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The cars create a classic scene for the forest – Photo: Amusing Planet |
From Atlanta, move north in Georgia, go along 75th Street and then turn right to 411th toward Chatsworth While. Here, visitors will see the forest with signs “City of old cars” and “The oldest forest of antique cars in the world” with thousands of antique cars.
Old car city has more than 4,000 classic cars. The cars here are mostly made before 1972 and older.
The parking lot is located on an area of about 34 hectares with many famous cars such as Ford, Cadillac and even a rare 1941 Mack truck.
Visitors will have to travel about 10km to see all the cars here.
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Signage to enter the old car city – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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The road runs through the forest – Photo: Amusing Planet |
The old car city has a long history, dating back to 1931, when the Lewis family opened a home appliance store in the small, newly founded town of White. The store sells a variety of items, from clothing to auto parts, tires, and gasoline.
When World War II broke out, supplies of steel and tires became scarce. The Lewis family took advantage of the opportunity to open more scrap businesses. They buy used cars, disassemble the parts and sell important spare parts.
By 1940, the homeware store had become a growing scrap shop in the region.
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Climbing trees and rotten wood cling to the carcasses – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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The forest in the golden afternoon sunlight – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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The cars look quite intact – Photo: Amusing Planet |
Dean Lewis, son of the Lewis family, spent most of his childhood with cars. Cars and trucks were a familiar part of his life. In 1970, Dean took over the family business and decided to go in a different direction.
Instead of continuing to dismantle old cars to sell parts, he decided to keep and preserve the scrap cars.
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An old Ford car – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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The car with the words “Georgia’s most reliable” – Photo: Amusing Planet |
Over the years that followed, Dean spent thousands of dollars collecting models and scraps from auctions, private cars and scrap yards.
One of Lewis’s favorite cars is a 1946 Ford truck, used in the 1983 film Coweta County Assassination .
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Inside the cockpit of a car – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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An old car garage – Photo: Amusing Planet |
The following years witnessed the strong development of the old car city. Dean has to buy more land to keep the remaining cars. At first, Dean had to sell off a few cars.
Each car has special memories with Dean and he only sells it if it’s worth it. Many tourists come to ask to buy but leave disappointed.
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A car with a badly damaged front end – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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Vehicles with a lifespan of over 60 years with different sizes – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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Rotten interior in a car – Photo: Amusing Planet |
To maintain his passion, Dean decided to make money by collecting entrance fees and taking photos, instead of gradually selling the collection. Since then, every year the old car city welcomes thousands of visitors.
Visitors only have to pay 15 USD to visit the forest and 25 USD to take pictures. And the “car graveyard” has now become an open-air museum that visitors should not miss when coming to the United States.
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Paint and oil cans in the compartment of a car – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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Rearview mirror and window of an old car – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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Old wheels are used to decorate trees – Photo: Amusing Planet |
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The gloomy, gloomy scene of the old car city after rainy days – Photo: Amusing Planet |