It’s nice to gaze at beautiful classic cars, 1940s aircraft and vintage train carriages in a museum or at a festival. But to truly experience these feats of engineering and aerodynamics, you need to take a ride in them. Here are some of the best places around the US where you can be transported back in time with a journey in a retro machine – or, even better, experience being in the driving seat.

There can’t be a more appropriate way to tour the most glamorous parts of Miami than in a top-down vintage car. American Dream Tour has a fleet of retro convertibles including a 1960 Buick Electra and a white-and-spearmint 1959 Edsel Corsair. Guests take a back seat or ride shotgun as a chauffeur navigates the Art Deco streets of Miami Beach or hip Wynwood, whose walls are plastered with bright street art.

 

You probably won’t want to get out at the end of the tour. Thankfully, you can also hire one of the gorgeous cars for big occasions, from weddings to family reunions – and pretend to be a 1950s movie star for a day.

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You could spend hours wandering around the displays of old-school motorbikes, bicycles and cars at this charming museum, whose highlights include a 1907 Cadillac and a wooden-bodied Ford Station Wagon. For the chance to really get hands-on, though, visit during one of the many events and annual festivals which include airshows and motor rallies.

The smelly-sounding Skunk Train is actually a delight, chugging through groves of ancient redwood trees, darting into tunnels and crossing bridges to reach the granite cliffs and pools of Noyo River Canyon. Located several hours north of San Francisco on the northern California coast, the 1925 train cars are propelled by a diesel-electric engine and a steam engine.

The Fort Bragg Railroad was formed in 1885 to transport workers and lumber between logging camps, while the nickname 'Skunk' refers to the pungent fumes the first gasoline-powered railcars released. Now you’re more likely to sniff the scents of the forest or, if you’re on the popular Magical Christmas Train, hot chocolate and cookies.

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Always fancied piloting an aircraft? This ongoing tour, organised by the Commemorative Air Force, takes restored and airworthy military planes to locations across the US. OK, so you won’t actually be able to take the controls, but you can take a spin in rare planes such as the B-29 Superfortress, nicknamed 'FIFI', a Second World War bomber.

The most coveted seat – and the best way to feel like you’re actually flying this thing – is the bombardier, in front of the pilots and with incredible views. Just be sure to choose your wingman or woman wisely.

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These are classic cars of a different (and perhaps less refined) kind. Think speed, guts and glory rather than country lanes, plush leather seats and huge steering wheels. This motorsports park hosts NASCAR races and also allows amateur drivers to have a go on the 1.7-mile (2.7km) circuit.

Bookable experiences include racing in a powerful American muscle car or taking a one-day course in track driving – including plenty of time behind the wheel. There are also regular vintage car and motorcycle festivals here.

Passengers are flown back to 1941 on this immersive tour, even donning Second World War-style flight gear and undergoing pre-flight training before hopping aboard. The bright yellow and red T-6 trainer plane, dubbed the 'Pilot Maker', follows routes taken by military air personnel following the infamous bombing.

This heritage railroad has 26 miles (42km) of track weaving through vast Cuyahoga Valley National Park, tracing the route of the Cuyahoga River and passing through the dense forest habitats of eagles and deer. The fleet includes several 1940s sleeper and observation cars from the legendary California Zephyr, known as 'the Silver Lady'.

Visitors can board at any of three main stations for a scenic ride. And the views will look even better combined with a drink or perhaps something to eat. The company offers breakfast and dinner rides, plus a range of themed journeys including wine tasting, night bingo and an escape experience.

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Where better to pose behind the wheel of a classic convertible than along the Las Vegas Strip? This company specialises in rare and vintage vehicles, many of which are loaned for filming and commercial displays. But they also have a few gorgeous numbers available for individuals to rent for a 24-hour period, including a red 1968 Mustang or silver-blue 1961 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible. Just don’t scratch the paint.

You can mix the grape and the train with this Napa Valley classic, one of the most leisurely ways to explore the area’s celebrated wineries. The Wine Train runs on a 36-mile (58km) loop from Downtown Napa to charming St Helena and offers a range of packages, from lavish on-board lunches to a full day visiting vineyards for tours and tastings.

