California State Railroad Museum

It'd been years since hubby & I visited the museum. So long ago that we both don't have any recall of it.

We decided to make this our primary focal point on our overnight stay last week during spring break.

We found metered street parking by the museum. Prepaid two hours. $1.75 an hour.

Made our way over and paid entrance fee. Sorry no senior discount.

Highlights included-
* various retired locomotives
* many volunteers to answer questions
* contributions of the Chinese in building the transcontinental railroad

Located in old Sacramento.

This museum has been an Old Sacramento main attraction for more years than I can remember! When I was a young teenager, this wasn't a place I had much interest in, so I never made the effort to check it out. My mom had a lot of good things to say, but I just took her word for it. Now, I'm sorry I never went with her back in the day...

This time, I finally had the opportunity to actually go into the building! My nephew and his family were in town visiting, and invited me to join them. I'm glad I said yes! Luckily, we arrived early enough just before a long line of people started showing up. I was pretty much awestruck as soon as we entered. There is so much history to absorb. More than I had ever appreciated before! There is display after display of how trains and the railroads originated. There are many old model trains available to study, along with readable posts on the historic figures who brought to life, all that make trains one of the most important parts of how our civilization depended on them.

I felt a deep appreciation for the people who brought about the ingenuity and design on how the whole train system was invented. I also had more awareness of the good and the bad that brought to light, train workers and employees that made sacrifices in keeping the railroads alive and improving. Many times with a heavy loss of life and discrimination. But that was a lifestyle and source of income for many people back then. No matter how impressive trains are, the real history behind it is also important to know!

That all being said, I really enjoyed wandering around the two levels of the museum. Old trains, new trains, and what I call "steam punk" style designs of their inner workings. Plenty of interaction for children. Upstairs, seems to be a favorite place for kids and adults alike! Miniatures, scenery, real working model trains, even a repair office for the serious collector. Downstairs has a souvenir shop. But one of my favorite things to do, was to enter a real train that had a dining car, (complete with sample place settings of expensive and vintage china), food preparation kitchen, cushy seating, separate sleeping quarters, and a bathroom. All the while, you feel like you are on an actual moving train!

Our whole family enjoyed the hours we spent together visiting the entire building. A few downsides were, that since my dad was in an electric wheel chair, he couldn't partake in some of the train experiences. And we also had a difficult time locating where the elevator was. Directory signs concerning said elevator, were few and far between, (or maybe we were just blind)! The children's area upstairs was somewhat cramped and extremely crowded with kids running about, making it hard for my dad to pass through. But other than those issues, I think we all had a fun and memorable time!

To be perfectly honest, I had no idea this place even existed, let alone how popular it is with both locals and out-of-towners alike. So, suffice to say, my expectations were pretty minimal before coming here, regardless of how nice the museum looked in the Yelp photos. However, now that I've been here? I can safely say it all makes perfect sense! Beyond the fact that offers so much to learn about the history of the railroads in California, both good and bad, nearly every aspect of it is just really well done and has something to offer for just about everyone!

Now, even though the museum is definitely tilted to appeal more to children, it's certainly not a "children's museum" either. Almost immediately after walking in, you'll see the first of nearly two dozen restored locomotives and train cars from a range of eras. Honestly, as you stand right next to these giant machines, it's kind of crazy just how massive they are. Of course, it's even better that you get to walk through some of them and seeing what they were like when they were fully functional and in use (the dining car and mail car were my favorites). It's even better that there are workers/docents stationed in almost every one of them to give you even more information and answer any questions you might have.

In the upper areas of the museum, you'll start to see more of the areas that are going to have increasing levels of appeal to kids, though I was pretty impressed by their collection of toy and model trains. It was pretty cool to see the different "worlds" they've created with various trains running in loops! There's also another area that looked to be set aside as a kids play area, but I can't say for certain as we didn't walk through (could be an area where they host activities too). We also didn't see any sorts of guided tours or what have you, but it's possible we just missed them given what time we arrived (got there around 3pm on a Sunday afternoon).

The one thing that is less than ideal about the museum actually has less to do with the museum itself and more with where it's located. Sitting on the edge of the Old Sacramento Waterfront, you'll have to pay for parking regardless of whether it's at a parking meter or the garage across the street. The latter is probably your better bet, given that the meters are capped on time, but it's not entirely terrible. Sure, it's not ideal that they charge a flat day rate on Sundays rather than based on time, but it's reasonable if you are planning on walking around and exploring the waterfront anyways.

All in all, while I don't think I would've made a point of driving up here purely to check out the museum on my own, it's worth making it part of a day trip to Sacramento if you have kids (or just love trains). The cost of admission isn't crazy ($12 for adults, $6 for most kids) and it's not a bad way to spend an afternoon, whether for your kids to run around or even on a date. I'm not sure if/when I'll ever be back again, but I'll definitely keep it in mind for the future!

FOUR AND A HALF STARS rounded up.

This was super cool to visit. I wish I would have come before, my favorite section was the toy/model trains. They also have an area for little kids that our 3/6 year old loved.

Such a cool place to spend some time and learn about history. We came here literally last minute just to see because I love trains and it did not disappoint! The strategically placed employees are full of knowledge about their assigned areas and really help bring the trains to life. This place is HUGE huge and beautiful!

Took the grandkids here and had a great time. I think they've expanded since I last came several years ago. I highly recommend this museum. Been going for years and always enjoy it. Upstairs there is a play area for little kids which is always a huge hit.

We all loved the train ...it's about 50 min ...everyone enjoyed the car conductor's and we loved their knowledge and answered all our questions.
Depending on which side you sit you will have a view of delta on one side and on the other quite a bit of highway 5 ...but it is fun regardless cause of the great company and we sat in coach last car and. Very comfortable.

This was such a fun visit. So much history and the trains are beautiful. It's worth the drive to spend a day going through each exhibit from locomotives to toy trains to model trains. Each display carefully displayed with explanations since it is a self guided tour.
And there's more! The Hardeware store outside is part of the museum and it's no extra charge and actually free if you don't want to see the trains. The Docents are eager to share their knowledge and devote as much time to you as you need. The Hardware store isn't overly large, but it's packed with so much. You'll be amazed.

This is a fun place to enjoy trains and hundreds year old history. The place is reasonably priced and has lots of exhibits and trains to view and walk through. The 2nd level has toy trains for the little ones which my sons enjoyed when they were younger. It's a great place to take out of town guests because where else would you find a railroad museum?

This place is AMAZING! Very affordable prices $12 for adults and children five and under are free. We took our toddlers here during winter break and it did not disappoint! My 3 year old is obsessed with trains and all he could talk about days later was the, "Twain station." There are lots of interesting exhibits for adults too. Very informational for anyone interested in trains and their history. You can tour actual train cars. The third floor has a toy train museum and a play area for littles. A definite must if you are in Old Sacramento!