Nine years ago, my Mom asked me this very question when I told her that I had a reservation to visit the Honda Heritage Center, an automotive museum in Marysville, Ohio. At that time, I set off in my trusty 2012 Accord coupe to visit one of Honda’s two museums in the United States. It was an awesome trip! Not only did I have the Heritage Center basically to myself, but the staff at the front desk asked if I would be interested in joining a tour of the Honda factory across the street where I could witness stacks of sheet metal and buckets of parts transform into Honda Accords as they rolled across the assembly line (and in case you are wondering, I readily agreed to the tour!).
This year, I had an opportunity to return to Marysville, this time to join thousands of other fans who, like me, are enamored with the Honda and Acura brands. The Honda Meet is an annual gathering of car enthusiasts. This year the event was held on a Sunday in early September. I loaded up my car with camera gear, clothes, and my Honda polo shirt, and set off for southern Ohio on an epic 48-hour trip.
So come along, then, as we drive over a thousand miles to see… cars!
Let’s begin:
The Honda Meet
Early on a Saturday morning I departed New Jersey and headed west. I had two choices for my route – either the Pennsylvania Turnpike or Interstate 80. I-80 is a longer route, but it avoids over $100 in tolls along the PA Turnpike. What to do?I crossed into Pennsylvania along I-80 about an hour after leaving home. Hey, $100 is a lot of money! I settled in for a long, solitary drive. My wife had a work commitment and so stayed back in New Jersey. Stereo blasting, singing along to Van Halen, Future Islands, Guns N’ Roses, A Tribe Called Quest, and Velvet Revolver, I plowed forward.Most of my Saturday morning was spent driving beneath gray skies and intermittent showers. Only after reaching Ohio did the sky start to clear.After hours on the road it was time for a pit stop at a rest area on I-71 in Ohio. Forgive my parking job – it had been a long drive!Of every state I have driven through, Ohio still holds the title for the nicest rest areas – clean, spacious, well-maintained, and safe.I perused the giant map of Ohio on the wall until I found my destination: Marysville, located northwest of the city of Columbus.As I neared Marysville, I began searching for a car wash for my bug-splattered and dirty car. Suddenly, from a distance, a beacon of light emerged… Tidal Wave Auto Spa! A chain based primarily in the southern and central US, Tidal Wave offers high-quality washes in state-of-the-art facilities. I first experienced Tidal Wave when I was visiting Tennessee a few years ago and I am a huge fan. If only they had locations in New Jersey! With my TLX spiffed up, I was on the road again.Nearly ten hours after leaving my house, I had arrived at the Hampton Inn in Marysville, Ohio. After unpacking, I jumped back in my car for an impromptu stop across town.I paid a visit to the Honda Heritage Center, returning to it after a nine year absence. While I was taking pictures by the entrance, a guy in a Honda Civic Type R pulled up and asked if I had information about the event the next day. I filled him in as best I could and then we chatted cars for a bit before he sped off, leaving me free to continue my trip down memory lane.I decided to recreate a photo I had taken when I visited in 2016. I had the entire facility to myself, so I photographed at leisure.I took a break from taking photos to reflect on the differences in my life since my visit in 2016 (pictured). I’m grateful for where my life has taken me in the past decade, for the changes and adventures, the new relationships, family, and personal growth throughout my journey.Perhaps my favorite photo from the entire trip! After enjoying the solitude, I headed back into town for dinner.Although she hadn’t joined me for the trip, my wife still played a key role in finding me a spot for dinner. She gave me a couple options, but Taco Pros, a Mexican restaurant in town, seemed most promising.Taco Pros is a chain of Mexican restaurants in the Midwest. Although I suppose you can call it “fast food,” each order is made from scratch. My dinner was simply superb. I had an order of tacos (chicken, shrimp, and carne asada), with a side of rice and beans. It was excellent! Fueled up, I headed back to my hotel for the night.The next morning I checked out of my hotel, grabbed some Starbucks, and then headed to the event. Rather than take the highway, I opted to drive through downtown Marysville and then follow a two-lane county road to the Honda factory. It made for a lovely drive.By the time I had arrived, the lot for spectators was filling up. I was glad I had stopped by the previous night for my car’s glamour shots!Honda had pulled out all the stops, putting several vehicles from its collection on the front lawn, such as this third generation (1986-1989) Honda Accord hatchback.It was funny to listen to kids in