Activities for Kids

Make Tracks for the Best Train Museums in the Country

We tracked down the best train museums from coast to coast. At the end of the day, the kids will beg the conductor (you) for another tour or two.

By Allison Sutcliffe May 19, 2017

You’re never too old to ride the rails. To help you discover (and explore) a few awesome engines, we tracked down the best train museums from coast to coast. Whether you’re a big buff or a little buff, these historic sites, antique collections, and interactive exhibits will keep you clickety-clacking down the track. Flip through the album to see them all.

Steamtown – Scranton, Pa

This heritage museum is also a National Historic Site. It's built around a working turntable and roundhouse, and the complex is made up of several museums: history, which follows the timeline of the railroad and the people who worked it, and the technology, which exhibits the gadgets, gizmos, and working parts that make a railroad work. Kids will get a thrill when they see the sectioned steam locomotive, and everyone can take a ride with a park ranger on a real working engine!

Online: nps.gov

photo: Chung Chu via Flickr

Did we miss your favorite museum? Tell us about it in a Comment.

— Allison Sutcliffe