Central Florida Railroad Museum in Winter Garden, Florida

Written By Kelsey Cecil

Winter Garden, Florida · Updated October 19, 2026 · 12 min read

Depot museumFreeOpen Tuesday to Saturday; free admission

Run by volunteers of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society since 1983, the Central Florida Railroad Museum fills Winter Garden's old Tavares & Gulf depot with the story of the railroads that built the region, and admission is free.

  • Free admission
  • Opened May 21, 1983
  • Former Tavares & Gulf depot
  • 40+ dining car china patterns
  • Climate-controlled galleries with docents
  • Downtown Winter Garden, by the trail

Central Florida Railroad Museum at a glance

Hours
Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 3 pm; Saturday 10 am to 3 pm; closed Sunday and Monday
Admission
Free; donations appreciated
Seasonal events
Frightfully Fun Lego Night, Lego Day at the Museum, Archives Day at the Museum
Plan for
About 1 hour
Best for
Rail history fans and families exploring downtown Winter Garden
Best ages
Ages 5 and up
Parking
Free gravel spaces on Tremaine Street beside the museum, plus a free three-story public deck across the street
Accessibility
Street level is wheelchair accessible; the raised freight area and restroom are up six steps and not wheelchair accessible.

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

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to Central Florida Railroad 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 Winter Garden.

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.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

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

Fourteen rail fans and a depot of their own

The museum began with fourteen people. On November 8, 1970, they chartered the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, and from the start they hoped to find a permanent home for the chapter and a railroad museum. Nine years later, on October 22, 1979, the chapter bought the former Tavares & Gulf Railroad depot in Winter Garden from the Seaboard Coast Line and went straight to work restoring it.

The Central Florida Railroad Museum held its grand opening on May 21, 1983. The group later renovated the Ken Murdock Gallery in the former Roper Building, attached to the east end of the depot, where it now holds monthly meetings. In August 2012, members voted to leave the national society and form the independent Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc., effective January 1, 2013.

Through the years the society has done far more than run a museum. It partnered with Lakeville Elementary School in Apopka, sponsored model train and railroadiana shows, hosted motor car operators visiting Winter Garden, led field trips across Florida and the Southeast, lent artifacts for displays around Central Florida, and sponsored train rides out of Winter Garden over the Florida Central Railroad. Today the museum runs under a cooperative agreement between the City of Winter Garden, the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and the society, whose elected volunteer officers include a curator, librarian, historian and archivist.

China, lanterns and bells in a century-old depot

All of the galleries are climate controlled, a welcome thing in a Florida summer, and volunteer docents are on hand to answer questions. Photographs, maps, signage, charts and artifacts trace the railroads that served Winter Garden and Central Florida, joined by pieces from lines across the country. Look for railroad lanterns and lamps, locomotive bells, station signs and a motor car of the kind track crews once rode.

The star of the collection is the dining car china and silver. The museum displays more than 40 china patterns from 25 railroads of the golden age of passenger travel, one of the largest public displays of its kind in the Southeast. Pieces are labeled with the railroad, pattern, maker and date, from Florida East Coast's Mistic and Seahorse patterns to the Seaboard Air Line's Orange Blossom and the Atlantic Coast Line's Flora of the South. Several displays sit up in the old freight area of the depot, about four feet above street level.

Don’t miss

  1. Florida East Coast Seahorse chinaA circa 1950 bowl decorated with white seahorses, used on FEC dining cars and a nod to Florida's coast.
  2. Seaboard Air Line Orange Blossom plateA 1951 Syracuse dinner plate with a bright bouquet of flowers from the railroad that billed itself as the Route of Courteous Service.
  3. Atlantic Coast Line Flora of the South platterA circa 1942 Buffalo platter, part of the long run of Florida railroad china on display.
  4. Locomotive bells and lanternsThe kind of real railroad hardware kids like to see up close.
  5. The motor carA small track inspection car of the sort crews once used, echoing the society's history of hosting motor car visits to Winter Garden.

