If you ever get the chance to tour the Petersen Automotive Museum, do not pass on it. Having never been myself, I jumped at the opportunity when it came my way. Back in early May, I received an email from KC Hilites with an open invite to hang out and celebrate all things off-road at the Petersen Automotive Museum on May 22. 

I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw the email come through and immediately made an RSVP for two. Right after that, I checked my calendar and saw that I had just double booked myself as I would be attending the Great American Short Course races at Glen Helen Raceway. My heart sank, but I looked at both schedules and thought I could probably make it out west to downtown L.A. that evening. 

The KC Hilites Adventure Takeover at Petersen Automotive Museum also included an opportunity for anyone to put their rigs on display. Unfortunately for me, my off-road 4×4 would not be ready to take her out to the show. But this was definitely part of the appeal as I would be able to have the opportunity to hang out and connect with the off-road community while checking out some awesome rides. No matter what, I was committed to attending both events. 

A Day At The Races Cut Short For Good Measure

My day at the race track was hinged on an article focusing on What A Short Course Race Weekend Looks Like with Christopher Polvoorde. The last race that I was waiting for was the Pro Lite event, where Polvoorde finished in 2nd place. I grabbed some photos of him on the podium and bailed. I even skipped the Pro 2 races, which shocked myself. 

After a long drive zipping through the congested freeways of East LA, I made my way down Wilshire. This seemed to be the longest part of the trip as it took me twenty five minutes to go the final three blocks!

Upon my arrival, I ran into several good friends that had come early to tour the entire museum. They seemed numb to my presence as they appeared glowing from an overwhelming sensation of automotive glory. They were leaving, so I made my way to the upstairs parking deck where the KC Hilites Adventure Takeover was hosted. I could smell freshly cooked tacos, and had missed lunch at the track, so I was completely famished. The sun had just crested the downtown horizon and it was a premium view with a magnificent cityscape skyline perfect for taking photography. I opted to check out the rides and grab my photos first and finally headed over for tacos after.

A Few Of The Rides Outside That Came Out

Besides the rigs in the parking lot, Petersen Automotive Museum had opened up access to the second floor exhibits. By this time it was pretty late, so I scarfed down dinner and went inside to check out what the museum had to offer. Petersen is still featuring the EXTREME CONDITIONS: MODIFIED FOR OFFROAD exhibit, which we recommend you go see in person, or check out Off Road Xtreme’s feature coverage. There were also many other spectacular vehicles on display throughout the second floor exhibits. I was concerned that the museum would be kicking me out at any minute so, I quickly perused in and out of the halls hoping to get a glance of everything there was to look at. 

Inside the Petersen Automotive Museum’s Second Floor Exhibits

A Little Bit Of Everything Else

Sadly, my thirty minute tour ended all too short. All in all, I was really impressed and was very grateful to have had this one amazing experience. Thank you to KC Hilites and the Petersen Automotive Museum for putting this together. I now have an astute determination to head back there and have already made plans for multiple trips.  Off Road Xtreme highly suggests you do the same. 

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