California State Railroad Museum

The California State Railroad Museum is one of the only complete railroad museums in the world. Many different kinds of train engines are featured, from coal running train engines to modern day train engines. Passenger, mail and dining cars are also featured and preschoolers can actually walk through these old cars—they even move like a train would. Your preschooler can even see what the inside of a train engine looked like and all the levers and dials the engineer had to be in charge of. 

Advantages of the Railroad Museum for Preschoolers 

The California State Railroad Museum is a small museum and probably won’t wear out your preschooler.

What preschooler doesn’t love train? They can see trains with wheels bigger than they are, and smaller coal trains. If your child is fan of Thomas the Train, or the Polar Express movie, they’ll easily relate to the train engines and what they see.

The entire second floor, was created for children. It is devoted to train toys, electric trains and Tomas the Train Engine.

The volunteer docents are amazing. These men and women love children, love explaining to preschoolers about the different trains and are a fountain of knowledge.

Disadvantages of the Railroad Museum for Preschoolers 

Your preschooler won’t get too much out of the historical exhibits, or the specifics about the different type of train engines. 

Strollers will probably not fit inside the passenger cars. 

Things not to Miss at the California State Railroad Museum  

Make sure you don’t miss the second floor. On this floor are a few Thomas the train tables, perfect for preschoolers to play with. Further on, there are toy train exhibits. There’s also a gigantic electrical train exhibit with multiple train tracks. Your preschooler can push buttons to make the trains go or highlight various scale tunnels, bridges or buildings.

Most preschoolers will enjoy walking through the passenger and mail cars and seeing how people used to travel. These trains are also designed to feel like a moving train, complete with very accurate noises. 

Recommendation of the California State Railroad Museum for Preschoolers

The Railroad museum is perfect for preschoolers. On the first floor, expect them to move quickly through the different types of trains, stopping to stare at the giant ones. Most will enjoy seeing and walking through the passenger and mail cars. 

Expect to spend most of your time on the second floor, playing with the Thomas trains and the electrical trains. Benches have been set up for parents. 

General Information

Hours
Open daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day) from 10am – 5pm

Admission Fees
Adults $8
Youths ages 6-17 $3
Children ages 5 and under are free
Membership is available, giving you free admission to the museum and free train rides from the Central Pacific Railroad Freight Depot in Old Sacramento. The costs range from $25 to $2,500. 

Parking
All-day parking is available in the public garage at the I Street entrance to Old Sacramento. You can also park at the K St. Mall parking garage and walk into Old Sacramento—it’s a fairly short walk. There are also metered parking spots available in front of some of the shops, though it’s limited and usually taken. Parking is not free in Old Sacramento. Expect to spend between $5 and $15 for parking, unless you validate in one of the stores.