English 
7 min of reading 
0 comments 
Theme park in Nova Petrópolis gathers rare cars, 1930s settings, and a village inspired by old United States, in an attraction aimed at preserving the history of the Ford Model A in Serra Gaúcha.
The theme park Model A Village opened to the public on June 1, 2026 in Nova Petrópolis, in Serra Gaúcha, with a proposal dedicated to the history of the Ford Model A and the recreation of environments inspired by the United States of the 1930s.
Located along RS-235, in Linha Araripe, the enterprise includes an automotive museum, a scenic city, social areas, and attractions aimed at visitors of different ages, on a tourist route that connects Nova Petrópolis to Gramado.
The structure occupies a plot of 11,300 square meters, of which 2,700 square meters correspond to the built area, according to information released about the enterprise before opening to the public.
-
What is trash for many became the entrance of a house for an Australian who spent seven years collecting over 450,000 cans and bottles on beaches and at festivals, demonstrating how a system that pays for recycled packaging can transform waste into income and remove trash from the environment.
-
Three records at once: a 23,163-ton ship was moved on 880 axle lines, 3,520 wheels, and also transferred to three barges with 26,900 tons on wheels.
-
Elderly individuals who intend to drive in Brazil should be aware of a new requirement involving the CNH.
-
“There’s something growling”: alleged UFO appears over river surrounded by forest in Campo Largo, and man reports lights from an object up to 70 meters hovering for 30 minutes before turning off and heading towards the house, in a mystery recorded on video.
On the stretch of highway between Nova Petrópolis and Gramado, the complex operates from Wednesday to Monday, from 9 am to 6 pm, closed on Tuesdays, with ticket sales at the local box office and through official channels.
The main focus of the space’s operation is the Ford Model A, an automobile launched in 1927 as the successor to the Model T, a model that marked a previous phase of Ford’s production in the United States.
Before exploring the attractions, visitors watch a presentation about the vehicle’s history, with information about the launch context, the replacement of the Model T, and the car’s presence in the North American automotive industry.
The collection reported by the park includes 40 restored vehicles, among passenger cars, trucks, pickups, Ford tractors, and models related to the brand’s expansion period at the end of the 1920s.
In addition to the already exhibited specimens, the enterprise reports maintaining another seven vehicles in the process of restoration, which expands the collection planned for the next stages of the space’s operation.
Among the items in the set is a Pietenpol Air Camper 1929 equipped with a Ford Model A engine, a piece that appears in the exhibition alongside the vintage cars, trucks, pickups, and tractors.
The inclusion of the aircraft shows an application of the Ford Model A engine outside of traditional automotive use, especially in light aviation projects that used car components in certain construction experiments.
Scenic city recreates the 1930s environment
The visit to Model A Village combines vehicle exhibition and thematic setting, with scenarios inspired by the architecture and daily life of small American towns in the 1930s.
The park was designed as a scenic village, with commercial facades, circulation spaces, and living areas that organize the visitors’ journey around the vintage vehicles.
Among the advertised attractions are a replica of a Texaco station associated with the Route 66 imagery, themed shops, a café, a photo studio, a kids’ space, and bus tours.
With this structure, the enterprise presents the vehicles within a historical setting, rather than focusing the visit solely on the technical display of engines, bodies, and restoration processes.
The proposal informed by the creators is to bring the public closer to the visual context in which these automobiles circulated, through scenarios, objects, facades, and services integrated into the internal itinerary.
On the route, the automobiles appear connected to the village setting, with internal streets and spaces set up to reproduce visual references linked to old United States.
The bus tours take visitors through areas of the park with the support of guides, who provide information about the vehicles, the scenarios, and the composition of the exhibited collection.
This format brings the enterprise closer to thematic tourist attractions, where the visit includes elements of a museum, scenography, guided circulation, and areas aimed at consumption within the complex itself.
Inspiration came from a project created by Henry Ford
The Model A Village was inspired by Greenfield Village, an attraction inaugurated by Henry Ford in 1929 in Dearborn, United States, where there is also preservation of buildings, objects, and historical references.
The reference helps explain the choice of a scenic village as a presentation format, since the American project was created to bring together elements related to industrial and cultural memory.
In the Brazilian adaptation, the focus is on the world of the Ford Model A and vehicles from the 1920s and 1930s, with a focus directed towards vintage cars and historical setting.
The village does not correspond to the reproduction of a specific city, but brings together visual references associated with the period, such as a gas station, commercial facades, and old cars in controlled circulation.
The construction of the project began in March 2025 and was completed in May 2026, according to the schedule released before the official opening to the public.
In previous announcements, the inauguration was initially scheduled for December 2025 and later for April 2026, but the opening was confirmed for June 1, 2026.
The project was announced by the City Hall of Nova Petrópolis in February 2025, during the celebrations of the municipality’s 70th anniversary of emancipation, as a new tourist attraction for the city.
At the time, the municipal administration informed that the park would be installed in Linha Araripe and would receive private investment estimated at R$ 30 million.
Collection began with Ford Phaeton 1929
The park was conceived by entrepreneurs Andréia and Ronei Weber, residents of Gramado, who started the collection in 2012 with the purchase of a Ford Phaeton 1929.
From this first vehicle, the collection began to gather different versions linked to the history of the Model A and other Ford models from the same period, according to information attributed to the creators.
According to the owners, the proposal is to concentrate the vehicles in a single space and contribute to the preservation of automotive memory associated with the Ford Model A.
The choice of a theme park, instead of a conventional museum, allows the collection to be presented along with scenarios, services, and visitor experiences aimed at the tourist public.
The Serra Gaúcha already concentrates attractions related to culture, gastronomy, and experiential tourism, a segment in which Nova Petrópolis and Gramado receive visitors throughout the year.
With the Model A Village, Nova Petrópolis now has another attraction on the route taken by tourists traveling between the municipality and Gramado, especially on short-duration itineraries.
The park is also expected to have a direct impact on the local economy, with 20 direct jobs in the initial phase, mainly in areas such as customer service, monitoring, and internal service operations.
In addition to the direct jobs, the operation of the complex is related to maintenance activities, food services, themed commerce, and tourist services associated with the circulation of visitors in the region.
Operation and tickets for Model A Village
The Model A Village operates from Wednesday to Monday, from 9 am to 6 pm, on RS-235, Linha Araripe, in Nova Petrópolis, in the Serra Gaúcha.
Tickets can be purchased at the local ticket office or through the official website of the enterprise, as per the information released about the park’s operation during the opening phase.
A report published by ABC+ stated that the promotional adult rate was R$ 98 at the opening, but the prices may vary according to the commercial policy adopted by the enterprise.
For this reason, consulting the park’s official channels is still recommended before the visit, especially to confirm prices, hours, operating rules, and any changes in the schedule.
The address places the attraction on a route used by tourists traveling between Gramado and Nova Petrópolis, two municipalities with a strong presence in the tourist circuit of Serra Gaúcha.
On the banks of RS-235, the location favors access for visitors traveling by car, excursions, or itineraries organized by local operators.
The structure brings together, in the same space, an automotive collection, historical scenography, social areas, and services aimed at visitors to Serra Gaúcha.
The park’s operation uses the memory of the Ford Model A as the central axis to present an experience related to antique cars, the visual culture of the 1930s, and themed tourism in Nova Petrópolis.
Be the first to react!