Not What We Planned:
The Volo Museum Story
This is the story of how one man’s passion for restoring the past became a family’s journey into the future.
Watch The Trailer Now
A true story of passion, perseverance, and family. What started with a single restored Model T grew into the Volo Museum, welcoming more than a million visitors each year.
Be One of the First to See It!
Join us for the Official Premiere Screening!
Be among the first to see the film at The Vixen in McHenry on Thursday, August 27th!
Tickets will NOT be sold—they have to be WON! That’s the classic Volo Museum way!
Want to be there? The only way to attend this exclusive premiere is to
Enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets for you and a plus 1!
Don’t miss your opportunity to experience the film before anyone else and be part of an unforgettable premiere night.
When Greg Grams began rescuing worn-out model t's on the Illinois-Wisconsin border in the 1960s, he wasn't trying to build a museum.
He wasn’t chasing success. He simply loved bringing the cars back to life.
One restored car led to another. His family farm became a car lot. The car lot became a destination. And over the course of six decades since he made his first sale, that unlikely beginning grew into the Volo Museum, now home to one of the world’s largest vintage automobile sales operations in the world and an astonishing collection of American history, popular culture, movie icons, and irreplaceable artifacts that now welcomes more than a million visitors each year.
But this isn’t the story of a museum, or even the cars it celebrates. It’s the story of a man who followed his passions wherever they led. A father who unknowingly built a life his children would choose to inherit. A family that discovered its greatest achievement wasn’t measured in acres, buildings, or collections, but in the joy of celebrating their shared passions with the world.
Not What We Planned explores the extraordinary truth that the greatest legacies are rarely designed. They grow from passion, perseverance, faith, and the courage to keep saying yes to the next impossible idea.
In the end, the Volo Museum isn’t simply a collection of remarkable things. It is the story of an American family that never stopped believing the next dream was worth building.
Enter now for your chance to win!
Screen shots from The Volo Film
Not What They Planned. But … Better Than They Imagined.
Not What We Planned tells the remarkable true story of Greg Grams, whose love of restoring vintage cars grew into the Volo Museum—a place where history, family, and dreams come together.
About The Director
Meet Filmmaker Ken Goldstein of Oak Hollow Studios
Filmmaker Ken Goldstein of Oak Hollow Studios
For filmmaker Ken Goldstein of Oak Hollow Studios, Not What We Planned is more than a documentary, it is the culmination of a journey that began nearly fifty years ago.
Growing up in Illinois, Ken’s parents regularly brought him to the Volo Museum starting in the 1980s. Like countless visitors before and since, he arrived captivated by the cars, but left remembering something far greater: a place where history felt alive, where every building held a story, and where one family’s imagination transformed an ordinary farm into an extraordinary American destination. He also remembers just how unique the experience was walking into the Volo Museum the first time and getting to stand inches from iconic cars like the Batmobile and the General Lee.
That childhood fascination eventually became the inspiration for the seven-year filmmaking journey that led to this documentary.
An Emmy Award-winning writer, director, producer, and songwriter, Ken Goldstein of Oak Hollow Studios has spent more than four decades telling stories about the people, places, and passions that shape American culture. He first gained national recognition as host of Fox Television’s groundbreaking investigative series Too Much Information, examining the social, emotional, and cultural issues facing Generation X. During his time on Fox, he also hosted a call in radio show on WLS, and wrote special human interest stories for the Chicago Tribune. That early work sparked a lifelong passion for investigative storytelling, one that would ultimately earn him Emmy Awards and lead to writing and directing documentary specials for PBS, Discovery Channel, A&E, BBC, TF1, Warner Bros., Fox Television, and other broadcasters around the world.
His work has included acclaimed documentaries for The History Channel, Discovery Networks, investigative specials with Bill Kurtis for A&E, and serving as Associate Producer on Lionsgate’s drag racing drama Snake & Mongoo$e, chronicling two of the most influential figures in American motorsports. Beyond filmmaking, Ken also helped realign the iconic Von Dutch brand with its authentic Southern California kustom car culture roots, reconnecting one of America’s most recognizable names with the automative heritage that inspired it.
Those experiences made Not What We Planned a deeply personal project. It brought together a lifetime of interests, automotive history, American roadside culture, investigative storytelling, and the remarkable people whose passions quietly shape the American experience.
Today, Ken serves as Creative Director of Oak Hollow Studios and co-founder of the TLAH Creative Collective, where he continues to create documentaries, feature films, and original music that celebrate the people and stories often overlooked by history.
For Ken, the Volo Museum has never simply been about cars. It is a testament to what can happen when curiosity becomes purpose, passion becomes legacy, and one family’s dream becomes part of America’s story.
Other Attractions to Explore
Three main attractions, one unforgettable destination
Titanic Exhibit
Learn about the Titanic from a whole new perspective, featuring stories rarely told and artifacts that reveal the human side of history.
Volo Museum
The centerpiece attraction, showcasing not only incredible automobiles but also mechanical marvels, movie history, pop culture, and one-of-a-kind entertainment displays.
Jurassic Gardens
Step into a dinosaur wonderland and journey back 65 million years with lifelike animatronics, immersive settings, and prehistoric adventures for all ages.
