In Fortaleza’s city center, a fine 19th-century neoclassical building was once the seat of the Ceará state government. Today, it is the Ceará Museum (Museu do Ceará), and it has displays both on the city’s past and on the history of northeastern Brazil more broadly; exhibits cover fossils, indigenous archaeology, folk art, period furniture, coins and weapons to boot. On the other side of town (a half hour by car from the Ceará Museum), the Automobile Museum (Museu do Automóvel) is another must-see at least for some visitors, with its collection of fine old trucks, Model Ts, 1950s Chevys and 1960s sports cars.
