We heard of the Glenn Patch Collection a couple of years ago from a friend who had visited Patch’s warehouse in Scottsdale, Arizona. We were told of the quality of the restorations, as well as the variety of different cars, but the thing that intrigued us most was the fact that the entire collection consisted of cars and trucks manufactured in 1957.

The original plans called for ’57 Heaven to be open to the public on the West Coast. However, a chance to locate it in the center of one of the most toured areas of the United States changed those plans. Branson, Missouri, became the home for ’57 Heaven. The collection is housed at the Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater on the lower floor. It only seems appropriate to link the cars of 1957 to the golden days of rock n roll music. We really did not know what to expect upon arrival, but to say we were impressed would be an understatement.

Every major American manufacturer from 1957 including Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Cadillac, DeSoto, Hudson, Nash, Studebaker and Packard are included. It took several years to get the collection to its present state, starting from the time the collection began when Patch made the decision to collect one of every model of every convertible manufactured in 1957. Once he had completed that challenge, he then decided to expand on the collection and include some of the lesser-known and limited production vehicles from that year. Not only are there convertibles, this collection of ’57s contains some rare pickups, station wagons and coupes.

When you first enter ’57 Heaven, you immediately realize this is not your ordinary car museum. Patch wasn’t satisfied with the cars being on display. He wanted to truly highlight his collection in a way that visitors would remember. Instead of the usual car museum, it depicts life in the 1950s. The cars are displayed in a setting that creates Hometown America. The various displays include a drive-in movie, fire station, barbershop, gas station and Cadillac dealership.

We spent the better part of the afternoon enjoying the cars and memorabilia from 1957. The staff of ’57 Heaven was friendly and answered all the questions we had about the cars and the museum. So, if you are anywhere near Branson, Missouri, or have plans to stop by and visit any time in the future, we would highly recommend making a stop to visit ’57 Heaven.