Bill’s Backyard Classics
Scattered throughout the city of Amarillo are painted replicas of American Quarter Horses. This is an art installation dedicated to the American Quarter Horse, an association with its headquarters in Amarillo as well. One of these horses can be found at 5309 S Washington St, Amarillo, TX 79110, in front of Bill’s Backyard Classics.
Bill’s Backyard Classics is a museum featuring cars from various eras and of different models. The oldest car the museum keeps on display was made in the 1920s. When the collection was first started in 2015, it only contained about ten cars in total. The museum today has over 90 vehicles that span a broad range of different makes and models.
The museum came about after Bill Pratt retired and was looking for something else to invest his time into. He had already had a small collection of cars and decided collecting more would be the mission he decided to pursue. Through his journey, Bill came to the realization that more people than he had previously assumed took an interest in classic cars. Because of this fact, Bill had the idea of opening a museum where he could showcase his collection and share it for the public to enjoy as much as he did. After considering the lack of entertaining things to do in Amarillo, he thought a car museum would be an exceptional idea.
With full determination, the construction of the museum began. Bill wanted to share his beloved collection with everyone who had an interest in seeing it. Of course, the collection would need to acquire more attractions if they wanted to keep people engaged, so the hunt for collectible cars continued. Bill and his wife found cars for sale all over the country through ads in magazines or car and truck shows. Within 18 months, 88 new cars were collected by the couple and polished up to put on display. The couple is proud to say they own the biggest private car collection in the area.
Not only does the museum show ordinary models of vintage cars, but it also has a few very notable cars. These include the ‘61 Pontiac Catalina convertible that belonged to Bob Seger, as well as Judge Roy Hofheinz’s ’56 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine. If you’re interested in viewing these impressive finds, visit Bill’s Backyard Classics, open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Saturday, but make sure to call ahead before heading out to the museum. For admission, visitors are required to pay a $10 fee, but children 12 and under are free.
The museum prides itself on its ability to create feelings of nostalgia among visitors. It contains a custom and repair shop for all the cars featured in the collection to receive some touch-ups if needed. The museum plans to expand with the installation of a playground for the children to play on and an exhibit featuring a Mator Fire Truck. There are an endless number of cars to see, ranging from Corvettes to Model As from the 1920s.
See what else Amarillo has to offer here.
