits is synonomous with Drag Racing. He started in 1950, designing and building his own dragsters, and holds 17 World Champion Titles. His record breaking Swamp Rat XXX is displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
    With nearly 300 vehicles and thousands of artifacts (my favorites are a glass display case of only old speedometers and a room of historic engine blocks with cut-aways) in several buildings, you will need a couple of hours minimum to check out the whole collection of dragsters, funny cars, muscle cars, vintage vehicles, and memorabilia. Our group spent lots of time in the vintage car building pointing out cars that their moms and dads had when they were kids.
    Also, plenty of caps and T-shirts, die cast models, books, and posters to bring home from the gift shop. Adult admision is $20, seniors 60+ is $15 and children 5 to 12 are $10, and you can even bring your dog in. Afterwards we took a short drive (10-miles, 14-minutes) up I-75 to exit 350 to have lunch at the local favorite Chinese restaurant Yummy House and traded notes and pictures from the museum. There is also a Sonny’s Barbecue next door to the museum.