With spring just around the corner, it's a good time to think about taking a vacation in the coming months. And if you're an automotive aficionado, there are plenty of destinations across the United States that will appeal to your interest.

From coast to coast, you can discover shows, factory tours, museums, and roadside oddities dedicated to vehicles. Whether you center your trip around these attractions or just stop for a brief visit, it's sure to be a memorable experience.

CAR SHOWS

Chicago Auto Show

Billing itself as one of the largest and longest running auto show in North America, this event began in 1901. Automakers debut new vehicles and concept models, and guests can also check out classic cars, automotive accessories, and more. This year's show just concluded, and the next one will come around in February 2018.

New York International Auto Show

This event was the first auto show in North America when it debuted in New York City in 1900. Today, almost 1,000 new and concept vehicles are displayed over four floors of exhibit space. Other attractions include driving simulators, video games, and vehicles used in famous movies and TV shows. The New York International Auto Show usually opens on or around Easter weekend, with this year's event starting on April 14.

North American International Auto Show

From its humble beginnings as a regional gathering of Detroit auto dealers, the North American International Auto Show has grown to be one of the largest auto shows on the continent. Dozens of new models debut at the show each January. An exposition entitled Automobil-D gives a look at futuristic technologies such as self-driving vehicles and connected cars.

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Although it started as a small social gathering in California, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance has become a premier upscale showcase of classic cars. Vehicles are judged by marques and classes, with awards going to those with the best style, technical merit, and historical accuracy. The gathering also features a coastal drive known as the Tour d'Elegance and a collection of automotive memorabilia at Pebble Beach RetroAuto. This year's events run from Aug. 17 to 20.

San Francisco International Auto Show

Unable to participate in a local domestic auto show, a group of import dealers started the San Francisco International Auto Show in 1958. The show features new models from around the world as well as attractions such as racing simulators, test drives, and exhibits on new automotive technology. This year's event runs from Nov. 18 to 26.

Woodward Dream Cruise

Starting as a fundraiser for a soccer field in 1995, the Woodward Dream Cruise became a surprise hit among auto lovers. It is now the world's largest classic car cruise, bringing an estimated 1.5 million people and 40,000 classic cars to Detroit each year. These vehicles cruise down Woodward Ave. in a mass tribute to the city's automotive history. The Woodward Dream Cruise takes place on the third Saturday of every August, with this year's event scheduled for Aug. 19.

FACTORY TOURS

Ford

The self-guided factory tour at the Ford Rogue Center in Dearborn, Michigan, includes two theaters. One shows a film on the Ford company's history, while the other gives a multisensory presentation of how an F-150 truck is built. Other stops include a gallery of innovative Ford vehicles, an elevated walkway above the truck assembly floor, interactive exhibits, and sustainability features such as the plant's beehives and "living roof."

General Motors

GM offers tours of several of its facilities around the United States. These include the Baltimore Transmission Plant; the truck assembly plant in Flint, Mich.; the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky; and the Tonawanda Engine Plant in Buffalo, N.Y. Visitors can also get a look at the full assembly process of an automobile at the Fairfax Assembly and Stamping Plant in Kansas City, Kansas.

Hyundai

More than 1,500 new vehicles are built each day at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery. Guests on this factory tour get a chance to view new models and displays in the showroom before taking a closer look at the stamping facility, paint shop, test track, and other parts of the facility. One highlight of the tour is the ability to see more than 400 robots take part in the assembly of new Hyundai vehicles.

Nissan

Nissan offers public tours of its plants in Canton, Mississippi, as well as Decherd and Smyrna in Tennessee. The automaker's locations in Canton and Smyrna are dedicated to vehicle assembly, while the Decherd location focuses on building powertrains. The tours are often reserved for months in advance, so be sure to call ahead to book a spot.

The Shelby Heritage Center

This site pays tribute to the high performance designs of race car driver Carroll Shelby. Located not far from the Las Vegas strip, the Shelby Heritage Center offers a look onto the production floor where vehicles like the AC Cobra are built and modified. The center also includes a museum with several Shelby models on display and ample information about the company's history.

Subaru

Subaru gives visitors a chance to check out the operations at its American location, Subaru of Indiana Automotive in Lafayette. The automaker builds its Legacy, Outback, and Tribeca models here, and guests walk along an elevated catwalk to get a glimpse of all aspects of their assembly. Some stops include a stamping shop where metal is cut for vehicle parts, a body shop where 860 robots assemble vehicles, and the Trim and Final department where associates add more than 5,000 parts.

Toyota

There are several Toyota plants in the United States, and many of them offer tours. These include facilities in Georgetown, Ky.; Princeton, Ind.; and San Antonio, Texas. The tours give visitors a firsthand look at the assembly of models such as the Camry in Georgetown as well as a number of pickup models in Princeton and San Antonio.

Note: Tours at BMW's plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina and Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., are currently suspended.

MUSEUMS

America's Car Museum

When Harold E. LeMay died in 2000, he had purchased about 3,000 vehicles – the largest private collection in the world. America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, displays 250 of LeMay's cars and another 100 from other collections, and visitors can see more of the collection by touring the museum's open storage galleries. Other attractions include racing simulators, complimentary pictures in a 1923 Buick Touring, and a theater with several automotive films.

