Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

Can't say enough!Excellent adventure Excellent staffGood valueGreat memories Third visit in 5 months - we'll be back!Polar Express was amazing last nightTrain was clean and decorated so nicely

I would probably have given more stars if there was a bit more interaction. We came 12/26 where the museum said they were open. However they had no tours, no state park programs running and it wasn't exactly a welcoming experience. That being said, it had some cool trains and a few people working on the trains. Didn't have any trains to go into, nor did they have much information outside a pamphlet of the "tour". If you go, I would see when they actually have trains running and tours, because "open" really just means take 15-20 minutes to walk through and read on your own. I'll add we travel a LOT during holidays, and this is the first time that the day after the Christmas we weren't able to do a tour / or ranger program. Otherwise some cool train history, but our 11 year old train enthusiast wasn't impressed.I'm also pretty disappointed, they have a junior ranger program. But when we were there the lady pretty much brushed us off and said no one's there to do it. We weren't even given the option to do it on our owns.I would recommend this business actually be closed during these times instead of "open". There was so much lacking. We spend a lot of time at state parks and national parks and this was our least favorite, which should have been a top. If you go, I'd be sure to make sure everything is running and that "open" doesn't mean anything. You have to pay to go in, and then you're pretty much on your own.

Love this museum. It's a "living" railroad museum, complete with roundhouse and many, many locomotives. There are even some "famous" trains that have appeared in many Hollywood productions. When you're there, see if you can get a tour. We were shown around by one of the technicians who repair these hundred-year-old beasts. Despite the fact that he was probably only in his twenties, he felt like a living connection to history--something to be greatly respected.

My friend and I drove two and a half hours each way to ride in a caboose for 45 minutes, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. After riding the rails, we were treated to a tour of the roundhouse by Ed, the most knowledgeable and funny docent I've ever met at any museum. I can hardly wait to go back and do it all again. Thanks to all the volunteers who made Railtown 1897 a fun and educational destination.

When my dad was in town a while back - we decided to take him to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.The staff here were friendly and they were quick to get us set up with a local tour guide. A number of other families joined as well for the tour. We didn't end up doing the train ride (which is an option here), but we we did thoroughly enjoy learning about the fascinating history behind this Railtown and the beautiful old trains that it houses.Our guide was wonderful. She was animated and passionate about sharing her knowledge about the vintage steam trains and diesel locomotives - as well as the railroad turntable. It was fun learning about the various movies that these majestic trains - had appeared in through the years - from Back to the Future III and many other sets throughout the years. We also learned about the fascinating process involved in keeping these these trains and locomotives maintained throughout the years. If you're passionate about trains and/or interested in seeing history up close - I recommend stopping by this historic park. If you plan on visiting during this recent hot weather, be sure to soak up some air- conditioning in their cute souvenir store. Trust.

Took my boys here one weekday afternoon and they had a great time. We had a guided tour from Steve who was very kind, knowledgeable, and patient with my littles. They loved seeing the trains! Many different movies were filmed there or with their specific trains. It was fun to see the scenes from Back to the Future!

This wasn't my first steam railroad experience, but it might be my favorite. Located adjacent to a residential area you'll find this State Park.The park has a really impressive staff, who are clearly very into the history of the railroad, this area and California overall. It was a real pleasure to take the short train ride and hear some stories from the local area during the Gold Rush.

Outdid my expectations, good stop on a road trip up north. Tangible history is so much more fun than something just in a book. The park has well restored trains, the famous number 3 that has been in several movies and even one you can ride. Since we visited in October, the train was decorated for Halloween and the staff was wearing cute skeleton crew shirts. The family friendly train ride, had a sound track of classics like Monster Mash to YMCA. A great time for all with many families with their children in costumes.

I've been to almost every railroad museum in the US, and I've never been as disappointed and disgusted as I was this morning at Railtown 1897. First, the trains don't run during the winter, although that fact does not appear ANYWHERE on their website.So, after driving for several hours to get here, all they had to offer for the price of admission was a "roundhouse tour". The woman told us to go down to the roundhouse and wait. We did, and we were totally ignored by the five people there for 15 minutes. Finally giving up, I went back to the gift shop and confronted the woman at the counter. She said, "Oh, those are the workers, it isn't their job to talk to anyone." Not their job to be civil to paying customers?The woman said she would try to find someone named Walt who could give us a tour, and I should wait. I said id waited long enough, and I left. I will NOT be back.

Great place! Lots of knowledgeable guides, a great gift shop, ample room for the kids to run around, picnic tables, Bathrooms, and the best part is all the history.