Located in South El Monte near Rosemead, the American Military Museum (aka Tankland) is an almost entirely outdoor collection of over 180 primarily American armed forces vehicles, with a handful from police and non-U.S. sources. Starting with a tank and howitzer in the parking area, the Museum’s entrance tent (and gift shop selling painted models and souvenir 50mm rounds) controls access to the large gravel lot, then turns guests loose to see a full-sized helicopter, numerous tanks, personnel carriers, and even amphibious launch vehicles designed to deploy troops on foreign beaches. Artillery cannons, shells, and even missiles are scattered around the site, and everything generally appears to date from the 1940s to the 1960s, though there’s almost no signage; guests can use QR codes to look up details if interested. There was also a small area where people were playing with a radio-controlled tank when we visited.
Admission to the Museum is inexpensive: typically $5 or less per person, with no fee for parking. Expect to spend about half an hour exploring the collection if you’re just looking at what’s there, or longer if you take the time to scan QR codes and read more about each item’s history.