ArtCar Museum

This Houston museum provides plenty of examples of how the automobile has been used as an artistic medium. Its stated goal is to "encourage the public's awareness of cultural, political, economic and personal dimensions of art," with art cars representing a transformation of a factory-built commodity to a personal statement. The ArtCar Museum hosts an annual open call show to showcase new artists.

Automobile Driving Museum

You'll probably wish you could take a ride in some of the vintage cars you see on display, and this museum gives you a chance to do so. The Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, Calif., features 130 classic vehicles and offers rides every Sunday. The museum also hosts several events, including hands-on demonstrations on vehicle maintenance.

Gilmore Car Museum

A classic 1940s diner transported from Meriden is among the eye-catching structures at this museum in Hickory Corners, Mich. The Gilmore Car Museum is located on a 90-acre campus, with several buildings and exhibits designed to take you back to a bygone era. Attractions include more than 400 classic cars, vintage dealerships, a restored 1930s Shell station, and a movie set and vehicle from the 1967 Disney film "The Gnome-Mobile."

Henry Ford Museum

This site is part of a large complex in Dearborn known simply as "The Henry Ford." Many of the automotive exhibits relate to American history, including a collection of presidential limousines, the bus where Rosa Parks made her stand against segregation, and the Quadricycle runabout – the first car every built by Henry Ford. The museum also features a vast collection of historic artifacts including airplanes, firearms, and locomotives. The Ford Rogue Center and a large outdoor history museum known as Greenfield Village are also located nearby.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

Located on the infield of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this museum pays tribute to several types of racing. Vehicles from NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, and other series are on display. The museum also includes a hall of fame dedicated to the drivers, mechanics, engineers, journalists, and others who have made their mark on the racing world over the years.

Larz Anderson Auto Museum

Located in the posh carriage house of the former estate of Larz and Isabel Anderson, this museum invites visitors to view what is dubbed "America's Oldest Car Collection." The couple acquired 32 vehicles, starting in 1899, and opened the collection to the public on Sundays. Today, the museum in Brookline, Massachusetts, includes 14 of these vehicles as well as a collection of the Andersons' horse-drawn carriages.

National Automobile Museum

More than 200 classic vehicles are spread throughout reconstructions of period streetscapes in this museum in Reno, Nevada. The exhibits include the winner of the arduous New York to Paris auto race in 1908, vehicles owned by celebrities (including a Cadillac Eldorado driven by Elvis Presley), and a gold-plated DeLorean. Another permanent exhibit pays tribute to collector Bill Harrah, whose vehicles form the nucleus of the National Automobile Museum's displays.

National Corvette Museum

This museum in Bowling Green, Ky., made national headlines in 2014 when a sinkhole opened under a display floor and swallowed eight Corvettes. A new exhibit, "Corvette Cave-In," commemorates the incident and showcases both the damaged vehicles and some that were restored. Visitors to the National Corvette Museum get a look at both the history of the sports car and its current offerings. The Corvette's assembly plant, which offers public tours, is located just a quarter-mile away.

Peterson Automotive Museum

The history of the automobile, its impact on industry, and its artistry are all covered in this Los Angeles museum. Each of the three themes has a floor dedicated to it, and visitors can also try out several interactive exhibits such as racing and design simulators. The Peterson Automotive Museum's collection includes several vehicles featured in movies and TV shows, such as a Batmobile, the DeLorean from Back to the Future, and the Ferrari from Magnum P.I.

Seal Cove Auto Museum

Located on Mount Desert Island in Maine, this museum focuses on the early age of the automobile. More than 50 vehicles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries are on display; once a month during the summer, one of them is started up and demonstrated. The Seal Cove Auto Museum closes for the winter, but is open by appointment and for special events.

ODDITIES

Cadillac Ranch

Not far off Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, the tail ends of 10 half-buried Cadillacs jut up from a field. The offbeat art installation first went up in 1974, but moved to its current location in 1997. Although signs at the entrance warn that graffiti at the site is illegal, visitors often bring along spray paint to make their own mark and give the Cadillacs an ever-changing appearance.

Cadillac Ranch inspired a number of imitators, including a collection of nose-down harvesters in Amarillo known as Combine City. Similar attractions include Airstream Ranch in Seffner, Florida, and VW Slug Bug Ranch in Conway, Texas.

Carhenge

On a farm in Alliance, Nebraska, 39 automobiles have been carefully assembled to form a Stonehenge replica. Each vehicle replicates the size and placement of the stones at the famous site in England. Carhenge was built in 1987 as a memorial to creator Jim Reinders' father, and the site has since been joined by other sculptures known as the Car Art Reserve.

Truck in the Tree

No, it's not up there because of some bizarre accident. "Madman" Mark Madson first put this 1959 Chevy Fleetside pickup truck 50 feet up in a forked tree to serve as a treehouse for his son. Since Madson suspended the truck in 1994, it has become a popular roadside attraction for people traveling through Clinton, Wisconsin.

The VW Spiders

Something about the diminutive Volkswagen Beetle has inspired several people to turn the vehicle into a giant arachnid. In each of these sculptures, the Bug serves as the body with eight spindly legs sprouting from the undercarriage. Different artists have assembled VW spiders from Pennsylvania to Oregon, but the best known examples might be the roadside attractions in Avoca, Iowa and Lexington, Oklahoma.

For a strange VW Beetle sculpture located closer to home, check out Pioneer Auto Sales in Leicester, Vermont. This shop features a giant gorilla holding a Bug aloft, and visitors can sit in the gorilla's other hand for photos.