On my way to see the Canton Classic Car Museum for the first time, I figured I'd see a lot of cars. I was right. But I also was wrong, in not realizing how much more I'd see.

Nearly 30 years ago, the late Marshall Belden Sr. established the museum as a way to store his antique cars and share them with the public, as well. Marshall's wife, Florence, began adding nostalgic touches, and still, to this day, decorates the museum in a wonderful, "stroll-down-memory-lane" style.

Approximately 50 cars are on display -- Packards, Lincolns, Cadillacs, Auburns, Cords, Pierce-Arrows, Marmons and Oldsmobiles, among others. The 22,000-square-foot museum originally was built in 1900. It was an auto-repair shop and Ford dealership from 1914-29, and was, at one time, the largest Ford dealership in America. So I guess cars have just always been a part of it.

Char Lautzenheiser, the tourism manager, showed me through the museum recently. I told her I was doing the story for the section of Amish Heartland's "Things for men to do while the women shop."

She immediately said, "But there's so much more than a lot of old cars, and the women just love it, too! Tell them to bring the women!"

So I took Char's tour, and was amazed. Amazed at what I saw there, amazed at Char's knowledge of cars (she said her mother taught her to cook, but her dad taught her all about cars), amazed at Mrs. Belden's collection of memorabilia (and how much of it I remember from the past) and amazed I'd never been there before!

The oldest car is a 1901 curved-dash Oldsmobile Surrey, and the newest is a 1970 Plymouth Superbird. There are two 1937 Packard funeral cars you must see (and hear). One is a custom-bodied flower car that carried flowers to the funeral, and the other is a custom art-carved mahogany wood-bodied hearse (it has a very haunting, squeeky door, too). There are two of Neil Zurcher's cars on display from his "One Tank Trip" TV shows.

Canton's one-and-only renowned 1937 Studebaker President bullet-proof police car sits majestically in the museum as if it just drove in from the set of "The Untouchables." It has custom-fitted bullet-resistant armor plating and bullet-resistant window glass that is one-and-one-eighth-inch thick. Each window on this car has a closable "Tommy gun" porthole. The car cost $1,000 new back then, and all the extras added an additional $3,000.

I really enjoyed all the displays tucked in all the nooks and crannies of the museum. There is a cupboard of old car vases (you didn't think Volkswagen originated this, did you?), period fashions, many advertising signs -- including one advertising gas for 27.9 cents (just how long has it been since you've seen that?) -- toys, auto-related post cards and a display about the original Lincoln Highway (that went right through Canton very close to the museum). You can also see a set up of a vintage gas station, paraphernalia from nearby Meyer's Lake, and a lot of history about the city of Canton.

There is a very nice gift shop with auto-related books to purchase, along with many other items.

Char, who even named her two sons after antique automobiles, Cole and Chase, is available to lead tours for groups of 10 or more people. She knows so much about the history of automobiles it would be a shame to miss her delightful, educational tours. If you go with less people, you can take a walk-through tour by yourself (there is still much information printed about the cars).

"We get thousands of visitors each year," Char said, "and they're from all over the U.S. and the world. We give hundreds of tours to groups, too. (Nearby companies) Timken and Diebold like to bring visitors here."

Plan on at least an hour for your tour, whether with Char or on your own.

"If people take less time than that," Char explained, "I feel they've cheated themselves."

Don't let this fabulous opportunity pass you by. Make arrangements now for a trip to the Canton Classic Car Museum. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Canton Classic Car Museum -- at Market Ave. 6th St. SW (mail to 612 Market Ave. SW), Canton, OH 44702, (330) 455-3603, http://www.cantoncla...ar.org; hours: 7 days/week, year 'round (except for major holidays), 10 a.m.-5 p.m.(July 2006)