Skip to main content

California State Railroad Museum

Sacramento is also home to many historical museums and cultural centers. Get additional insight into the past while exploring places such as the California State Railroad Museum, Tau Auto Museum, and Crocker Art Museum. Due to the city’s proximity to the city, these attractions are popular with tourists and families from all walks of life! In this post we shall focus on California State Railroad Museum

Are you ready to return to memory lane with a 19th-century train? This is what the California State Railroad Museum offers thousands of visitors from all over the world. Located in Old Sacramento, the museum is dedicated to the history of the California state train and how the iron horse helped connect the state with the rest of the country.

The California State Railroad Museum complex opened its doors to the public in 1976. Today it is one of the largest and most popular tourist destinations in Sacramento. The complex consists of six buildings, some of which are original and others are renovations worth millions of dollars. The first part of the complex that you should visit is the main exhibition building, which covers an area of approximately 100,000 square meters. Here your imagination and admiration will be amazed by 21 beautifully restored carriages and locomotives, built-in 1862. These train relics in many ways reflect California’s distinguished transportation history and its impact on the economy, regional culture, and people’s lives.

Once you step in California State Railroad Museum, you will never get bored as the resort offers many dynamic activities for all age groups. Some of the posters that you can find in the main exhibit space include large pieces of railroad equipment, a dining car, and a sleeping car designed by Pullman. If you want to learn more about how trains are built, you can also watch the beautiful full-scale diorama of the train construction site located in the Sierra Nevada area.

In addition to the regular exhibitions, California State Railroad Museum also hosts train fairs and special events around Christmas and Thanksgiving. Film screenings and guided tours are always available daily. All you have to do is ask the information desk how to book them. The California Railroad Museum also has a shop, library, and two modern theaters that can also be rented for audiovisual presentations.

Aside from exploring the world of California trains, why not give it a try! The California Railroad Museum offers this opportunity by organizing sightseeing trains to the delight of its guests. The ride allows you to catch a real train that runs on the Sacramento Southern Railroad and passes through key areas of Old Sacramento, including the Sacramento River. The round trip takes 6 miles and takes 45 minutes.

As you travel, you will feel like a 19th-century passenger, enjoying the scenery while in an authentic vintage passenger bus. Sightseeing trains operate on Saturdays and Sundays from April to September. It is located away from a beautifully rebuilt cargo warehouse in the Central Pacific.

Conveniently located on the corner of Secondary and I Streets in Old Sacramento, the museum welcomes guests daily from 10:00 to 17:00. It is only closed during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. The entrance fee is $ 10 for adults and $ 5 for young people between 6 and 17 years old. Younger people can go to the museum for free.


Back to local attractions