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Train museums in every state: find the one near you

Steam trains you can ride, trolleys back on their old routes, depots where troop trains once stopped: this page gathers 650 train museums and rail sites across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Type your town to see the closest ones, then open a state guide for hours, tickets and tips for a day out with kids.

  • 650 museums and rail sites
  • 51 state guides
  • 554 towns
  • 289 with train rides
  • 101 free

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Watercolor of a Spanish-style train station with palm trees, a red train car and a family walking with a corgi
The station in Rally Takes the Train, painted from San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot.

Pick your state on the map

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The train museum bucket list: 12 worth the drive

  1. Illinois Railway Museum

    Union, Illinois

    The museum says it is the largest railway museum in the United States, and one ticket covers unlimited rides on electric, steam and diesel trains plus five display barns.

  2. Steamtown National Historic Site

    Scranton, Pennsylvania

    The only National Park unit devoted solely to steam railroading, with a working roundhouse and turntable and Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4012 in a real Scranton railyard.

  3. National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation

    Baltimore, Maryland

    The former B&O Railroad Museum stands where regular passenger service in the United States began in 1830, and its 1884 roundhouse holds the country's largest collection of 19th-century locomotives.

  4. California State Railroad Museum

    Sacramento, California

    Twenty-one restored locomotives and cars, including an 1862 Central Pacific engine and the sole surviving Southern Pacific cab-forward, plus excursion rides along the Sacramento River.

  5. Golden Spike National Historical Park

    Promontory Summit, Utah

    The spot where the first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, with working replicas of the Jupiter and No. 119 that run in summer.

  6. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

    Durango, Colorado

    Narrow gauge steam has run between Durango and Silverton since 1882, and the free museum fills eight stalls of the Durango roundhouse.

  7. Nevada Northern Railway Museum

    Ely, Nevada

    A complete short line handed over with its buildings, rolling stock and company records, where steam engines No. 81 and No. 93 still pull excursions and visitors can book Be the Engineer.

  8. Seashore Trolley Museum

    Kennebunkport, Maine

    Founded in 1939, it calls itself the world's first and largest electric railway museum, with more than 350 transit vehicles and trolley rides on the rebuilt Atlantic Shore Line.

  9. Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

    Cass, West Virginia

    Geared Shay locomotives still push trains up the 1901 logging grades to Whittaker Station and Bald Knob, and families can sleep in a former company house.

  10. N.C. Transportation Museum

    Spencer, North Carolina

    The museum describes its 37-bay Bob Julian Roundhouse as the largest remaining in North America, and kids can take a turntable ride inside it.

  11. Dennison Railroad Depot Museum

    Dennison, Ohio

    Volunteers on this platform served about 1.3 million service members during World War II, and today every child who visits gets a dog tag and a whole interactive rail car.

  12. San Diego Model Railroad Museum

    San Diego, California

    About 27,000 square feet of layouts in Balboa Park, including a model of the Tehachapi Loop and a Toy Train Gallery where kids push a button to run a train.

Every museum, filtered your way

Northeast (12 guides)

Midwest (12 guides)

Southeast (12 guides)

Mountain West and Southwest (10 guides)

West (5 guides)

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to a 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.

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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.

Why a train museum makes such a good day out

Most kids meet trains in picture books first. A train museum lets them stand next to the real thing, hear a whistle up close and climb the steps into a cab. Many of the places on this map are hands-on by design: at Steamtown children walk through a mail car and buy a pretend ticket at a re-created station window, and at Travel Town in Griffith Park there is no admission charge at all, just railroad cars, picnic tables and a miniature train circling the grounds.

Behind almost every museum on this page is a group of people who refused to let something go to scrap. Volunteers in Fort Smith strung their own overhead wire so car 224 could carry riders through downtown again at the Fort Smith Trolley Museum. In Pueblo, every ride, repair and tour at the Pueblo Railway Museum is done by unpaid volunteers. Others saved whole railroads, like the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, which kept its buildings, engines and company records together in Ely.

That work adds up to depots, roundhouses, trolley lines, model layouts and mountain railroads in every state, from the 1830s to the streamliner era. Pick the closest one in the finder, check its hours, and go see what your neighbors saved.

Watercolor of a dad lifting Rally the corgi up the big stairs of a red train car
Little legs and some very big stairs. Rally needed a boost from Dad.