Lego days, bells and a trail-side stop

This is a looking museum rather than a riding one, so it suits curious kids who like real artifacts: bells, lanterns, signals and the little motor car tend to get the most attention. The museum's Lego events are a big draw for families, and the gift shop stocks Thomas gifts and Lionel trains.

Strollers need to be parked outside the entrance. The freight area, where several displays and the restroom are, is up six steps on a narrow stairway with a handrail on one side. Food, drinks and pets are not allowed inside, so plan snacks for downtown Winter Garden afterward.

Plan your visit: tips for Central Florida Railroad Museum

  • Saturdays are busy: the farmers market runs nearby from 8 am to 1 pm and parking fills up.
  • Park strollers outside the museum entrance.
  • No food, drinks or pets inside.
  • The gift shop takes cash, debit and credit cards, and stock changes often.
  • Walk one block north to Plant Street, or ride the West Orange Trail, which follows the old Orange Belt Railway route.

Lego fans have reasons to watch the museum's calendar. In 2026 it hosts a ticketed Frightfully Fun Lego Night on October 30 from 5 to 8 pm and a Lego Day at the Museum on October 31, along with occasional Archives Days and presentations announced through its email updates. For Halloween outings with an actual train ride, see our roundup of Halloween train rides in Florida.

The historical society behind the depot

The Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit with officers elected each year, runs the museum with the City of Winter Garden and the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. Volunteers serve as docents, curator, librarian, historian and archivist. You can help by becoming a member, donating, shopping in the gift shop or signing up for email updates on talks and events.

More rail history around Orlando

The Orange Blossom Cannonball historic railway in the Tavares and Mount Dora area is only about 19 miles away and adds a train ride to the day. The Historic Plant City Union Depot is about 50 miles southwest, and the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa about 68 miles. See all Florida train museums for more.

Every train museum in Florida

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of Rally the corgi looking out an arched train window at the ocean and a white bird
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

Reading about the dining car china here, I pictured a plate of something warm sliding across a table while the scenery rolls past the glass. In our book, Rally's favorite spot is the arched window, where he watches the ocean go by and says hello to a white bird. My mom always took the window seat too. If your little one wants to color Rally at his window, it is on our coloring pages.

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 Central Florida Railroad 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.

Central Florida Railroad Museum: 20 questions before your visit

Where is the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

The Central Florida Railroad Museum is at 101 S. Boyd Street in historic downtown Winter Garden, Florida 34787, one block south of Plant Street. It occupies the former Tavares & Gulf Railroad depot, which sits within the Winter Garden Downtown Historic District. Mail goes to PO Box 770567, Winter Garden, FL 34777-0567.

What are the Central Florida Railroad Museum hours?

As of October 2026, the museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 am to 3 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm. It is closed Sunday and Monday, and it does not open on holidays. Special events can run outside these hours, so check the calendar at cfrhs.org.

Is the Central Florida Railroad Museum free?

Yes. Admission is free, and the museum asks for donations to support its preservation work. Group visits are also free, though the museum requests a donation on behalf of the group. Some special events, such as the Frightfully Fun Lego Night, are ticketed separately.

What is there to see at the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

The climate-controlled galleries hold photographs, maps, signage and artifacts from the railroads that served Winter Garden and Central Florida, plus lanterns, lamps, locomotive bells, station signs and a motor car. The highlight is the dining car china and silver collection, with more than 40 patterns from 25 railroads.

What is the dining car china collection at the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

It is one of the largest public displays of railroad tableware in the Southeast, with more than 40 china patterns from 25 railroads of the passenger train era. Examples include Florida East Coast's Mistic and Seahorse patterns, the Seaboard Air Line's Orange Blossom, and the Atlantic Coast Line's Flora of the South.

What do reviews say about the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

Visitors often mention the friendly volunteer docents, the free admission and the depth of the dining car china collection. It is a compact museum that pairs well with a walk through downtown Winter Garden, so most people treat it as one stop in a longer day rather than an all-day outing.

