Amazing Old Car City: Nature Reclaimed Thousands of Vintage Vehicles

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There was a general store and then there was a car dealership


In 1931, the Lewis family bought 34 acres of land in White, Georgia, which is a small town near Cartersville. They first set up a Depression-era general store on the land. Then, they turned it into a car dealership that sold used parts.

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Photo Credit: George C Slade / Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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Photo Credit: Dave Edens / Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0

Over the years, the family bought more and more cars. They had so many that they couldn’t fit them all in one place, so they spread them out all over the property. As time went on, trees around the dealership started to grow into the rusting cars. This made for an interesting mix of machine and nature.

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Photo Credit: Tom Driggers / Flickr CC BY 2.0
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Photo Credit: Dave Edens / Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0
Old Car City
Photo Credit: Bill Vriesema / Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

It got worse as the trees kept growing. The cars were pierced by rogue branches and covered in fallen leaves and moss.

Turn into a popular tourist attraction.

As the son of the original owners, Dean Lewis, decided in 2019 that he would try to make money with his collection of cars that were a little weird. It was called “Old Car City,” and he made it open to the public. He was the “mayor.” If you are a photographer or just want to remember the moss-covered vehicles that are scattered across the land, this is where you go.

Old Car City
Photo Credit: Tom Driggers / Flickr CC BY 2.0
Old Car City
Photo Credit: Bill Vriesema / Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

There are more than 4,000 cars, trucks, vans, and even a few school buses in Old Car City. The majority of the cars are from the 1950s to the 1980s. They include the last car Elvis Presley bought before he died in 1977, as well as one that was used in a movie with Johnny Cash and Andy Griffith. Because it has branches coming out of what used to be its windshield, a 1939 Chevy has been called the “Two-Ton Flower Pot.”

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Photo Credit: Dave Edens / Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0
Old Car City
Photo Credit: Tom Driggers / Flickr CC BY 2.0
Old Car City
Photo Credit: Mike Boening Photography / Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Six miles of trails have been made for visitors to walk on, and there’s even a museum with art that Dean made himself. Location: CBS Sunday Morning, the BBC, and the New York Times are just some of the news and media companies that have talked about this place before.

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Photo Credit: Dave Edens / Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0
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Photo Credit: Ken Rowland / Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Old Car City
Photo Credit: Dave Edens / Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0

More from us: The City of the Century, now it’s more like a ghost town.

People who want to go hiking in Old Car City can do so for just $20. However, if you want to take pictures, you’ll have to pay an extra $10. You won’t get that Instagram-worthy picture for free, though.

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