The Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum
This little warehouse museum will make you an instant Grandparenting rockstar. And as for age-appropriate concerns, my last visit was with my 59-yr-old brother, and I still came out a rockstar. The Twin City Model Railroad Museum is an “all-volunteer non-profit dedicated to inspiring and educating guests while preserving the history, art, and technological legacy of toy trains and model railroading” - which means the train guys are there, full of stories and info, gleefully demonstrating this and that. Be prepared for lots of. “Grandma, look at THIS!!”
There are over 11,000 square feet of interactive layouts and displays including a 30’ x 50’ world-class O-scale model train layout of the Twin City area. When you get to Z-scale, the sheep on the side of the mountain are like grains of rice! The interactive part is that the whole place is designed for kids to push buttons or pull levers to make things go.
The kids will be as consumed as we were by the 7ft. x 23 ft. LEGO Train Layout near the entrance. The Greater Midwest Lego Train Club built this beauty with three functional LEGO train loops and nearly a half million LEGO pieces in this custom design (a two-year project). Truly jaw-dropping details you’ll have to see for yourself - look inside Red Riding Hood’s Grandma’s cabin to find the wolf in bed under a patchwork quilt, find the guy in the kayak going over the waterfall, the gang swimming in the water tower, and the circus details with a LEGO guy being shot out of a cannon.
A memorable event over the holiday months (usually November thru February) is Night Trains. The magic begins as the lights are turned down and the buildings and street lights glow warmly, setting the scene for specially lighted models of operating vintage passenger trains. The make-believe town of Matlin is buried in a blizzard, and throughout the Museum the layouts are adorned with miniature Christmas lights and decorations. The special lighting is battery-operated and in need of recharging, so times are limited. The museum has added a few Night Train shows for summer fun, and a Halloween version. Follow their Facebook page for current announcements.
There is plenty of parking just outside the door, and a stroller will work for the littlest ones. There are play tables set up with park benches for you all to take a break. It wasn’t crowded on the Friday morning we went. Take lots of pictures, but otherwise try to stay off your phones - this is a memory moment. I saw a kid excitedly trying to get his grandparents’ attention for something he was doing at the play train table and they were busy scrolling. They host birthday parties and there is a junior model railroading club if you happen to start something big!
Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum, 668 Transfer Road, Suite 8, St. Paul, MN 55114. Phone: 651-647-9618