their teens and twenties wax poetically about cars that were considered just regular transportation when I was their age, such as this fifth generation (1992-1995) Honda Civic coupe. To hear them talk, they’d rather have this than a Ferrari (let’s be fair… I agree with them).Speaking of Ferrari, Honda had its own supercar on display: the second generation Acura NSX Type S. If you have a spare $250,000 in your pocket, this could be yours!Behind the Honda Heritage Center was the meetup, where Honda and Acura enthusiasts from around the country arrived to show off their cars, hang out with like-minded fans, and spend a lovely afternoon. I drooled over these first-generation Acura NSX supercars.I met up with my friend Justin, owner of this 2003 Honda Accord coupe that you may recognize: he is the original owner and has put over one million miles on this car!Does this car look like it has been driven a million miles? Justin has kept it in great shape. When the original gauge cluster locked up at 999,999.9 miles, Justin replaced it with a new one, but has the original on display, connected to a battery so people can see that this car truly did cross a prodigious milestone. You can follow Justin’s adventures on Instagram and YouTube – @txaccord.This Honda Civic Type R belongs to Honda enthusiast and brand ambassador HondaPro Jason. I’ve been trying to meet Jason at the past several car meets I’ve attended and I finally made the connection, getting to chat with him about all things Honda and Acura. The man is a walking encyclopedia about the brand… and a genuinely nice guy.So! Many! Cool! Cars! Does anyone remember the Honda Civic Del Sol? This short-lived two-seat coupe was built in the mid-1990s to replace the CR-X.Several owners brought their classic Hondas that had been imported from Japan, such as this Honda Acty pickup truck.One of my favorite cars on display was this 6th generation (1998-2002) Honda Accord wagon. Unavailable in the US, this was a completely different version of the Accord that was sold in Japan and Europe.The right-hand drive steering wheel was a big clue that this car was sold in Japan.The Honda Heritage Center is open Mondays through Fridays, but Honda opened it specially for this event. I took a break from the meet-up to amble through the museum.I love Formula One racing. I currently cheer for Max Verstappen, driver for Red Bull-Honda. However, my all-time favorite driver is the late Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian phenom won three world championships, and this McLaren MP4/7 is the car he drove in 1992. Powered by an 800-horsepower Honda V12 engine, Senna won three Grand Prix races in this car. I spent a moment in silent reflection as I stood so close to this amazing car.Honda’s success began not with cars, but motorcycles. This C100 is the bike that launched Honda to success in the United States. It was the top-selling motorcycle in the US in 1961.This Honda CBX has a six-cylinder engine – that’s the same number of cylinders as in my Acura! When new, it was one of the fastest motorcycles in production, capable of reaching over 140 miles per hour.The N600 was the first car officially exported to the United States by Honda. It’s difficult to convey just how tiny this car looks in real life.The car that vaulted Honda into mainstream consciousness in this country, though, was the Civic. Small, reliable, easy to maintain, and fun to drive, the Civic was a hit, especially as gas prices skyrocketed during the 1970s.My parents’ first foray into Honda ownership was a 1980 Accord, a car they bought after my mom thoroughly researched a replacement for their lackluster 1978 Ford Thunderbird. They then bought a 1984 Honda Accord hatchback which eventually became my first car. This 1983 Accord sedan brought back a ton of memories.This 1998 Accord sedan also made me wax nostalgic for my old 1998 Accord coupe.The museum has a number of engines on display, such as the four-cylinder motor that powered my beloved 1998 Accord……and the V6 engine that powers my Acura TLX.In 1986, Honda unveiled its luxury brand, Acura. Designed to compete against the best vehicles produced in Europe and America, Acura was a major gamble at a time when Japan was not associated with luxury cars. The Acura Legend was the flagship vehicle that helped to launch the new brand. When I was growing up, neighbors a few blocks away owned an Acura Legend in this very color. I would often get off the school bus a few stops early, just so I could walk by and admire their car. Either they didn’t see a little kid obsessively peering inside the Acura in their driveway, or maybe they found it endearing. Either way, I fell in love with the brand. I think 11-year old me would be very happy with my current choice of vehicle.Honda makes many types of vehicles… but did you also know they make a jet? The HA-420 HondaJet has been in production since 2015. You’ll need a cool $5,000,000 to buy one and roughly $200,000 to maintain