Ocala · I-75 Exit 341 · Drag racing and classic car museum
Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
See Big Daddy Don Garlits’ Swamp Rat dragsters and roughly 270 race and classic cars at the museum he founded, a few minutes off I-75 on Ocala’s south side.
Opens the museum’s website, which lists admission. There is no online ticketing; you pay at the door.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Drag racing museum
Race cars plus an antique car building
Admission
$22 adults
$17 seniors 60+, military, teens; $10 kids 5–12
Hours
Daily 9–5
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
Time needed
2–3 hours
The Ocala/Marion County visitors bureau’s estimate
Parking
Paved lot
Harvest Hosts lists 5 pull-through RV spaces
Collection
About 270 cars
The museum manager’s count, June 2026
What you’ll see
Swamp Rats, funny cars and a hall of fame
Two buildings tell the story: one is drag racing history, built around Don Garlits’ own cars, and the other is a big collection of antique and classic cars.
Photo: DanTD on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Start here
The Drag Race building
Start with the race cars. Garlits says Swamp Rat 1, the dragster he drove to a 176.4 mph record in 1957, is his favorite in the museum, and it sits just inside the front door. Farther in you’ll find the car from his 1970 transmission explosion, the crash that led him to build rear-engine dragsters, plus funny cars, engines and decades of memorabilia.
RV tip: one ticket covers both buildings, so pace yourself. Motorheads on Tripadvisor say to allow several hours, and the building is a cool place to spend a hot or rainy afternoon.
More to see
- The Antique Car buildingA second building holds about 50 antique and classic cars, according to the Ocala/Marion County visitors bureau.
- International Drag Racing Hall of FameFounded by Don and Pat Garlits in 1990 and part of the museum. A new class of inductees is honored each March in Gainesville, before the NHRA Gatornationals.
- Car shows and swap meetsThe 39th Mopars with Big Daddy car show and swap meet is November 7–8, 2026, with proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Expect a busy lot that weekend.
- Gift shopThe museum has a gift shop, and Harvest Hosts guests check in there.
Why go
Big Daddy’s own museum, a few minutes off I-75
Don “Big Daddy” Garlits won 17 NHRA national championships and was the first driver to top 300 mph in the quarter mile. He founded the museum in 1976 to preserve the history of drag racing, and it has been at its Ocala home since 1984.
What makes it special is that so many of the cars are his own. His Swamp Rat dragsters trace the sport’s jump from front-engine rails to the rear-engine design that took over after his Swamp Rat 14 won in 1971.
It is an easy stop on an RV travel day: the museum sits just east of I-75 at Exit 341, and Ocala Sun RV Resort is about a mile away. On a hot or rainy afternoon, it is one of the best indoor stops around Ocala.
Photo: Ebyabe on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Why it made our list
- Built around Don Garlits’ own Swamp Rat dragsters
- About 270 race and classic cars
- The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame
- A minute off I-75 at Exit 341
- Leashed pets welcome on the tour
For RVers
Visiting the museum with an RV
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Easy on, easy off I-75
Take I-75 Exit 341, go east on CR 484, then turn right onto SW 16th Ave.; the museum is on the right. RVers who have stayed there describe a level, paved lot with room for big rigs.
Overnight with Harvest Hosts
The museum is a Harvest Hosts location. The listing shows 5 paved pull-through spaces for rigs over 45 feet, no hookups listed and a gated lot at night; members check in at the gift shop. The museum’s own site doesn’t mention overnight parking.
Bring the dog
The museum says your pet is invited to join the tour if it is on a leash or in a stroller. That makes it one of the few indoor attractions near Ocala where the dog can come along.
Watch the event weekends
Car shows such as Mopars with Big Daddy (November 7–8, 2026) fill the grounds. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
What visitors say about Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 25–28, 2026.
We are a museum celebrating the notable history of drag racing and the career of Don Garlits.
The museum, describing itself · garlits.com
What visitors often mention
Recurring themes in Google’s review topics
Drag racing historyEnginesAntique cars
Google’s review topics point to drag racing history (145 reviews), the engines (119), the antique car museum (49) and the funny cars (38). Checked October 25, 2026.
Admission by age
Prices from the museum’s website, checked October 25, 2026. College students also pay $17; the site doesn’t list a price for children under 5.
Good to know
Adults$22 per person
Seniors, military, teens$17 per person
Groups of 10+$3–$12 per person
Admission includesDrag Race buildingAntique Car buildingHall of Fame
Prices from the museum’s website, checked October 25, 2026. Military, veterans and first responders pay $17; college students $17; children 5–12 $10. There is no online ticketing; you pay at the door.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
- Address13700 SW 16th Ave., Ocala, FL 34473
- HoursDaily 9–5
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas - Phone(352) 245-8661
- AdmissionPay at the door; prices on garlits.com
- Getting thereFrom I-75, take Exit 341 and go east on CR 484, then turn right onto SW 16th Ave. The museum is on the right.
- ParkingFree paved lot beside the museum. RVers report room for big rigs, and the museum is a Harvest Hosts stop.
The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Call ahead on car show weekends, when the lot fills.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
These are the Ocala-area parks we have visited and written up, closest first. Ocala Sun RV Resort is about a mile from the museum, on the same side of I-75.
Ocala Sun RV Resort
A social, all-ages resort south of Ocala with 387 grassy full-hookup sites and 100 ft pull-thru super sites.
Ocala RV Camp Resort
An older, budget-friendly park beside I-75 Exit 350 with shady grass sites, ponds and a big pool.
Southern Springs RV Resort
A new, gated 55+ resort off I-75 Exit 352 with landscaped concrete sites, a heated pool and pickleball.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Open daily 9 am–5 pm
Ready to see the Swamp Rats?
Pull off I-75 at Exit 341, park in the paved lot and give yourself a few hours with Big Daddy’s cars.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: DanTD (1960 Plymouth Fury and 1970 Plymouth GTX, 2012; CC BY-SA 4.0) and Ebyabe (buildings, entrance and Hall of Fame monument, 2009; CC BY 2.5), via Wikimedia Commons; the images were resized. Video: Dolloff Antiques Garage on YouTube. Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the museum’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by the museum and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing at garlits.com or (352) 245-8661. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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