It isn’t just about the wine, though. There’s a lot of history packed into these century-old railcars, which trundle elegantly along a route stretching back more than 150 years. The carriages, with opulent velvet-upholstered seats, mahogany panelling and brass, have been sensitively restored to evoke the glamour of vintage train travel.

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Passengers can spend the night on board a restored locomotive, which runs on track laid more than 100 years ago, tracing the Namekagon River in the picturesque St Croix National Park System. A dinner, bed (there are rooms on board) and breakfast package is one of many ways to experience the route. Another is the Family Pizza Trail – riders get half a pizza and soft drinks on the 90-minute ride.

The cute, colourful aircraft at Bay Aviation look pretty spectacular from the ground. The view’s even better from the cockpit, though, as the planes are kept in an enviable location in Middlesex County on Virginia's Middle Peninsula.

Skim over the broad, blue Rappahannock and Piankatank Rivers in a 1943 PT-19 – one of fewer than 100 fully airworthy examples of the aircraft left – or take a scenic cruise in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. The cockpit is open, so you'll really feel the wind in your hair.

Head to this hip museum on a Sunday for a chance to get behind the (enormous) wheel of one of 130-plus classic cars. A different selection of vehicles is prepared for the road each week and cars are first come, first served. You could be in the driving seat of a powder-blue Corvette or riding (in the front of) a vintage patrol car.

It’s hard to know where to look when you’re on board this vintage train, pulled by FP7 locomotives dating from 1953. There are the carriages themselves, with plush, comfy seats and retro decor. There’s the drinks menu or, if you’re in first class, your complimentary glass of champagne. But, once the journey gets underway, your eyes will probably be fixed on what’s going on outside.

The 40-mile (64km) round trip takes passengers through the dramatically beautiful Verde Canyon, skimming past craggy red rock buttes and the teal-hued Verde River. There are some pretty luxurious options on board, such as the caboose carriage for private groups. But one ticket trumps even swivel armchairs and complimentary champagne: the locomotive ride-along, where one person each day gets to ride in the cab.

Journeys on the Camp 5 Museum’s vintage steam locomotive, built in 1916, follow a route taken in the late 1800s when the line served logging camps. Passengers can sit in an original caboose or watch the scenery from an open-air observation car en route to an original logging camp and museum in the forest.

Virginia Beach might be known for its trio of glorious sandy stretches and outstanding oysters but it's also where you'll find the Military Aviation Museum, one of the world's largest privately-owned collections of First and Second World War aircraft. There are several large hangars at this family-friendly museum, all packed with planes including the P-51 Mustang pictured here. And thanks to the love and care given to the aircraft by passionate museum staff, many can still take to the skies. 

In addition to regular air shows and summer camps, the museum offers private flights with a highly experienced pilot. One of the most popular is a trip in the 1941 Boeing Stearman. You'll soar over Virginia Beach, the Intracoastal Waterway and head south of the museum to see the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge too. 

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Tucked into tiny Camarillo Airport, around 60 miles (97km) west of LA, southern California’s wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has a fascinating museum filled with aircraft and related artefacts from the Second World War. And these warbirds can fly too.

The museum’s Warbird Ride Program offers the chance to fly in aircraft including a vintage US Navy bomber and the PT-19, whose open-air cockpit will turn even the straightest, tamest hair into a bouffant. Rides are scheduled most weekends and cruise over the creamy beaches of the surf city, Ventura.

Revving up its engines in 2019, this vintage car cruise on the streets of New York is easily the best way to travel back to 1920s NYC. Your chauffeur-turned-guide talks you through the city's fascinating history, including the Prohibition Era, the Jazz Age and the Great Depression, as you sit on the plush leather seats of a fully-restored Hudson Great 8 or Ford Model A.

Take your pick of fun-filled rides around the Big Apple, from night-time drives in the 'City That Never Sleeps' to a speakeasy-themed tour you'll never forget – unless you decide to go bar-hopping afterwards and drink a little too much.

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