Entry No. 68 — the Denver file — filed under: history
Cussler Museum
Adventure novelist Clive Cussler (Dirk Pitt, 'Raise the Titanic') spent decades quietly hoarding rare automobiles, and they live in a plain Arvada warehouse most of his neighbors couldn't point you to. The collection runs 75-plus cars built between 1906 and 1965 — a 1906 Stanley Steamer at one end, a 1965 Corvette Stingray at the other, with Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, Packard, Bentley and Duesenberg in between, roughly 60 on the floor at any time. Cussler died in 2020, but the museum he opened in 2005 still runs on his terms: open only a few days a week, only half the year, no flash. It's the rare car museum where you might be the only person in the building.
The move: Make the drive out to Arvada on a Thursday or Friday in summer, take your time through the chrome and brass with almost nobody around, then grab lunch in Olde Town Arvada afterward.
📍 Before you go It's a low warehouse on W 69th Ave in far northwest Arvada, with no real signage out front — there are actually two buildings on the lot, but only one is open to visitors (the other holds the rest of the collection in storage), so look for the open door rather than a marquee. Parking is free, both in the lot and on the street. The whole operation is seasonal, May through September, and only a few days a week, so this is a plan-ahead trip, not a drop-in — hours shift, so check the site before driving out. The location sits well west of Olde Town Arvada, where the shops and restaurants are, so save your meal for the drive back in.
- 📍 Arvada
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 14959 W 69th Ave, Arvada, CO 80007 (unmarked warehouse)
Hours: Seasonal: May through September only, Thursdays and Fridays plus the first Saturday of each month, 10am-4:30pm. Closed entirely the rest of the year — confirm on cusslermuseum.com before driving out.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · visitarvada.org · uncovercolorado.com
last checked: 2026-06-07