it each year. Pocket change, right?Before leaving the museum, I paid my respects to the handprints of Soichiro Honda, founder of the company. He passed away in 1991, but his legacy certainly lives on!Okay, readers, through nine years of this blog I have never directly appeared in a photo… until now. The Heritage Center had an IndyCar, an open-wheeled racer, on display. At the invitation of a staff member I climbed into the cockpit for a photo. I was about to hop out when I noticed that a member of Honda’s PR team was filming me. I settled back into the seat and began “driving” the Formula One track of Watkins Glen. Turn hard right, downshift, back on the throttle out of the corner, up the hill climb, and sweep into the next turn… I’ll keep you posted if my antics make it into any promotional videos.The Honda Meet had two food trucks to feed attendees, and my only criticism would be that they really needed a few more dining vendors. I ended up waiting in line for nearly a half hour before being served.I will say, the bratwurst and fresh-squeezed lemonade were excellent. Coney’s Hot Dogs was an excellent choice.Before leaving, I ambled around the meet for a little longer. This fourth-generation Honda Accord caught my eye. My parents had an almost exact twin to this car. This car is for sale – the owner is asking almost $12,000 for it! Prices of vintage Hondas and Acuras have dramatically increased in the past ten years.If this first-generation Honda Prelude had been for sale, I may have needed to make a long phone call to my wife…That phone call may have been made easier if I could have also brought home this S2000 convertible, a car we have both agreed would make an awesome vehicle for vacations at the shore.Speaking of car values, the sixth generation Honda Civic Si coupe sold for about $18,000 when it was new in 2000. Earlier this summer, an identical one sold for over $40,000 on the auto auction site Bring A Trailer.One of the coolest cars didn’t seem like a Honda… until you looked a little deeper.Power for the little 1930s Ford comes from a Honda Prelude engine and transmission, shoehorned into the trunk and driving the rear wheels. I ended up having a lovely chat with the owner, Josh, who hails from St. Paul, Minnesota. After he learned that I had just been in Minnesota, we ended up having a long discussion about my experiences at the State Fair! I have long said that cars by themselves are cool, but the people you meet, the relationships you build through cars, are even better.After a fun-filled afternoon, it was time to get back on the road and head home. I took a long, last look around the show, bid goodbye to some of my favorite vehicles, and jumped back in my Acura.Racing the sunset, I made it back to Pennsylvania while there was still daylight.After a quick dinner at Taco Bell (not nearly as good as Taco Pros!), I settled info the night at the Hampton Inn in Clarion, Pennsylvania. It was clean, modern, and well-maintained, a comfortable and affordable stop for the evening.Temperatures dipped down into the 30s that night, and I woke up to the dreaded low-tire-pressure-light-of-shame. Fortunately, a Sheetz gas station down the road had an air pump (a fancy one where you simply set the pressure you want and the pump automatically fills your tire to the correct psi), and I was back on the road.Several hours later, I crossed back in my home state. I totally missed the “Welcome to New Jersey” sign, so you’ll have to take my word that this is I-78 in western NJ.As I cruised home, I glanced at the fuel economy readout – this car continues to blow me away with its powerful yet fuel efficient motor. On my last stretch of I-80 and I-78 my car averaged over 39 miles per gallon. Woohoo!Pulling into my garage, I fought the urge to drive three miles to get the odometer to an even 63,000 miles. Instead, I took a moment to reflect on an amazing trip, and pat the dashboard of my car in gratitude for another fantastic trip. Onward!
Wrapping Up
The Honda Meet was a terrific event for car aficionados (or Honda and Acura fanatics) of any age. The best part was that the event was free for spectators. If you want to show your car, a nominal fee (about $40 per vehicle) is charged. Come all day, come for an hour, spend $200 at the Heritage Center gift shop, spend nothing at all… I absolutely loved the relaxed, casual vibe of the event. I know where I’ll be next September!
Thanks for coming along on another journey down the open road ahead.
The Open Road Ahead 
That was so much fun. I’m really glad you made the trip and we could spend the afternoon together.
I had a lot of fun and hope the schedule works out where I can be there next year.
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Agreed – I had a great time. It was so awesome that the Heritage Center was open for the event, too. It’s such a cool museum!
Thanks for reading – fingers crossed for next year!
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