EVERYONE in my family enjoyed this place. (And my children are in their 20's and older) Loved the ability to walk through some older train cars and see what they were like. Just a great place to visit and enjoy.

This is absolutely one of the best museums either of us have ever visited. My mechanically inclined husband already likes trains, so we knew HE would like it, but speaking as a person who does not normally get excited about mechanical objects (they don't have feelings, so who cares?), I can truthfully say I was blown away by how this museum charmed me and taught me all about the profound effect that railroads have had on America and on the everyday lives of Americans (hey--people having feelings and experiences! Now I care!). This is due to the extremely high quality of the interpretation. Our tour guide was warm, articulate and knowledgeable, and the signage on all exhibits was unusually well-written and thoughtful; both the live and written narration helped me connect the trains with every aspect of American life and appreciate their costs as well as their many benefits to our society. The highlight for me was walking through the sleeper car (loved the sound and motion effects) and the dining car. It made me think of my mother's journey across country to college in the 1940s, the very same era to which they have decorated these cars. The dining car has real place settings from all the most famous trains (made me want to have lunch!) and is staffed by a friendly, intelligent costumed "maitre d" type individual who wielded a funny little four note xylophone in one hand. She explained that this was the dinner bell that signaled dinner time--and played it for us. Such a gentle, lovely sound I have hardly ever heard. Great photos of Yosemite upstairs, along with a dazzling display of toy trains. I was delighted by the entire experience, as was my gearhead husband, who was thrilled on other levels. If you are anywhere near Sacramento, GO to this fantastic museum! Everyone in the family will love it. Bring the grandparents if at all possible--they will remember the good old days and be inspired to tell tales of their own train travel experiences. I saw this happen at least twice in the two hours I was there. Could easily have stayed a third hour. Lots of restaurants nearby, plus other fun things to do right in the same immediate neighborhood of Old Sacramento. GO!

This was one of the highlights of our recent vacation! The trains on display are real! They even have many of the older cars set up for you to tour through. The cars are set up to be as authentic as they were when they were in use! They even have one car the simulates the motion of being on a moving train!

It's definitely worth the price of admission. We could have spent the whole day there, but we only had a few hours. I'm actually anxious to go back again and spend more time going through the displays!

We felt hurried trying to squeeze our visit into an hour and a half with lots of picture-taking. This place has some beautiful displays, and folks everywhere in the museum had their cameras flashing like we did. From the breathtaking first display to the walk-through sleeper car with simulated movement, lights and sounds, everything in this museum was well-presented and appeared to have significant historical value. I only wish I'd had more time to read the exhibit notes.

We'd been told that we'd like this place even if we weren't crazy about trains. We agreed.