I must have passed the place dozens of times when going to the Ringling Museum or Asolo Theatre, but this time we decided to stop at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum. We were  astounded at the exhibit, it's sheer numbers of classic cars (over 100) and the other surprises we found there including the vintage arcade, and three Jack Dowd sculptures.

Our docent, Ed Boone, had been a volunteer for nearly 7 years. "I'm one of the few volunteers who doesn't mind coming in on a Sunday, I love this museum." A self-proclaimed car buff "since the 1940's" he informed me of the car on exhibit that came from Boca Grande, Harry Jewett's grandfather's namesake, a 1923 Jewett. His own car in the exhibit, a 1975 Alfa Romero Montreal, is one of only 50-100 in the U.S. Ed was infinitely acquainted with every vehicle in the place.

The museum opened its doors in 1953 and in 1998, became a non-profit organization with a mission: To educate and entertain visitors on these magnificent, mechanical works of art and their impact on society over the last 10 decades. Our goal is to instill the passion and enthusiasm in our guests that we feel for the cars."

It's vision: "To be the foremost educational car museum in the U.S.A."

Ed Boone, is a car buff who has been a volunteer docent for the museum for nearly seven years.