National tour 2026

[babychadwick]

Anyone know which chapter or where the national tour is next year?

[bnchief]

One will be hosted by the heart of the ozarks club i believe in september.

[KLTagert]

2026 MTFCA National Tours.
New York 22 - 26 June
Missouri 9 - 12 September

Exact locations are not listed yet in the Vintage Ford, just the dates so far,
Awesome to see two areas having tours so more MTFCA members have a chance to attend.

Tag.

[KeithG]

The Missouri tour on September 9th to 12th, 2026 is in direct conflict with The Old Car Festival that has been held on the first weekend after Labor Day for over 50 years. It is held in Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI for 1932 and older cars only and it is the only car event like it. You can’t find one like this anywhere else. I know that conflicts can’t always be avoided, but the OCF is a major event.

Keith

[George House]

Thats fine for people living in a state next to the OCF state Keith but I’m 4 counties away from the Gulf of America and trailering to Dearborn isn’t an option. For years I’ve wanted to tour in eastern OK, AR or MO so I’m interested in that National Tour. But I have flown to Dearborn twice to enjoy all the Ford venues.

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

Thats fine for people living in a state next to the OCF state Keith but I’m 4 counties away from the Gulf of America and trailering to Dearborn isn’t an option. For years I’ve wanted to tour in eastern OK, AR or MO so I’m interested in that National Tour. But I have flown to Dearborn twice to enjoy all the Ford venues.

George,

Old Car Festival draws in cars from all over the country. I certainly understand your reasoning however.

[babychadwick]

I've never been to the OCF but from what I've seen it looks like a huge car show where you have to apply to get in.

[Steve Jelf]

It has been a great privilege for me to drive to the Detroit area for the OCF several times. I would recommend it for Model T drivers who have the luxury of free time and a reliable car.

[George House]

And even with 5 reliable cars, I consider there’s too many irresponsible, immature and reckless modern-driving idiots among whom I’d choose to drive 30 MPH on bucolic back roads the width of the country. ….as some of us have already found out the hard way..

[Steve Jelf]

….as some of us have already found out the hard way..

Yes, what happened to me in Huntington, Indiana, spoiled the whole trip. But as I see it, that could have happened anywhere I chose to drive in a town. The odds of such an incident are mighty low on a local country road in Kansas, but getting to that country road may take me through some modern traffic. Whether it's Michigan Avenue in Detroit, Harlem Avenue in Chicago, or Summit Street three miles from home, modern traffic is everywhere. When I rode in Kim's Model T to go see Original Smith three miles away, we were gambling that the modern traffic in Lomita wouldn't get us. We won that bet, and I've won the same bet thousands of times in many places. The question is whether to choose routes carefully to minimize risk, and go, or not ever drive the old car. The future is unknown, but I may drive a 100-year-old car again.

[DHort]

George, it would be worth it to you to skip any travel near the Gulf of Mexico to spend 2 days in Dearborn. You will never find a car show like it anywhere else in the US. You can flag down just about any car and ask for a ride and the driver will tell you to hop on. The only other place where you might find so many old cars is Hershey, but you won't get a ride. Ask anyone on this forum for a ride around Dearborn, or a trip to Piquette and I doubt anyone would turn you down. I know I would not.

You can see Detroit, Piquette, Fairlane, Edsel's house, The Henry Ford, Meadow Brook Hall, and a side trip to Gilmore should be on your bucket list.

I have driven my car on I-94, by mistake of course, and survived. (I must have missed the sign.)

[KeithG]

My point in my original post above is that anyone planning an event should first consider competing events to avoid conflicts. Such conflicts can ruin the lesser event, or easily make it unsuccessful. I didn’t mean to offend , just use common sense to avoid conflicts.

Keith

[DHort]

Chad,
You are correct. It is a huge car show and you have to apply to get in. They do not want 20 1926 Model T's and one 1925 Model T's. They want a good cross section of cars, trucks, etc and this is how they do it. Even if you are the first to apply it does not mean you get in. And you won't necessarily get in 2 years in a row. They do a great job with their selection.

It is an excellent display and well worth your time to visit. It might even be better the first time to come without a car so you can experience what OCF really is. Then you can visit The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village. One year I brought a car and it just sat there while I toured the Museum and Village and socialized with all the people I knew that were there. You also get a chance to eat at Ford's Garage.

It is a 2 day event and you really cannot do it in 2 days, so you come back the following year. Bring your mom and your son. They will enjoy it and take home many memories. You might even be able to get in Friday night for the meet and greet.

What more can I say. Everyone on here will tell you you will have a great time.

[babychadwick]

Given the choice we would opt for the national tour for a couple reasons, the first is cost. We are able to tour only by being able to camp and there typically is a campground near a tour location. 100-160 a night for several nights simply put is beyond our budget. Camping without hookups comes in more around 20-30. I see OCF as being a much higher cost but I could be wrong. Also I'm more interested in touring than showing so there isn't much of a confliction there.

[Steve Jelf]

Yes, hiring a motel room every night costs too much. But even in a city I have usually found a decent sleeping spot on the secluded fringe of a huge parking lot. The $0 price is very helpful. I experienced harassment by a "manager" once during my several years of such overnight stops, and moving to the lot of a nearby defunct business was easy enough.

The very concept of sleeping on the ground is unacceptable to some. I've been doing that since 1946 that I remember, and probably a bit before I'm able to remember. That's been a factor in eighty years of swell memories.

[bnchief]

Keith i get your point but people will go where they want and when they want Detroit is a long way for me but sometimes you gotta do things when you can.

[blauvelt]

The OP is asking about the National Tour in 2026 and so far this thread has dissembled into complaining about not wanting to drive model T’s because of “finding out” or some such word salad, or conflict with some event that is so emotionally important as to be an integral part of one’s flesh and bone. The thread is a query about touring, not power parking.

The Ozarks sound like a fun place, will have to look up the host club and see what they have come up with.

Thank you to the OP for trying to create a space to share information.

My point in my original post above is that anyone planning an event should first consider competing events to avoid conflicts. Such conflicts can ruin the lesser event, or easily make it unsuccessful. I didn’t mean to offend , just use common sense to avoid conflicts.

Keith

[JohnM]

I am looking forward to the national tour coming to Missouri in 2026! It is also the 100th anniversary of Route 66, being designated on April 30, 1926 in Springfield Missouri. I hope the planning committee is incorporating that into the tour.

[Steve Jelf]

A swell thing about Missouri is that most of old 66 is still present as state and county roads.

On old 66 near Lebanon, MO.

[JohnM]

You know it Steve! Except for some of the larger towns it goes through, the traffic is very light. I will be driving it st Louis to Rolla Mo in September for the hillbilly tour. That's not too far for you. Even without a T, I would be happy to have you as a co- pilot.