Evel Knievel Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 2017 |
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| Location | Topeka, Kansas, United States |
| Type | History museum |
| Collections | Evel Knievel |
| Founder | Lathan McKay, Mike Patterson, James Caplinger |
| Public transit access | Line 21 (Topeka Metro) |
| Nearest parking | On site (no charge) |
The Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka, Kansas, USA, is a special place. It holds the biggest collection of items belonging to the famous stuntman, Evel Knievel. You can even try some cool interactive experiences! The museum is huge, covering 13,000 square feet (about 1,200 square meters) over two floors. It's right next to Topeka's Historic Harley-Davidson dealership and first opened its doors in June 2017.
Contents
Discover the Evel Knievel Museum
How the Museum Started
The idea for a museum honoring Evel Knievel had been around for over 40 years! Three people, Mike Patterson, Lathan McKay, and James Caplinger, worked together to make it happen.
In 2012, Lathan McKay started looking for Knievel's old motorcycles, vehicles, clothes, and other items. He wanted to show how much Knievel impacted culture. A few years later, a connection through rock and roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis and a Mack truck helped bring the museum idea to life.
Lathan McKay and Marilyn Stemp were trying to find a new home for Knievel's famous Mack truck, nicknamed "Big Red." Its restoration had stopped in New Jersey. They called Mike Patterson, a Harley-Davidson dealer in Topeka, Kansas. His team was great at restoring motorcycles and had just finished working on Jerry Lee Lewis's 1959 Panhead.
Patterson's team had never restored a Mack truck, but they found the right experts. Nearly 100 people helped bring "Big Red" back to life. During the 18-month restoration, Patterson, McKay, and James Caplinger decided to do something even bigger. They chose to build the world's first Evel Knievel Museum! Patterson even built an addition to his Harley-Davidson dealership to house it.
The Evel Knievel Museum was named one of the top 10 best new national attractions in 2017 by USA Today. The Knievel family officially supports it.
Who Helped Build the Museum?
- Mike Patterson is a businessman and used to be a professional flat track motorcycle racer. His family has owned the Topeka Harley-Davidson dealership since 1949.
- Lathan McKay is a historian, producer, and actor. He used to be a professional skateboarder and has collected the largest number of Evel Knievel items in the world.
- James M. Caplinger was a successful real estate developer, lawyer, and business owner from Topeka, Kansas.
The museum's director is Bruce Zimmerman.
What You Can See and Do
The museum is 13,000 square feet and has two floors. It's next to the Kansas Expocenter. In winter, it's open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. In summer, it's also open on Sundays from 12 PM to 5 PM.
Besides the exhibits, the museum has a gift shop, a barbecue restaurant, and space for events. There's also "Yesterday's museum" on site.
About Evel Knievel
Robert Craig Knievel (born October 17, 1938 – died November 30, 2007) was known as Evel Knievel. He was an American stunt performer and entertainer. During his career, he tried more than 75 motorcycle jumps from one ramp to another. Many kids grew up watching his stunts on TV and even tried to copy them with their bicycles and Evel Knievel toys.
Amazing Exhibits
The Evel Knievel Museum tells the story of Knievel's life. It starts from his early years in Butte, Montana, and goes to when he was most famous in the 1970s. The exhibits are set up in order of time, with over 1,000 items on display. These include personal items, motorcycles, and interactive displays.
One cool exhibit is the "4D Virtual Reality Jump." It lets you feel what it was like to do Knievel's stunts, but without any danger!
The museum is famous for having Knievel's 1974 Mack Truck & Trailer, "Big Red." It also has his helmets and leather suits with stars, plus many other items like:
- Knievel's original motorcycles used for jumps, his performance leather suits, helmets, and other clothes.
- Knievel's world-famous Mack truck, “Big Red.”
- The Skycycle-X2 from his Snake River Canyon jump.
- His crash helmet from the Caesars Palace jump.
- His crash helmet from the Wembley Stadium jump.
- Items used in the Viva Knievel movie.
- Knievel's special walking cane (which held a flask!) and jewelry.
- His custom red Cadillac pickup truck.
- An exhibit about the Ideal Toy Company and Knievel's toys.
- Personal items like family photos, contracts, and letters.
- The 1977 J. C. Agajanian special Evel Knievel Indianapolis race car.
- Knievel's first 1970 Harley-Davidson XR-750 iron head jump bike.
- An interactive 4D virtual reality jump experience.
- An interactive exhibit where you can see X-rays of Knievel's broken bones.
- An interactive jump planner.
- An Evel Knievel movie theater.
- Knievel's crash car.
- Knievel's Harley Davidson Sportster trike.
Awards and Recognition
After it opened, the Evel Knievel Museum was named one of the Top 10 Best New Attractions in 2017 by USA Today. In April 2019, the museum won a Thea award from the Themed Entertainment Association. This award is given to some of the best new attractions in the United States.
