Luray, Virginia
A free museum that features a hit television show was a nice travel find on our recent trip through Virginia. Ben Jones, who played Cooter Davenport on The Dukes of Hazzard, created a museum featuring many of the show’s props and automobiles. In the show, Cooter was the local mechanic in Hazzard, so the museum’s theme is that of a mechanic’s shop. The General Lee, the 1969 Orange Dodge Charger, is arguably the star of the show, and Cooter’s in Luray is home to two General Lees. Some other cars in the garage included Cooter’s Tow Truck, Daisy Duke’s Jeep Daisy, Boss Hogg’s Cadillac, Cooter’s Grey Ghost, and the Allstate, a car sold through the Sears & Roebuck Catalog.
The museum featured many props, including Daisy Duke shorts worn by Catherine Bach on the show, a Poker Table used in an early episode, signed photos, and lots of memorabilia from when the show was on the air. I was a young boy when The Dukes of Hazzard was originally on CBS, and I had a few of the die-cast cars and a lunchbox from that time period. It was impressive how much time was spent acquiring and displaying the collection.
After his career as an actor, Ben Jones later became a U.S. Congressman from Georgia. The museum also contains artifacts from Mr. Jones’s two terms in Congress.
Lots of merchandise were available for purchase at the museum. I ended up purchasing a few postcards and a signed hat. The least I could do was support a cool museum that brought back great memories from my childhood. If you are a fan of the Dukes of Hazzard, cars, or television shows, Cooter’s is a cool stop in Virginia.
