Kernersville Auto Museum

Kernersville Auto Museum is one of the most genuinely distinctive automotive collections anywhere in the greater Kernersville, NC area — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit museum housed in a purpose-built 11,000-square-foot climate-controlled facility that opened in April 2022. The museum features an ever-changing collection of American, English, French, and German classic cars spanning over 100 years of automotive history.

The museum was founded by Jim A. Taylor, past president of Piedmont Airlines (the major North Carolina regional carrier headquartered in Winston-Salem from 1948 to 1989), whose personal love of classic cars grew from a seed planted in the 1950s. Beyond its collection, the museum operates as a genuine local community gathering space — with vehicles owned by Jim personally, donated by community members, or loaned out by locals honoring beloved family cars.

Be sure to check out the YouTube video and pictures below to get a feel for Kernersville Auto Museum before you go — or to relive the visit after.

Jim Taylor’s Founding Story — From a 1950s Tobacco Crop to a 2022 Museum

The Kernersville Auto Museum’s origin story is genuinely wonderful and firmly rooted in North Carolina Piedmont heritage. Jim A. Taylor bought his first classic car — a Model A Ford — in the 1950s after selling his tobacco crop. That first restoration project planted the seed for what would grow into a decades-long passion for classic automobile collecting and preservation.

The turning point came during a visit to Woodstock, England — Winston Churchill’s hometown — where Jim discovered a 1934 English Austin that he fell in love with but couldn’t purchase from its owner. Two weeks later, during a serendipitous visit to Blowing Rock, NC, he spotted another 1934 Austin parked on the street with a “For Sale” sign in the window — and bought it immediately. The Austin sparked 35+ years of active collecting that would grow into the museum’s founding collection.

By the 2010s, Jim had observed at classic car auctions that many American automobiles were being sold overseas, with a genuine risk that significant pieces of American automotive heritage would leave the country permanently. In response, he began developing plans for a nonprofit museum that would preserve his own collection alongside cars from other local collectors. In 2020, he purchased 2 acres on Old Winston Road, broke ground on construction in March 2021, and completed the state-of-the-art facility in March 2022. The Kernersville Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony in April 2022.

The Collection — American, English, French, and German Classic Cars

The museum’s collection focuses on classic and vintage automobiles from America, England, France, and Germany, spanning over 100 years of automotive history. At any given time, the museum displays approximately 28 to 50 vehicles, with the collection “ever-changing” as new cars rotate into the display and others rotate out. That rotation keeps the visitor experience fresh for returning locals while ensuring the collection continues to grow over time.

The collaborative ownership model shapes what makes the museum feel distinctive. Some vehicles belong to Jim Taylor personally; others have been donated to the museum by community members; and still others are on loan from local collectors — including some who display cars in honor of loved ones who passed. That community-collaboration model gives the collection a broader emotional and historical range than a single-owner private collection could match.

Visitors who arrive on days when Jim Taylor is present are often lucky enough to receive personal tours from the founder himself, with Jim sharing detailed stories about the history, restoration, and significance of individual vehicles. That kind of personal engagement is genuinely rare in modern museum experiences and gives Kernersville Auto Museum a distinctive visitor experience that no larger institution can replicate.

Good to Know

• Location: Corner of Old Winston Road & 204 Holly Tree Drive, Kernersville, NC 27284
• Founder: Jim A. Taylor — past president of Piedmont Airlines (the major NC regional carrier headquartered in Winston-Salem from 1948 to 1989)
• Nonprofit status: 501(c)(3) organization founded to preserve American classic cars from being sold overseas
• Facility: Newly constructed 11,000-square-foot climate-controlled and secure building; opened April 2022
• Collection focus: American, English, French, and German classic cars — spanning over 100 years of automotive history
• Collection scale: Approximately 28 to 50 vehicles displayed at any given time (ever-changing collection)
• Ownership model: Mix of vehicles owned by founder Jim Taylor, donated by community members, and on loan from local collectors (some in honor of loved ones)
• Visitor experience: Self-guided touring; on many days, Jim Taylor himself is on-site to share personal stories about individual vehicles
• Admission: Free (donations appreciated as a nonprofit)
• Hours: Open on a weekend-only schedule (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday); closed Monday through Thursday. Check the Kernersville Auto Museum website for current specific hours.
• Event space: The museum can host cruise-ins, monthly club meetings, charity events, weddings, reunions, and school field trips — with a conference room, sit-down dining space (40 capacity), and museum+dining combined capacity of 200
• Family-friendly notes: Yes, families with children are welcome — visitors are asked to keep children near and maintain a reasonable distance from the vehicles on display
• Best for: Classic car enthusiasts, families with children curious about automotive history, visitors interested in NC aviation heritage (through Jim Taylor’s Piedmont Airlines connection), and locals looking to support a genuine community-nonprofit institution preserving American automotive history
• Pair with: The full Kernersville attractions cluster, including the 1880 Körner’s Folly historic home, the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, Triad Park (including the Carolina Field of Honor veterans memorial), and the natural landscape of Cascades Preserve

A Kernersville Highlight

Kernersville Auto Museum is the kind of stop that stays with you for the sheer authenticity of the founding story. Standing in an 11,000-square-foot climate-controlled facility that grew from a 1950s tobacco crop, a 1934 Austin serendipitously bought in Blowing Rock, and one man’s 35+ years of classic car collecting, gives visitors a genuine sense of the personal passion behind the institution.

The community-collaboration model rounds out the appeal. Between the mix of American, English, French, and German classic cars, the community-donated and locally-loaned vehicles honoring loved ones, the personal tours often led by Jim Taylor himself, and the free admission that makes the museum accessible to everyone in the greater Winston-Salem region, the Kernersville Auto Museum has become one of the most consistently rewarding cultural-heritage stops anywhere in Forsyth County — and a genuine anchor of the Piedmont Triad’s automotive-history landscape.

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Resources

Kernersville Auto Museum Website

Kernersville Auto Museum Facebook

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Social Media

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