The Best Friend Train Museum in Charleston, South Carolina

Written By Kelsey Cecil

Charleston, South Carolina · Updated October 19, 2026 · 12 min read

Railroad museumFreeFree; posted weekday hours vary, so call before you go

The Best Friend Train Museum in downtown Charleston keeps a full-size replica of the Best Friend of Charleston, the first locomotive built entirely in the United States, on permanent display, with free admission.

  • Replica of an 1830 locomotive
  • Replica built in 1928
  • Free admission
  • Managed by the City of Charleston
  • Downtown on Ann Street

The Best Friend Train Museum at a glance

Hours
Posted as weekdays 10 am to 2 pm, and elsewhere as daily 9 am to 5 pm; call to confirm
Admission
Free
Plan for
About 30 minutes
Best for
Families with young kids and early railroad history buffs
Best ages
Toddlers to age 10

Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to The Best Friend Train Museum? Bring Rally along.

In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to Charleston.

Page 1 of 8

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

Like it so far? See the full book

25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.

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Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.

A Christmas Day locomotive and the replica that came home

The original Best Friend of Charleston made its first trip on Christmas Day in 1830. It was the first engine built entirely in the United States, at the West Point Foundry in New York, for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, which the Legislature chartered in 1828 to connect Charleston with inland markets by rail. The engine's career was short: about six months after that first run, its boiler exploded and destroyed it.

To mark the company's 100th anniversary, Southern Railway built a replica in 1928 from the original blueprints. The replica later passed to Norfolk Southern and then to the City of Charleston. For years it was the centerpiece of the first Best Friend Train Museum and Gift Shop, which the city ran in the William Aiken House beside Best Friend Park, next to an engine house designed for the train, under the direction of Captain John M. LeCato and Su Griffin. Children came for events and birthday parties aboard the train, and many people were sad when that museum closed in 2000.

Members of the Charleston Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society did not let the story stop there. They worked out an agreement with Mayor Riley to bring the train into the park once a month, where they gave talks and let children see, touch and blow the whistle of a real locomotive.

In December 2008 Norfolk Southern borrowed the replica for display in its Atlanta headquarters lobby on Peachtree Street. While it was away, the chapter kept the story alive at the Best Friend of Charleston Railway Museum, with curator Mary Lehr, directors Peter Buhl and Pat Merriam and junior director Benjamin Ensley. The train came home in October 2014 and now sits on permanent display in the city's Best Friend Train Museum.

Face to face with the Best Friend

The star of the visit is the Best Friend replica itself, a full-size copy built from the original 1830 plans, so you can see how small and simple the very first American-built locomotives were compared with the trains that came later. Displays around the engine explain its story and Charleston's early railroad history, including its place in one of the earliest regularly scheduled passenger services in the country.

This is a compact stop. One Charleston guide calls it more of an exhibit than a full museum, a bite-sized look at the dawn of American railroading, which makes it easy to fit into a walk around downtown. Plan a short visit, and pair it with other sights nearby rather than making it a whole-day outing.

Don’t miss

  1. The 1928 Best Friend replicaSouthern Railway built it from the original blueprints to honor the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company's centennial, and it is the reason the museum exists.
  2. The Christmas Day 1830 storyLook for how the original engine made its first run on December 25, 1830, and how its boiler exploded only six months later.
  3. Early railroad history displaysThe exhibits explain how Charleston's railroad was chartered in 1828 to reach inland markets, and why that mattered to the city.
  4. The engine's travelsThe replica spent six years in Norfolk Southern's Atlanta lobby before returning to Charleston in October 2014, a good story to share with kids.

A quick, free stop for little engine fans

Because the museum is small and free, it works well for toddlers and preschoolers who love trains but are not ready for a long museum day. Kids can see a real locomotive up close and hear the story of a train that first ran on Christmas Day, which tends to stick with young listeners.

The museum does not post details about climbing on the engine, strollers or restrooms, so call ahead if those matter for your family. Keep the visit short and pair it with time outdoors in downtown Charleston.

Plan your visit: tips for The Best Friend Train Museum

  • Call (843) 853-8000 or (800) 868-8118 before you go: the posted hours and street number differ.
  • The museum is closed on holidays.
  • Plan it as a short stop on a downtown Charleston walk.
  • For history questions about the Best Friend, email bfoc1830@gmail.com.

The Best Friend's first run was on Christmas Day, 1830, so this little engine has a natural place in a December visit to Charleston. The museum does not list holiday train events of its own, but our guide to Christmas train rides in South Carolina covers families looking for a ride this season.

A city museum with a devoted rail fan circle

The Best Friend Train Museum is managed by the City of Charleston, and members of the Charleston Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society have cared for the train's story for decades, from monthly park visits to running the interim railway museum. Visit, share the engine's story, and send history questions to the Best Friend of Charleston team at bfoc1830@gmail.com.

Following the rails out of Charleston

The early railroad story continues with the Charleston and Savannah Railway, whose history starts right here in Charleston. About 83 miles south, the Georgia State Railroad Museum in Savannah makes a full day for train fans. Inland, the Aiken Train Museum, about 116 miles away, has dioramas of the same South Carolina Canal and Rail Road line. See all the South Carolina train museums for more.

Every train museum in South Carolina

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor view from inside a dark tunnel looking out at a sunny beach and cliffs
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

The Best Friend first ran on Christmas Day in 1830, and I love imagining the crowd that day, the smoke and the noise and then all those cheers. In our book there is a moment in a dark tunnel before a big bright light and happy cheers, and it is one of my mom's ideas I hold closest. Reading it aloud with my kids, I can almost hear her. You can read more on our story page.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.

