American Heritage Museum Celebrates the Fathers in Our Lives with a Weekend Devoted to the Founding Fathers of America’s Automotive Heritage with Tanks, Wings, and Wheels Weekend June 20-21, 2026

June 3, 2026

Rare early American automobiles from take center stage in a vintage Concours d’Elegance-style presentation celebrating American innovation along with vintage tanks and airplanes on Father’s Day weekend.

The American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA will host Tanks, Wings & Wheels Father’s Day Weekend on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21, 2026, from 9am to 5pm daily, offering families, history enthusiasts, aviation fans, and classic automobile lovers a full weekend celebrating America’s mechanical and industrial ingenuity.

The highlight of each day will be the American Elegance Auto Show, presented from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily, showcasing rare American automobiles from 1902 through the 1940s in a presentation inspired by a vintage Concours d’Elegance review from the Roaring Twenties. Complete with period-style narration and vintage commercial flair, the showcase will bring to life the glamour, craftsmanship, and innovation of America’s early automobile era.

Held on Father’s Day weekend, the event offers a fitting celebration for fathers, grandfathers, and families who grew up admiring classic cars, historic aircraft, and the machinery that shaped the American experience.

“Tanks, Wings & Wheels is a celebration of American innovation across generations,” said Ryan Keough of the American Heritage Museum. “From early hand-built automobiles to historic tanks and aircraft, this weekend gives visitors a chance to see how American engineers, manufacturers, mechanics, pilots, soldiers, and everyday drivers helped shape the modern world. It is also a wonderful way to celebrate Father’s Day with the car enthusiasts in our lives.”

The weekend also comes during America’s 250th anniversary year, making the event a timely opportunity to reflect on America’s heritage as a nation of builders, inventors, and innovators. Over the past 150 years, the automobile has transformed the way Americans live, work, travel, and connect with one another. From early brass-era automobiles to the elegant touring cars and luxury models of the 1920s and 1930s, American automotive design became a symbol of possibility, mobility, craftsmanship, and national ambition.

Massachusetts has its own important place in this story. Before Detroit became synonymous with the American auto industry, Massachusetts was one of the nation’s most active early centers of automobile development and manufacturing. In fact, the first successful American gasoline-powered automobile was built by Charles and J. Frank Duryea in 1893 in Springfield, MA. Some automotive historians have even noted that, for a period in the early automobile era, Massachusetts rivaled Detroit in early automobile production and manufacturing activity.

At the American Heritage Museum, visitors will be able to explore the museum’s main museum as well as special event access to additional campus buildings, including the historic aircraft hangar and automobile collection – only open during these special event weekends. World War II Tank rides and driving experiences will also be available for an additional cost over the weekend.

Tanks, Wings & Wheels Father’s Day Weekend is a rain-or-shine event. Event admission includes access to the museum, special weekend exhibitions, and outdoor programming. For more information on the event, visit: https://www.americanheritagemuseum.org/event/tanks-wings-wheels-fathers-day-june-2026/