The Murphy Auto Museum is a nonprofit car museum in an industrial business park on Eastman Avenue in north Oxnard, close to Highway 101. It traces American motoring from the horseless-carriage era to modern muscle, and it draws car enthusiasts, history fans, and families who want to see rare vehicles that usually sit in private garages.
The museum began with about 40 cars lent by collectors across the tri-county area (source: [Roadtrippers](https://maps.roadtrippers.com/us/oxnard-ca/attractions/murphy-auto-museum)). Today it fills a 30,000-square-foot facility with more than 90 vintage automobiles and pieces of Americana (source: [Ventura County Museums](https://www.venturacountymuseums.org/the-murphy-auto-museum/)). The collection runs from a 1903 Oldsmobile to a 2008 Shelby GT500KR Mustang. A large group of Packards from the 1930s through 1956 is one of its signature features (source: [Visit Ventura](https://visitventuraca.com/business/the-murphy-auto-museum/)). The museum also runs the Fireball Gallery, a stand-alone space showing work by Southern California automotive artists (source: [Superclassics](https://superclassics.eu/directory/museums/the-murphy-auto-museum/)).
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Hours are limited and have changed over time, so confirm the schedule with Ventura County Museums before you go. Weekday or early-afternoon visits are usually the calmest. Weekends with special car events bring bigger crowds, but they also bring extra vehicles and a livelier atmosphere. Plan on one to two hours for the visit. Free parking is available on site, and a car is the practical way to reach this business-park location. Afterward, you can drive about 15 minutes to Channel Islands Harbor for lunch by the water.
