Most people plan a car shopping trip around how quickly they can get out. A day at Galpin is built the other way around.
Visiting Galpin means a lot more than walking a showroom. The North Hills campus puts brand showrooms alongside a full-service restaurant, coffee stops, and a collectibles and apparel shop, so shopping for a vehicle can be a genuinely enjoyable outing. The easy itinerary: coffee first, showrooms next, a sit-down lunch at Horseless Carriage Restaurant, then shopping, and a look at the custom builds to finish. Everything is open to the public, and nothing on the list requires buying a car.
Everything in the itinerary below is on the North Hills campus at 15505 Roscoe Boulevard, all of it walkable once you park. Galpin also owns Porsche of Santa Clarita, about 25 miles north, and that location has two attractions worth knowing about. They are a separate trip, not a stop on this one, and they get their own section at the end.
The short version: a one-day itinerary in North Hills
Morning: Swedish fika at Galpin Volvo, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Galpin Honda, or Starbucks at Galpin Jaguar.
Late morning: Walk the showrooms and see the Ford lineup at Galpin Ford.
Noon: Lunch at Horseless Carriage Restaurant at Galpin Ford.
Early afternoon: Galpin Auto Sports for collectibles, plus the Galpinized and custom builds.
Late afternoon: Apparel and a last walk through whichever showroom you did not get to.
Morning: pick your coffee first
Start where the campus starts, with a cup in hand. Galpin Volvo serves a Swedish fika, the mid-morning coffee and pastry break that Sweden treats as a small institution. Galpin Honda has The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf if you want something familiar and fast. Galpin Jaguar has Starbucks, which is the practical choice if you are meeting someone or need a table and a few minutes of quiet before the day gets going. There is also a Starbucks at Galpin Ford if you would rather not move at all.
One tip from people who do this often: park once, then walk. The showrooms sit close enough together that moving your vehicle between them costs more time than it saves.
Late morning: walk the showrooms
This is the part first-time visitors underestimate. Multiple brands on one campus mean you can compare a full-size truck, a three-row crossover, a sports car, and a luxury sedan in the same hour without driving anywhere, which is a very different experience from bouncing between stores across the San Fernando Valley on a Saturday.
At Galpin Ford, the showroom is where the new Ford lineup lives, from trucks and vans to crossovers and SUVs and the electrified nameplates. If you like your vehicles a little louder, ask where the Galpinized vehicles are parked. The modified builds, including the ROUSH, Shelby, Hennessey, and RTR cars, are usually the most photographed things on the property.
You can browse the current new and pre-owned inventory before you arrive so you know which vehicles you actually want to see. Nobody will rush you. Browsing the showrooms is a legitimate way to spend a morning, and plenty of visitors do exactly that.
Noon: sit down for a real lunch
Horseless Carriage Restaurant at Galpin Ford is the campus lunch stop, a proper sit-down room named for the earliest days of the automobile and a fitting fixture at a dealership that has been family-run in North Hills since 1946.
It is open to visitors, so lunch does not depend on whether you are buying anything.
Early afternoon: collectibles, apparel, and the custom builds
Galpin Auto Sports is where the collectibles live: die-cast models, memorabilia, and the sort of gift that solves a birthday you forgot about. Apparel is available across the campus, so you can pick up a hat or a shirt at whichever showroom you happen to end the day in. It is a short stop, fifteen minutes if you are focused, considerably longer if you are not.
While you are there, ask about the Hall of Customs. Galpin has been building one-off vehicles for decades, and the collection includes a 2022 Ford GT that Galpin Motors president Beau Boeckmann custom-ordered in a one-off factory paint color called Beauberry. It is the kind of thing you will not see anywhere else.
A little trip: Boxenstopp and the Wunderground are in Santa Clarita
Two of the most talked-about Galpin attractions are not on the North Hills campus, and it is worth being clear about that before you plan around them. Boxenstopp and the Wunderground are both at Porsche of Santa Clarita, roughly 25 miles north of North Hills up the 5 freeway. Boxenstopp is a full-service German restaurant with a motorsport-flavored name that tells you exactly what the room is about. The Wunderground is a Porsche exhibit tracing the marque from 1948 to today, and it is the sort of thing enthusiasts plan a drive around.
If either one is the reason you are making the trip, give Santa Clarita its own day rather than treating it as an afternoon stop. Contact the team to confirm hours before you go.
Visiting with kids
A campus visit holds up better with children than most errands do. The coffee shops and Horseless Carriage mean nobody hits the wall before lunch, and the custom builds hold a surprising amount of attention. Community events throughout the year are built with families in mind. If you are coordinating a visit around nap schedules, aim for the late-morning showroom walk and lunch right after.
Events worth planning your visit around
Galpin hosts events across the calendar, and timing a visit to land on one turns a shopping trip into an outing worth the drive. Dates are announced throughout the year, and the contact page is the fastest way to reach the team about a specific event.
If you are here for service, not shopping
The same campus works in your favor on a service day. Drop the vehicle off, walk to coffee, have lunch, and look at the showrooms while the work gets done, which beats a waiting room by a wide margin. You can schedule service ahead of time, and Quick Lane handles routine maintenance when you would rather not leave the property at all. Current service specials are worth a look before you book.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an appointment to visit Galpin?
No. The showrooms, coffee shops, and restaurants are open to the public, and you are welcome to walk the campus without an appointment. The one exception worth planning is a specific vehicle you want to drive. In that case, contact us ahead so the vehicle is pulled up and ready when you arrive.
Can I eat at the Galpin restaurants without buying a car?
Yes. Horseless Carriage Restaurant is open to visitors, as are the coffee stops at Galpin Volvo, Galpin Honda, and Galpin Jaguar. Many guests come for lunch and never set foot in a showroom, and that is fine.
How long should I plan for a day at Galpin?
Plan most of a day if you want the full itinerary, from a morning coffee through the custom builds in the afternoon. If you are short on time, a focused visit to a coffee shop, one showroom, and a test drive fit comfortably into a morning. Check hours and directions before you set out so your arrival lines up with the stops you care about most.
Plan most of a day if you want the full itinerary, from a morning coffee through the custom builds in the afternoon. If you are short on time, a focused visit to a coffee shop, one showroom, and a test drive fit comfortably into a morning. Check hours and directions before you set out so your arrival lines up with the stops you care about most.
Where are Boxenstopp and the Wunderground?
Neither is in North Hills. Both are at Porsche of Santa Clarita, roughly 25 miles north up the 5 freeway. This is part of Galpin, but it is a separate location and trip.
What can I do while my Ford is being serviced?
You can spend the wait on the campus instead of in a waiting room: coffee, lunch at Horseless Carriage Restaurant, and a walk through the showrooms. Book ahead through schedule service, or use Quick Lane for routine maintenance.
Plan your day
A day at Galpin works best with a little planning: know when you are arriving, know which showroom you want to see first, and let lunch anchor the middle of it. Everything in this guide, except the Santa Clarita stops, is within a short walk once you park. Get hours and directions to Galpin Ford at 15505 Roscoe Boulevard in North Hills and plan your visit.
