Okoboji Classic Cars
A Step Back In Time
by Rebecca Peters
This week I visited Okoboji Classic Cars, an incredible experience unique to the Iowa Great Lakes Area! If you’ve never visited, what are you waiting for? Okoboji Classic Cars is a car dealership featuring cars spanning 100 years. It’s a full restoration shop. It’s also a paradise for art, history, antique, and car fans!
The moment you walk into Okoboji Classic Cars, you are greeted by friendly staff. Maggie was my guide for the tour. She started by telling me about the restoration shop and paint booth that bakes the paint onto cars at 140 degrees! I could see 4 cars at different stages of restoration being worked on during my visit. Each car that visits the restoration shop goes home with a scrapbook documenting the work done. They had scrapbooks from several cars on display. It’s incredible to see pictures of the rusted frames that come in compared to the sparkling works of art that are completed right here in West Okoboji!
After learning a bit about artist Jack Rees’ studio and the work he did within the building, it was time to be transported back in time! Currently there are over 90 cars on display within Okoboji Classic Cars. They’re parked along “Grand Avenue” in Spencer. Jack Rees hand-painted a 28,000 square foot, floor to ceiling mural that depicts Grand Avenue in Spencer from the 1960s. Over 30 storefronts beckon you take a closer look. They’re filled with over 2,000 antiques that are amazing to view on their own. To inspect the storefronts, you get to weave around amazing cars, each with their own unique story.
I love history and art, so this was a real adventure for me! The murals depict sunsets at each “street corner.” They’re painted to make you feel like time is passing as you walk through the building, with the sun setting, and colors becoming darker and more vibrant as you progress on the tour. It’s also fun to learn about the local history of the Iowa Great Lakes and Spencer.
Hear more about this adventure in the opens in a new windowVacation Okoboji podcast!
We have so many unique attractions that will amaze and entertain you! You can find more information about Okoboji Classic Cars and other fun adventures in the Iowa Great Lakes area at www.VacationOkoboji.com.