City: Baltimore, MD

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (410) 752-2490

Address: 901 West Pratt St.

Description: The B&O Railroad Museum, which houses the largest railroad collection in the Western Hemisphere, reopened in 2006 following repairs needed after a 2003 snowstorm caused the roof to collapse. The museum looks better than ever. Train buffs will thrill to see some of the best historic trains in the world, and to ride the rails laid for the first trains. Children will love climbing aboard the trains and seeing the model trains. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, model railroad hobbyists bring some pretty extensive layouts to the museum. Seeing the model trains lets you relive the year you received your first train set. Programs go beyond trains waiting to be seen or experienced. One of the most popular events is the turntable demonstration that shows how the museum moves locomotives and cars in and out of the 1884 Roundhouse. The B&O Railroad Museum’s summer reading Program “I’ve Been Readin’ on the Railroad” at the B & O Railroad Museum and the Ellicott City Station gives your readers a chance to win a free book and an engineer’s outfit. Catch a restoration facility tour ($10 with admission) for a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s restoration facility. Perhaps because “everyone” had a train set during early childhood years, one of the biggest events at the museum is the Festival of Trees that runs from late November through early January and has Baltimore’s largest holiday celebration of toy trains and model railroading layouts. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last admission is 30 minutes prior to closing time. It is closed for most major holidays. Admission is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors (60 plus), and $8 for children (2 through 12). A combination ticket that costs an additional $2 is available for the B&O Railroad Museum and the Ellicott City station about a half hour away by car. Visit the B&O Railroad museum on the first Tuesday of the month and pay only half-price admission.