Many of us dig cars real deep! In fact, it extends to two-wheelers (read bikes and scooters) and even other vehicles. The man-machine dialogue can be fascinating and most of us can simply go crazy checking out some beauties if given a chance. Well, that chance is yours if you simply check out one of the best places to visit in Gurgaon. Sounds exciting right?

Well, the Heritage Transport Museum (the name may ring a bell) is what we’re referring to! An hour’s drive away from Gurgaon proper, this museum can be accessed through the National Highway 48 and Naurangpur-Tauru Road. It is located at Bilaspur, Chowk, Tauru, Haryana-122105. The timings are between 10 AM and 7 PM on all days excepting Mondays when it stays open between 10 AM and 5 PM.

Heritage Transport Museum- An automobile lover’s delight

Walking into the Heritage Transport Museum, you’ll instantly realize that this is truly one of the best things to do in Gurgaon. A labor of love, the museum was established as the first extensive museum in India that is dedicated towards transportation. It commemorates collectors and their passion and is maintained by the Heritage Transportation Trust. Walk back in time, exploring the wonderful evolution of transportation in India at this special place that covers a whopping 3 acres.

90,000 sq. ft. of centrally air conditioned attractions await you across four floors with exhibition galleries, conference rooms, a reference centre and library, museum shop, mini auditorium and even a restaurant (yes for those mid-exploration hunger pangs!).

Exhibits that’ll make you go weak in the knees

If you’re truly passionate about automobiles, this museum will definitely make you want to stay there forever! Here’s taking a look at some of its best-known exhibits.

Automobile Gallery

Playing host to wondrous visitors all day long, the automobile gallery is where you will witness how the Indian car sector evolved over the years while feasting your eyes on 75 rare classic and vintage beauties from yesteryears. You’ll want to take an Insta-pic of the recreated streetside India of the past along with the classic petrol pump and a whole section dedicated to spare parts. Bollywood buffs will love seeing how cars have been used in the Hindi film industry over the years. There are charming flicks on transportation as well, that you can catch at the mini auditorium on the same floor.

Pre-Mechanised Transportation

This is the section where you start with how the wheel emerged, along with exploring vintage howdahs, palanquins, horse carriages, bullock carts and even camel carts along with delightful accompaniments such as palanquin finials, carriage lamps and even carbide lamps.

Heavy Mechanised Transportation

You’ll feel as if you’ve walked straight into a regular bus terminus/depot. Only, the difference will be the painstakingly restored buses, vans and floral truck art that will bowl you over instantly!

Railways

Reminisce the quaint nostalgia of train rides with the creatively recreated railway platform and the lovingly restored 1930s railway saloon courtesy BBCI Railway. You’ll love checking out the locomotive models and other significant memorabilia including train tickets, posters, railway maps and lamps.

Aviation

Aviation lovers take note! This exhibit showcases how the sector evolved, covering early experiments/trials and also Air India’s amazing journey. You’ll find displays of the earliest aircraft models used in the country along with original timetables, posters, advertisements and even tickets. The Piper J3C Cub aircraft in the signature chrome yellow shade dates back to the 1940s and is the biggest draw at this section.

Two-Wheelers

Bike lovers will have a blast here, checking out some of the earliest forms of scooters, bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles in the country. Get your taste of vintage jugaad with the Chakhda, Phat-Phat and more such innovative transportation systems of the past.

Collectibles/Toys

Bring alive the inner child in you with this amazing section that showcases some of the finest die-cast, wood and tin toys created by manufacturers in India. You’ll find a vintage pedi-cycle and pedal car collection here as well. In fact, this could be the real highlight of your trip (if you’ve maintained a drool-worthy miniature garage at home over the years).

Transportation in India- A Historical Collection

This section is where you will find more than 10,000 items (of course you can’t check them all out!) and these comprise of engravings/lithographs, philatelic stamp collections, original photographs and rare prints, old post cards, rare books and more.

Maritime Gallery

Learn more about the fascinating history of inland waterways in the country and how they eventually evolved. Set sail with the story of the Ganges and enjoy checking out the maps, aquatints, etchings and boat models awaiting you in this exhibit.

Contemporary Art Gallery

No museum is complete without some eclectic art and with transportation as the theme, lay eyes on some of the most exclusive pieces by famous artists like Baptist Coelho, Hanif Kureshi, Gigi Scaria, Ranbir Kaleka and many others. Atul Bhalla has designed a special work on the site that will captivate you instantly.

Tribal Art

Take a dekko at the amazing private tribal art collections covering Bhuri Bai or Gond artists and of course, Warli artists (Kishore, Vijay and Praveen Mahshe) along with pieces that have been created for the museum. What’s interesting is that there are folk and tribal artists often working in residency programs at the museum courtesy the initiatives taken by the Heritage Transport Trust.

Once you’re there, you’ll agree that this is truly one of the best places to visit in Gurgaon. History, automobiles, style, chutzpah, quirk, food- it has literally everything that you would want on a day off! Without further ado, vroom off to this spectacular museum near Gurgaon. Spend a memorable day, putting leisure and personal enjoyment in auto-mode (pun intended)!

Rebecca John