Get the free coloring pages
Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

More for train families

Work or volunteer at The Best Friend Train Museum?

We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.

Sources

Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.

Best Friend Train Museum: 20 questions visitors ask

Where is the Best Friend Train Museum in Charleston?

The Best Friend Train Museum is on Ann Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Its own site lists the address as 23 Ann Street on one page and 34 Ann Street on another, so head to Ann Street and call (843) 853-8000 or (800) 868-8118 if you have trouble spotting the entrance.

What are the Best Friend Train Museum hours?

Posted hours differ. As of October 2026, one page of the museum's site lists Monday to Friday, 10 am to 2 pm, closed weekends and holidays, while another says it is open daily except major holidays from 9 am to 5 pm. Call (843) 853-8000 before you go to confirm the current schedule.

How much does the Best Friend Train Museum cost?

Admission is free. The museum is managed by the City of Charleston, and both pages of its site that list hours note free admission. That makes it an easy add-on to a day downtown, even if you only have a few minutes to spend with the locomotive.

What is the Best Friend of Charleston?

The Best Friend of Charleston was the first locomotive built entirely in the United States, made at the West Point Foundry in New York. It made its first trip on Christmas Day, 1830, for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. About six months later its boiler exploded, destroying the original engine.

Is the Best Friend at the museum the original locomotive?

No. The original engine was destroyed when its boiler exploded about six months after its first run. The locomotive on display is a replica that Southern Railway built in 1928 from the original blueprints to honor the 100th anniversary of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company.

Who runs the Best Friend Train Museum?

The City of Charleston manages the Best Friend Train Museum. Members of the Charleston Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society have long helped tell the train's story, including running an interim railway museum from 2010 to 2014. For history questions, the Best Friend of Charleston team takes email at bfoc1830@gmail.com.

How long should I spend at the Best Friend Train Museum?

Most visitors need about 30 minutes. It is a compact exhibit built around one locomotive and displays about its history, and one Charleston guide describes it as bite-sized. That makes it a good stop to pair with a walk downtown rather than a destination for the whole day.

Is the Best Friend Train Museum good for toddlers?

Yes, for a short visit. Small children can see a real full-size locomotive up close, and the story of a train that first ran on Christmas Day is easy for them to follow. The museum does not post details on strollers or restrooms, so call (843) 853-8000 if you need to know before you go.

Can kids climb on the Best Friend locomotive?

The museum does not say online whether visitors may climb on or touch the replica today. In past years, NRHS volunteers brought the train into Best Friend Park once a month so children could see, touch and blow its whistle. Call (843) 853-8000 to ask what is allowed now.

When was the Best Friend replica built?

Southern Railway built the replica in 1928, working from the original blueprints. It was made to mark the 100th anniversary of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, which the state Legislature chartered in 1828 to connect Charleston with inland markets by rail.

Why was the Best Friend in Atlanta?

Norfolk Southern borrowed the replica in December 2008 and displayed it in the lobby of its Atlanta headquarters on Peachtree Street for about six years. The train returned to Charleston in October 2014 and is now on permanent display in the city's Best Friend Train Museum.

When did the Best Friend come to the City of Charleston?

The museum's site gives two dates. One page says Norfolk Southern donated the replica to the city in 1971, and another says the donation came in 1992. Either way, the city has owned it for decades, and the replica has been back on permanent display since its return from Atlanta in October 2014.

What was the original Best Friend Train Museum?

The first Best Friend Train Museum and Gift Shop was run by the City of Charleston in the William Aiken House, beside Best Friend Park and next to an engine house designed for the train. Captain John M. LeCato and Su Griffin directed it, and children held birthday parties on the train before it closed in 2000.

Is the Best Friend Train Museum open on weekends?

It depends on which posted schedule is current. One page of the museum's site says it is closed Saturday and Sunday, while another lists it as open daily except major holidays. Because the two do not match, call (843) 853-8000 before planning a weekend visit around it.

Is the Best Friend Train Museum open on holidays?

No. Both versions of the museum's posted hours say it is closed on holidays, including major holidays. If you are visiting Charleston around Christmas, call (843) 853-8000 or (800) 868-8118 ahead of time to confirm which days the doors will be open that week.

Is there parking at the Best Friend Train Museum?

The museum does not list parking details online. It is in downtown Charleston on Ann Street, so plan for city parking and allow a little extra time to find a spot. For the latest advice, call the City of Charleston number listed for the museum, (843) 853-8000.

Is the Best Friend Train Museum wheelchair accessible?

The museum does not post accessibility information online. Since it is a small exhibit managed by the City of Charleston, staff can tell you about entrances and space around the locomotive. Call (843) 853-8000 or (800) 868-8118 before you go if anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or stroller.

Does the Best Friend Train Museum have a gift shop?

The original Best Friend Train Museum in the William Aiken House had a gift shop, but the current museum does not list one online. If a souvenir matters to your little train fan, call (843) 853-8000 before your visit to ask whether anything is for sale on site.

How can I learn more about Best Friend of Charleston history?

The Best Friend of Charleston website invites history questions by email at bfoc1830@gmail.com. Its pages cover the engine's 1830 first run, the 1928 replica, the earlier museums and the train's years in Atlanta. The South Carolina State Museum has also published material about the Best Friend.

What other train museums are near the Best Friend Train Museum?

The Charleston and Savannah Railway story begins in the same city. About 83 miles south, Savannah has the Georgia State Railroad Museum and the Savannah History Museum's railroad exhibits, and the Aiken Train Museum is about 116 miles inland with dioramas of the old South Carolina Canal and Rail Road route.

Keep exploring

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Kelsey Cecil
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