Vintage cars, bikes and tractors

At its heart is a fleet of around twenty veteran cars, the oldest a Model T Ford from the 1910s, and—crucially—almost every one of them kept in running order rather than as a static exhibit. They share the floor with several old tractors and a good spread of classic motorcycles and mopeds. Åland, the owner notes, hides a surprising number of old vehicles, especially American cars, and every year another one turns up after decades in a barn, so the collection keeps growing.↗↗↗

The old petrol station and 'Åland 1'

One of the best sights isn't a car at all. When Åland's oldest preserved petrol station—the Edos in Mariehamn—closed in 2018, its whole pump shed was dismantled and re-erected at the museum, so you can wander through a genuine vintage forecourt. It's a favourite with visitors and a perfect photo backdrop.↗↗

The newest-looking car in the barn is also one of the most storied: a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham that served for forty years as the Åland region's official representation car, 'Åland 1'. Over the decades it carried Finnish presidents, the Swedish king and Jordan's Queen Noor, and rolled in countless Lucia processions. It's a touch young for a veteran-car museum by the collectors' own admission, but its history earned it a permanent home here.↗↗

A nostalgia department of everyday things

Beyond the engines, the museum keeps a nostalgia section devoted to the small stuff of ordinary life, donated and gathered over the years: old utility objects, bottles, signs and a jumble of memorabilia that together sketch how Ålanders lived and worked in the last century. As the owner puts it, they have everything from old liquor bottles to chamber pots—curiosities that reward a slow, wandering look between the cars.↗↗

Visiting

The museum sits at Utgårdsbackan in Geta, a short drive north of Mariehamn, and it is best reached by car as part of an island-road day trip. In high summer it keeps daytime hours (roughly 11:00 to 16:00), and the owners stay open through the year—your key is simply to phone ahead. Their approach is refreshingly flexible: whether you arrive as a single traveller or a whole coach party, a call will usually get the doors opened for you.↗↗↗↗