Colorado Springs, Colorado: Dragon Man's Military Museum

I stopped by to see Mel on a Sunday to get the museum tour without calling first (big mistake) and he gave my two girls and me a private tour of the museum and an hour in the Elvis wing. He could not have been more gracious. Everyone has commented already about the amazing military museum (and it is!), but the Elvis part is not just an adjunct. It has no less than 5 cars - all street legal and in mint condition. One of them is a dragster that Mel races every Saturday night. If you have a chance, get into Mel's on a Saturday and talk to him about where they are racing or even having a demolition derby that night - you might even get to ride in the parade!

(An aside: Mel and his son restore every one of the vehicles that come into the museum, get them all running and make them all street legal.) PS - Check you politics at the door.

Colorado Springs Military history Museum, Dragon Man Arms and annual machine gun invitational. Mel Bernstein (the Dragon Man) owns Dragon Man Arms and what must be the world's greatest private military arms museum in the country/world. A licensed Class 3 machine gun dealer, Mel hosts an annual machine gun shootout for licensed gun owners. This year's was on 9/11 and was highlighted by Mel dragging an effigy of Bin Ladin by the heel with his jeep mounted quad 50. To the cheers of hundreds of spectators, Sheik Bin Ladin was set up down-range between three dynamite and gasoline-loaded automobiles. Mel's first salvo reduced Bin to ashes, and the second ignited the first of many TNT blasts. Next, the firing line opened fire on the vehicles; in minutes all were blazing merrily. Shooters ranged from Uzis to 50 cals to bowling ball mortar to a tripod-mounted Gatling gun.

Anyone of legal age could rent and fire their choice of weapons. The Gatling gun cost $75 per 100 rounds (1 and 1/2 seconds) with plenty of takers. Mel led tours through his museum for all attendees. He believes it is worth 2-3 million bucks. I think that is low balling it. Want to see an original, un-opened can of Zykon crystal? He has several in the Holocaust section. A remarkable man with a remarkable zest for life.