For more than six decades, the Volo Museum has been a place where history, automobiles, pop culture, family, and imagination come together. Now, for the first time, the remarkable story behind it all is coming to the big screen.

Not What We Planned: The Volo Museum Story is a new documentary exploring how one man’s passion for restoring old cars grew into an internationally recognized destination—and you could be among the first people to see it.

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, the film will celebrate its official World Premiere at The Vixen in McHenry, Illinois.

But there’s a catch: You can’t buy a ticket. You have to win your way in.

An Exclusive World Premiere at The Vixen

The World Premiere of Not What We Planned: The Volo Museum Story will bring together the Grams family, filmmakers, special guests, Volo fans, and contest winners for a one-night-only screening.

Doors open at 6:00 PM, with the film scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM.

This isn’t a traditional movie premiere where you can simply purchase a seat. Tickets will not be sold to the public.

Admission is reserved for invited guests and sweepstakes winners, with each winner receiving admission for themselves and one guest.

That makes winning the contest your opportunity to experience the documentary before the general public and celebrate the story alongside the people who helped make it happen.

Learn more about the World Premiere at The Vixen

How to Win Two Tickets

Volo Museum is giving away pairs of tickets to the exclusive World Premiere.

The sweepstakes is open to participants 18 years of age or older, and only one entry per person is permitted. Entries must be submitted online, and no purchase is necessary. Official rules can be found on the contest entry page.

The deadline to enter is Friday, August 21, 2026, at 3:00 PM Central Time.

Winners will be randomly selected and notified using the email address provided with their entry.

Each winner receives two tickets to the August 27 premiere.

Remember: these tickets cannot be purchased, so entering the sweepstakes is your chance to secure a seat.

Enter to Win Two World Premiere Tickets

The Story Wasn’t Planned—and That’s the Point

The title Not What We Planned couldn’t be more appropriate.

When Greg Grams began restoring Model T automobiles near the Illinois-Wisconsin border in the 1960s, building a major museum wasn’t the plan.

He simply loved bringing old cars back to life.

One restoration led to another. The family farm evolved into a car lot, and the car lot eventually became a destination.

Decades later, the Volo Museum has grown far beyond its automotive beginnings. Today, visitors encounter vintage automobiles alongside mechanical marvels, movie and television vehicles, pop-culture artifacts, entertainment displays, and pieces of American history.

The documentary tells the story behind that transformation.

But Not What We Planned isn’t simply a movie about cars or a museum.

At its heart, it’s a story about family, perseverance, passion, risk, and what can happen when you’re willing to follow an idea even when you don’t know where it will lead.

From One Model T to a Family Legacy

The story of Volo is ultimately the story of the Grams family.

What began with Greg Grams’ interest in restoring vintage automobiles became something his children and future generations would help carry forward.

Over the years, the collection grew. Buildings expanded. New attractions arrived. Unexpected opportunities became new chapters.

And somewhere along the way, a family business became a destination where generations of visitors could experience automotive history, Hollywood memories, Americana, mechanical ingenuity, and larger-than-life attractions under one name.

That unexpected journey is at the center of Not What We Planned.

The film explores the risks, challenges, discoveries, and decisions that transformed a simple passion into the World Famous Volo Museum.

Seven Years in the Making

The documentary is directed by filmmaker Ken Goldstein of Oak Hollow Studios, whose own connection to Volo stretches back decades.

Goldstein visited the museum with his parents beginning in the 1980s. Like many visitors, he came for the cars but discovered something bigger—a place where history felt alive and where an ordinary family farm had become something extraordinary.

Those childhood experiences eventually helped inspire a filmmaking journey that took approximately seven years to complete.

An Emmy Award-winning writer, director, producer, and songwriter, Goldstein has spent decades telling stories about American people, places, history, and culture. His work has included projects associated with PBS, Discovery Channel, A&E, BBC, Fox Television, The History Channel, and other broadcasters.

With Not What We Planned, that experience meets a story he has known personally since childhood.

More Than a Movie About Cars

You don’t have to be a lifelong car enthusiast to connect with this story.

The automobiles may have started the journey, but the film explores something much more universal: what happens when passion becomes purpose.

It’s about following an idea without knowing exactly where it will take you.

It’s about building something as a family.

It’s about surviving the challenges nobody could have predicted.

And it’s about discovering that sometimes the things we never planned become the things we’re proudest to leave behind.

For longtime Volo Museum fans, the documentary offers a chance to go behind the scenes and discover stories that haven’t been widely shared before.

For those discovering Volo for the first time, it’s an introduction to the people and unlikely circumstances behind one of Illinois’ most distinctive destinations.

Discover the Story Behind Not What We Planned

Be There for the First Public Screening

The story took decades to unfold and years to capture on film.

On August 27, 2026, audiences will finally get to experience it on the big screen at The Vixen in McHenry.

And you could be in the audience.

World Premiere: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Location: The Vixen, McHenry, Illinois
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
Showtime: 7:30 PM
Tickets: Not available for purchase
Sweepstakes Deadline: Friday, August 21 at 3:00 PM CT
Prize: Two tickets to the exclusive World Premiere

Only a limited number of winners will have the opportunity to attend.

If you want to see Not What We Planned: The Volo Museum Story before anyone else, don’t wait.

Enter now for your chance to win two tickets and become part of Volo Museum history.

ENTER TO WIN TWO TICKETS