Virtual Staycation: Iowa 80 Trucking Museum

These days, getting out of the house can be tricky, and summer vacations can be ever trickier. So, if you’re stuck at home or on the truck and you’ve already binged your entire Netflix catalogue, why don’t you take a Virtual Staycation with us? Let’s take an online stroll through the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum. 

For truckers and trucking enthusiasts alike, the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum hosts a huge collection of antique trucks and other trucking memorabilia. Once just the dream of founder Bill Moon, who purchased the original Iowa 80 Truck Stop in 1984 after managing it for nearly 20 years, the museum was opened in 2008, and houses many of the Moon Family’s antique trucks and transportation memorabilia.

“Bill just loved everything about trucks and trucking,” said Carolyn Moon, Bill’s wife in a press release. 

 “He loved to sit at the counter in the restaurant [at the truck stop] and talk to drivers about what would make their life easier if Iowa 80 had it. He truly enjoyed the truck stop business and all of the people he encountered.”

The expansive collection, which is open to the general public, provides visitors with a unique glimpse back-in-time, from the many rare and one-of-a-kind antique trucks, to the short films on trucking history available in the museum’s small theater. During a typical year, even tours of the entire museum are available by appointment. 

So, now that you’ve heard a brief history and overview of the museum, let’s take a virtual tour of the place! Check out this comprehensive tour of the museum and feel free to pause the video when the informational plaques come into frame – you might just learn something you never knew about trucking!