Baltimore has been our home since 2006, and we love discovering museums and fun activities to enjoy as a family during our weekends and staycations. It seems like many people don’t even visit the tourist hot spots in their hometowns unless they have someone visiting and want to show them around. We suggest that you do some research on your own hometown and surrounding areas to discover the best places to visit. Then treat yourself to a staycation, even if only for a day or a weekend. 
Smithsonian offers Museum Day Live once or twice per year, and on this day you can get free tickets to one of their affiliated museums around the country for yourself and one guest. This past winter, we decided to check out the B&O Railroad Museum on Museum Day Live. You must create an account with Smithsonian and then select your museum in advance from a list of participating venues across the country. Then you get your free ticket right on your smart phone, or you can print it if you prefer. Another cheap option is Thrifty Tuesday the first Tuesday of every month with half price admission. Regular admission is currently $18/adult and $12/child age 2-12. If you live in the area and are considering a membership, it costs $100 for 2 adults and up to 4 kids, or $125 for a family and friends membership for 4 adults and up to 4 children.
The B&O Railroad Museum was the perfect choice for our family since our kids love trains and we love history and learning, so it was a big hit for everyone. As soon as you pull into the parking lot you are surrounded by trains, which had the kids interested right away.
Make sure not to miss the signs outside with important historical information about the birthplace of American railroading, which happened right here in Baltimore in 1830 when “from the Roundhouse, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad introduced the first regular freight and passenger service in the United States.” See the signs below to read more about “The Road That Built The Nation.”
The museum, located in Baltimore’s historic southwest neighborhood and a National Historic Landmark itself, is at the original site of the historic Mt. Clare Shops. Railroad work has been conducted here for over 130 years and continues today. Its 40-acre campus boasts the oldest and most comprehensive American railroad collection in the world, with nearly 200 pieces of locomotives and rolling stock, thousands of artifacts, art, furniture, time-pieces, and personal memorabilia. The museum is now known as “America’s railroad museum” due to its historic site, impressive collections, magnificent buildings, excellent public programming and educational opportunities. It is a must-see in Baltimore, yet seems to be lesser known since we didn’t even have to wait in line on Museum Day Live (as opposed to a 1 hour wait outside in the cold at Port Discovery Children’s Museum on a past Museum Day Live) We’ve lived here for 10 years and this was our first visit, so this is a great little hidden gem compared to some of the other children’s museums in the Baltimore Inner Harbor area.
Once inside, we first enjoyed a short speech by an animated statue of Charles Carroll, who served as the guest of honor for the groundbreaking ceremony of the B&O Railroad on July 4, 1828. He understood how critical the B&O railroad was for the future of America and said “I consider this among the most important acts of my life, second only to my signing of the Declaration of Independence, if even it be second to that.”
The kids ran straight to a model train and were so excited that you’d think it was Christmas morning. We read more of the historical information while the kids were mesmerized by the model train. We learned that Baltimore was the country’s third largest city in the 1830’s and was competing with New York, Boston, and Philadelphia for trade and commerce. The sign below reads “The creation of the B&O in 1827 was truly Baltimore’s most important 19th century business decision, providing economic growth for the port and city for years to come.”
The Exhibition Gallery had an impressive collection of scale models both large and small and the kids were running around in sheer joy and excitement giggling and pointing to all the different trains, with our 2 year old happily shouting “train” every few seconds.
There were exhibits about the role of the railroad in the Civil War, as well as the importance of good time-pieces to make sure that railroads kept on schedule across the nation. There was an exhibit that discussed Lincoln’s funeral train, and in the Roundhouse they had a figure of Lincoln on a caboose giving one of his speeches from the B&O railroad during his presidency.
Next we entered the impressive Roundhouse, which was originally constructed as a passenger car shop. It was the largest circular industrial building in the world when it was completed, covering more than an acre and rising 125 feet. It is still awe-inspiring today.
The Roundhouse is where we spent the majority of our time at the museum and houses several beautiful locomotives and exhibits with interesting information about the history of transportation and railroading in the U.S. going all the way back to the Conestoga wagon.
President Lincoln giving a speech from the B&O railroad
You are able to enter some of the trains and see what they looked like inside in the old days, as well as play in the engine room, which was a huge hit with our kids.
For families, the Roundhouse also offers many exhibits just for kids, like the Choo Choo Blueville with toy trains, Legos, dress up clothing, coloring, scavenger hunts and more all enclosed in an area with a gate. On weekends they provide Story and Activity times and visits from Choo Choo Blue, their locomotive mascot for kids. They also have a scavenger hunt throughout the museum with stations that you stamp and then can get a free prize at the museum shop if you collect them all. We did not make it to them all before the kids needed naps, so maybe next time. There are also many special events throughout the year, including Day Out with Thomas the Train, Easter Bunny Train Rides, a visit from Disney Junior’s Choo Choo Soul, and Polar Express Train Ride.
Stamping their cards in Choo Choo Blueville
“I’ve been working on the railroad, all the live long day”
There is also a carousel and for only $5 per child you can get unlimited rides, which was well worth every penny. I lost count of how many rides we took before we had to drag the kids off kicking and screaming to move on to the next thing. 
During warmer weather they also have outdoor Choo Choo Blueville kiddie train rides and Mile One Express- a real train ride for adults and kids along the first commercial mile of railroad track. They also have Happy Train, aka Jolly Trolley, an outdoor kiddie ride shown below. During the winter months those are closed, so we missed out on that this time. We will have to come back for those because their All Aboard All Day weekend pass (available April – December) is only $10 per person and offers unlimited rides on the Carousel, Happy Train, Mile One Express, and Choo Choo Blueville. We had plenty to keep us busy during our day there though with our 2 and 4 year olds. The kids enjoyed playing on the small playground that allowed them to burn some of their seemingly endless energy.
Outside they also have a large train garden with electric trains and you can push the button to make the trains move, which the kids loved.
During warmer weather, there is also a cafe that serves beverages, snacks, and meals with outdoor picnic tables. By the end of the visit, the kids had a blast exploring the trains, climbing aboard for a closer look, and playing in all the kid-friendly areas of the museum. We as parents had a great time seeing the excitement in our children’s eyes as they enjoyed an educational and fun outing as a family.
All aboard! This train is leaving the station so climb on!
On your way out, dare to enter the museum shop with your little ones, where they will find tons of fun souvenirs. There are train toys and gifts for kids and even adults who are in touch with their inner child or just love trains. Good luck getting out of there without a tantrum, as our nearly 2 year old son did when we didn’t buy him his desired selection of toy trains identical to his collection at home. In conclusion, we all had a wonderful time and only spent $10 for the unlimited carousel rides after the free admission for Museum Day Live, which was quite a bargain. Where is your favorite train museum? For those who have visited B&O Railroad Museum, what was your favorite thing to see or do there? If you liked this post and want to get regular travel tips and inspiration from us, please sign up for our email newsletter and RSS feed.