The kinds of train museums you will find

  • Railroad museums gather locomotives, cars and artifacts in one place, often with rides on event days. The California State Railroad Museum fills its main hall with 21 restored locomotives and cars.
  • Trolley museums keep streetcars and interurbans running, and a ride is usually part of admission. The Connecticut Trolley Museum runs a 3-mile round trip on part of an old trolley branch.
  • Depot museums fill a restored station with local rail history, and many are small and free. The B&O Ellicott City Station Museum, built in 1831, is the oldest railroad station in America.
  • Roundhouses and rail historic sites show where engines were turned, repaired and stored. At the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum, guided tours pass an 18-stall roundhouse and a 115-foot turntable.
  • Model railroad museums are indoor, year-round and full of push buttons. The Twin City Model Railroad Museum dims the house lights for its glowing Night Trains on winter Saturday evenings.
  • Heritage railroads are the ones you ride, usually on historic track with a depot or museum at the station. The Strasburg Rail Road runs 45-minute steam trips through Lancaster County farmland.
  • Rail parks mix rides, playgrounds and displays, and they suit the smallest riders. McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale is free to enter, with low-cost train and carousel rides.
  • Museums with a rail gallery put trains inside a bigger museum. The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is home to The Great Train Story, a huge model railroad, plus the Pioneer Zephyr.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. They fit in a folder with a few crayons for the drive to the museum.

Get the free coloring pages and activity pack

Tips for a train museum day with little kids

  • Check the calendar before you drive. Many outdoor museums open only on weekends or from spring to fall, and some open only for events.
  • Ask whether rides are included. At some places admission covers the train or trolley; at others the ride is a separate ticket or runs only on certain days.
  • Arrive for the first ride of the day. Trains and trolleys leave on a set schedule, and morning trips tend to be calmer for small children.
  • Dress for the weather. Many collections are outdoors or in unheated barns, and trolleys at several museums run rain or shine.
  • Pack snacks and a picnic. Plenty of museums have picnic tables but no café, especially smaller depots and rail parks.
  • Plan on stairs. Locomotive cabs and vintage coaches have narrow, steep steps, and several museums ask you to leave strollers at the platform before boarding.
  • Hold hands near the tracks. Some museums sit beside active main lines or working railyards, which is part of the fun and a reason to keep kids close.
  • Keep the first visit short. A small depot museum or a single train ride is plenty for toddlers; save the all-day mountain excursions for older kids.
  • Look for toddler programs. Story times, playgroups and sensory-friendly hours turn up at museums large and small, so check the events page.

Why we love train museums

My mom dreamed up the story of Rally, our corgi, riding the train with Mom and Dad to visit his grand-paw-rents. She died in 2021 before she could write it, so I painted it for her. The train in the book is the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from San Diego, and Rally needs a boost from Dad to manage those big steps. Every museum on this map is full of the same big steps, and of people who kept the trains for the next generation of small riders. You can read how the book came to be, or print a few train coloring pages for the drive.

More train days with kids

Questions families ask about train museums

What is the biggest train museum in the United States?

The Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, states that it is the largest railway museum in the country, with more than 20 structures on 100 acres and unlimited rides included with admission. Other big claims belong to the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis County, which cites the largest collection of transportation vehicles in the world, and Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine, which calls itself the largest electric railway museum.

How do I find a train museum near me?

Type your town, a state or a museum name into the finder at the top of this page, or tap Near me to use your location. The finder sorts all 650 museums and rail sites by distance and links straight to each one. You can also pick your state on the map or browse the region lists below for every museum in that state.

Which train museums are best for toddlers?

Look for places with short rides, push-button layouts and open outdoor space. Travel Town in Los Angeles is free with a miniature train, the La Grange Railroad Museum in Kentucky hosts a free Tuesday morning playgroup, and the Twin City Model Railroad Museum in St. Paul has plenty of push buttons. The B&O museum in Baltimore adds Toddler Time and kid-sized rides.

Are there free train museums?

Yes, about 100 places on this map are free to enter. Travel Town in Los Angeles, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, the San Francisco Cable Car Museum, the Pueblo Railway Museum and the North Dakota State Railroad Museum in Mandan all charge no admission. Rides at free museums are often a separate ticket, so check before you go.

Which train museums let you ride a train?

Nearly half of the museums on this map offer some kind of ride. Heritage railroads like the Strasburg Rail Road and the Durango & Silverton are built around the ride, while trolley museums such as Seashore and the Connecticut Trolley Museum usually include a trip with admission. At the Illinois Railway Museum, general admission covers unlimited rides on open days. Use the rides filter in the explorer to narrow the list.

Where are the train museums in each region of the country?

The state guides on this page are grouped into five regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the Southeast, the Mountain West and Southwest, and the West. Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland lead the Northeast, Illinois and Ohio anchor the Midwest, and California has more museums than any other state. Open any region card to see every museum in that state.

How long should we plan to spend at a train museum?

