San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego, CA
~$15 adult / kids free
By Simir Shah
★★★★★4.7(1,292 Google reviews)
What parents say
AI summary of 5 Google reviews — not a first-hand visit. How we write these
Big, detailed layouts with trains constantly running, which reviewers say holds kids and adults alike. Volunteers greet visitors warmly and will explain the workings. One reviewer had a bad time at the desk over a Balboa Park pass being scanned as invalid, so keep your ticket details to hand.
At 27,000 square feet, this is the world's largest operating model railroad museum, built on a model-railroading tradition in Balboa Park dating back to the 1935 exposition. Its scale layouts recreate four historic Southern California rail lines, including a two-level rendering of the famous Tehachapi Loop.
Happening near here
- Spreckels Organ Pavilion Sunday ConcertsSan Diego · <1 mi · Sundays 2pm (one hour)Free
- Trick-or-Treat on India StreetSan Diego · 1 miFree
- Little Italy MercatoSan Diego · 1 mi · Sat 8am–2pmFree
- Summer Movies in the ParkSan Diego · 1 mi · Sat duskFree
1649 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Hours via Google — confirm before a special trip.
Map
What visitors say
- Cyndi Ting★★★★★
We took our son for his 12th birthday. He is neurodiverse and has loved trains since he was little. He told the volunteers that we are celebrating his birthday. They enthusiastically greeted him & thanked us for coming. My son described each of the trains and loved each of the exhibits. We got a household membership so we can keeps coming back
5 months ago
- Nataliya Zhuzha-Swan★★★★★
Wonderful museum, not just with train models but with funny life situations. The review lost stars because of awful customer service. I bought wide Balboa park ticket, which allows to visit the park museums for continuous seven days, with limit of one visit per museum. Manager Charise Cunningham scanned my ticket barcode and said it’s not valid… I said it’s not possible, it’s my second day in the park and I just visited Car museum without any problem. She said I didn’t pay for her museum ( it listed in Balboa park museum’s association), then she said my ticket expired because I bought it two weeks ago… step by step she yelled at me I have to go to visitor center… At the visitor center I found she scanned my ticket twice without noticing it. What a shame, people visit San Diego for vacation to have relaxing time but not getting stress from any service.
4 months ago
Showing 2 of 5 Google reviews · Read them all on Google Maps
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