Road Tripping in Pennsylvania – Zippo Lighter Museum

After visiting the Kinzua Viaduct, I still had hours of daylight left and no particular place to go. Pulling up the list of “favorites” on my GPS showed that there was a Whispering Giant less than 100 miles away in Dunkirk, NY.

True to form, I asked myself the question that helps me make decisions often: When would I be back in the area again? The answer is almost always the same: Maybe never. And so Dunkirk, NY became my next see something destination.

As luck would have it, my route to Dunkirk would take me past Bradford, Pa. – Home of the Zippo Case Museum. Yes, Zippo as in the lighter.

zippo case museum

You might be asking why on Earth I would want to visit a lighter museum. And I don’t blame you. (Or is that… flame… you? Ahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa! Sorry.) On the surface it hardly seems like something that could hold your interest for 5 minutes.

An American Flag fashioned from Zippo lighters:

American flag made from Zippo lighters

As it turned out, seeing how the Zippo played a role in the lives of people and popular culture was interesting. Plus? This:

zippo lighter car

Do you see it? Look at it. LOOK AT IT! The Zippo car alone is worth the stop.

zippo lighter car

The Zippo street light:
zippo lighter streetlight

The attached gift shop (more like the museum attached to the gift shop) makes about a bajillion lighters available. I ended up buying one with a picture of the Zippo car on it. That, a few postcards and a pen.

zippo car pen

When you tilt the pen the Zippo car drives down the street. It reminded me of those naked lady pens I giggled about as a kid. You know the ones – where you tip it and the bathing suit drops off? Ooh la la.

My detour to the Zippo Museum was unexpectedly worth the stop. I pulled out of the parking lot happy.

Zippo Case Museum
1932 Zippo Dr
Bradford, PA 16701