A small depot museum takes about an hour, and most mid-size museums take two to three hours with a ride. Big campuses need more: the Illinois Railway Museum suggests most of a day, and Steamtown recommends half a day plus extra time for a train ride. Long excursions are their own day, since the Durango & Silverton round trip runs about 9.25 hours.

What should we bring to a train museum?

Bring layers, sun protection and comfortable shoes, since many collections are outdoors or in unheated barns. Pack snacks and water, and a picnic if the museum has tables. If you plan to ride, bring printed or mobile tickets, and expect to leave a stroller on the platform at some museums. A small toy train or a book can help little ones wait for the next departure.

When is the best time of year to visit a train museum?

Late spring through early fall is the main season for outdoor museums and trolley lines; many open only between April and October. Fall adds foliage trains and pumpkin trains, and December brings holiday rides. Indoor museums, model railroads and big city museums stay open most of the year, which makes them good winter choices. Always check the current calendar before you drive.

Which train museums run Christmas trains?

Many museums run holiday trains from late November through December, and a lot of them run THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride, including the Durango & Silverton, the N.C. Transportation Museum, the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum and the B&O museum in Baltimore. Others run their own events, such as the Santa Train at Steamtown or Santa's Magical Trolley Ride at Seashore. Tickets often sell out early, so book ahead.

Are train museums wheelchair accessible?

Many indoor galleries are, but historic rail cars often are not. The Union Pacific Railroad Museum has a ramp, an elevator to all three levels and loaner wheelchairs, and the Nevada Northern says its excursion trains are wheelchair accessible. Vintage coaches at places like the California State Railroad Museum require climbing narrow stairs. Call ahead with specific needs, since access varies car by car.

Can you go inside the locomotives at train museums?

Often, yes. Steamtown lets visitors climb into some open cabs and walk through a mail car and two cabooses, the N.C. Transportation Museum has a locomotive cab to climb into, and kids can sit in the cab of Challenger 3977 at Cody Park in North Platte for free. Some engines are roped off for safety or restoration, so ask staff which cars are open that day.

Can you drive a real locomotive at a train museum?

A few museums offer this as a booked experience. The Nevada Northern Railway Museum in Ely runs Be the Engineer, the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola has its Run-A-Locomotive program, and the Oklahoma Railway Museum offers At the Throttle in a diesel. These programs need advance booking and have their own age and fee rules, so check each museum's site.

Which train museums have the biggest model railroads?

The San Diego Model Railroad Museum covers about 27,000 square feet in Balboa Park. The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago runs The Great Train Story, and Cincinnati Museum Center says its Cincinnati in Motion holds the nation's largest S-scale model. The Twin City Model Railroad Museum and the National Toy Train Museum in Strasburg are also good stops for layout fans.

Where can we see a Union Pacific Big Boy?

Several Big Boys are on public display. Steamtown in Scranton has No. 4012, the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis County has No. 4006, the Forney Museum of Transportation in Denver and the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco each have one, and No. 4004 stands in a Cheyenne city park. Union Pacific keeps No. 4014 at its Cheyenne steam shop.

Which train museums run Thomas the Tank Engine events?

Day Out With Thomas has been on the calendar at the Illinois Railway Museum and the Strasburg Rail Road, and the San Diego Model Railroad Museum holds a Thomas Family Day. These events usually need a separate ticket and sell out, so check each museum's events page in spring for dates.

Can we stay overnight on or near a train?

Yes, at a few places. The Galveston Railroad Museum lets guests sleep aboard a train, the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad says it runs the only bed and breakfast on a moving train, and Cass Scenic Railroad State Park rents former company houses, a caboose and campsites. Book early, since these stays have limited space.

Are dogs allowed at train museums?

It depends on the museum. Seashore Trolley Museum welcomes dogs, even on the trolleys, and the Zanesville & Western Scenic Railroad lets well-behaved leashed dogs ride with their families. Many others, including the Illinois Railway Museum, allow only service animals. Check each museum's rules before you bring a pet.

How can we support a train museum?

Most museums on this map are nonprofits run largely by volunteers. Buying a membership, shopping in the gift shop, donating or signing up to volunteer all help keep equipment running. Many museums welcome volunteers of all skill levels, from track work and restoration to greeting visitors and helping at events. Members also often get free admission or ride discounts.

What is the oldest train museum or station I can visit?

The B&O Ellicott City Station Museum in Maryland, built in 1831, is described as the oldest railroad station in America, and admission is free. Seashore Trolley Museum dates to 1939 and the Connecticut Trolley Museum was incorporated in 1940, making them early electric railway museums. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania opened in 1975 as the first building on the continent built as a railroad museum.

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

Pack a book that matches the day

Rally Takes the Train: a five-minute, hand-painted picture book about a corgi’s first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents. $13.99 on Amazon.

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