The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento

The word "trains" is in the title of the blog, and I can't overstate how much my boys love trains.  Trains seem to be universally appealing to boys under five. For example my oldest had the Thomas Playbook (a book of all of the trains and accessories for Thomas the Tank Engine) at the park on Sunday, and a group of about six boys gathered in a circle to look at the book. The pack broke up before anyone got a good picture.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving we decided to reward our boys with a visit to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. The boys had a wonderful time, and we will definitely be going back before the new year. The California State Railroad Museum is set in the heart of old town Sacramento on the eastern bank of the Sacramento River.

For the Holidays, tables were set-up in the roundhouse with model train displays. For our youngest Caleb this was the highlight of the day. He spent most of his visit watching intently as the little trains circled the track. There was also a lego train display that was really special.

The big trains were beautiful, and the volunteers brought everything to life. Everyone who worked there loves trains as much as our little boys do, and will bend your ear about the mail car, the big engine that was flipped around so it could go through Donner Pass, and more.

There is also a children's play area with a train table and Thomas engines. The boys played there briefly, but the wonderful exhibits were far more interesting.

We were also able to take an hour ride on a classic train. The train was decked for the Holidays, and had caroling, and a surprise visit from Santa. We sat in the front car, to our dismay was the back car on the first half of the ride ... but then something wonderful happened. For the return ride the engine was hitched to our car, and our boys were up front to see it all happen. For the under five set this is like winning the jack pot.

Now, the California State Railroad Museum is no B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. The B&O Museum is larger, and its collection is more comprehensive. But the California State Railroad Museum has a lot to offer, is in a much more appealing location, and is also less expensive to visit.