Can you take photos at the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

The museum does not post a photography policy online. Its galleries are indoors and climate controlled, and many visitors like to photograph the china patterns, bells and lanterns. If you are planning photos for a project or a group, ask a docent or email info@cfrhs.org first.

Is the Central Florida Railroad Museum the same as the Bushnell station museum?

No. The Central Florida Railroad Museum is in Winter Garden, in the former Tavares & Gulf depot at 101 S. Boyd Street, and it is run by the Central Florida Railway Historical Society. A museum at Bushnell station is a different place in a different town, so check the address before you set out.

When did the Central Florida Railroad Museum open?

The museum held its grand opening on May 21, 1983. Its founding group, the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, was chartered on November 8, 1970 with fourteen members and bought the Winter Garden depot from the Seaboard Coast Line on October 22, 1979.

Who runs the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

The Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, operates the museum under a cooperative agreement with the City of Winter Garden and the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. The society was part of the National Railway Historical Society until it became independent on January 1, 2013.

Can you ride a train at the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

No, the museum does not offer train rides; it is an indoor depot museum. For a ride nearby, the Orange Blossom Cannonball historic railway in the Tavares and Mount Dora area is about 19 miles away. In the past, the society has sponsored train rides out of Winter Garden over the Florida Central Railroad.

Is the Central Florida Railroad Museum good for kids?

Kids who like real railroad objects, such as bells, lanterns and the motor car, usually enjoy a short visit, and the Lego events are especially popular with families. It is a looking museum without rides, so it suits ages 5 and up best. Strollers must be parked outside, and food and drinks are not allowed inside.

Does the Central Florida Railroad Museum have Lego events?

Yes. As of October 2026, the museum lists a ticketed Frightfully Fun Lego Night on October 30 from 5 to 8 pm and a Lego Day at the Museum on October 31 from 9 am to 4 pm. Details and tickets are on the events page at cfrhs.org.

Where do you park for the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

Free parking spaces sit on the south side of the museum along Tremaine Street in an unpaved gravel area, and a free three-story public parking deck is across the street, with wheelchair accessible spaces and EV charging on the street level. All downtown Winter Garden parking is free, but Saturdays fill up during the farmers market.

Is the Central Florida Railroad Museum wheelchair accessible?

Partly. The street level of the depot is wheelchair accessible, but the freight area, where several displays and the restroom are located, is about four feet higher and reached by six steps on a narrow stairway with a handrail on one side. That upper area is not accessible to wheelchair users.

Can groups visit the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

Yes. Group visits are usually held Tuesday through Friday at 10 am, before the museum opens to the public. Volunteers give a welcome and short history in the meeting room, then the group tours on its own. Most visits last about an hour and are free, with a donation requested. Use the request form on cfrhs.org.

Does the Central Florida Railroad Museum have a gift shop?

Yes. The gift shop sells books, model trains, track and buildings, Thomas gifts, Lionel and collectible trains, artwork and more, and the inventory changes regularly. It accepts cash, debit and credit cards. Purchases help support the museum.

Are pets allowed at the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

No. Pets, food and drinks are not allowed inside the museum. If you are out with a dog on the West Orange Trail, plan for someone to wait outside while others go in. Contact info@cfrhs.org or (407) 656-0559 with questions about service animals.

How can I join or support the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

Become a member of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society or donate through cfrhs.org. Members can volunteer as docents and take part in monthly meetings, field trips and programs. Signing up for the email list keeps you informed about talks and events. Call (407) 656-0559 for more information.

What is near the Central Florida Railroad Museum?

Plant Street's restaurants and shops are one block north, and the Winter Garden Heritage Museum, SOBO Art Gallery and Garden Theatre are within walking distance. The 22-mile West Orange Trail runs through downtown along the old Orange Belt Railway route. For another rail stop, the Orange Blossom Cannonball is about 19 miles away.

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