Have you visited the Railroad Museum of PA in Strasburg? If your kids or family loves trains, I highly recommend this field trip idea for families with kids of all ages. The museum if packed full of trains and exhibits for everyone from toddlers, to casually interested historians, to all-out train enthusiasts!
Some of the unique things you’ll get to see and participate in, include:
- standing underneath a train
- walking inside a caboose
- going through a real train engine and talking to a conductor
- pushing lots of buttons to hear short stories 😉
- playing with toy trains
- shoveling fake coal
- watching model train sets
- learning about American train car history
I’ve included several photos below to show you a glimpse of what our family enjoyed.
And stay tuned, because at the end of this post I tell you 3 Secrets To Getting FREE Admission to the Railroad Museum of PA!!!
I love the unique little things you’ll find throughout the museum.
One of our favorite cars to tour was the red caboose—probably because of our love of reading the Boxcar Children mystery series. I read these as a kid and am loving reading them now to my children. It was neat to see inside an actual caboose and imagine what it would be like to sleep in the top bunks.
If your kids do need to get outside during your visit, keep in mind that the train yard is open until 4:30pm. It’s a great opportunity to get some fresh air and have a slight change of pace, like walking on the rails.
And all children will love the toy train room, that is somewhat hidden in the corner of the museum. We didn’t find it until we were on our way out of the museum, and it was a lifesaver to keep the little ones occupied for just a little longer!
Saving On Your Railroad Museum Visit
Did you know there are several ways to obtain FREE admission to the Railroad Museum of Lancaster? Here they are:
- Charter Day: Every spring Pennsylvania celebrates its birthday and offers free admission to several museums in Lancaster County, including the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania! Here’s more info on that.
- Smithsonian Museum Day Live! is an annual celebration in September every year. Over 40 museums in PA offer free tickets. Click here to see more info. Next event will be happening on September 22, 2018.
- FREE Library Passes. Your local Lancaster County library allows you to sign up for FREE Museum Passes throughout the year. There is often a waiting list for Railroad Museum of PA, but this is a great way to save on your visit!
