🚂 All aboard
SoCal train rides for kids
Curated by Simir Shah
20 spots across Southern California — add your zip or city to sort by what's closest to you
Zoomars at River Street Ranch
San Juan Capistrano
A pint-sized kids' train at a petting-zoo ranch in the historic Los Rios district; combine with pony rides and gem mining.
🗓️ Daily
💵 Admission · $ train add-on
Irvine Park Railroad
Orange
A beloved 1/3-scale miniature train that winds 12 minutes through historic Irvine Regional Park; pair it with paddle boats and the OC Zoo.
🗓️ Daily (weather permitting)
💵 Free park entry · $ train ticket
Santa Ana Zoo Train
Santa Ana
A small ride-on park train at the Santa Ana Zoo, alongside a carousel and Ferris wheel; an easy add-on to a half-day zoo visit with young kids.
🗓️ Fri–Sun (weather permitting)
💵 Zoo admission · $ per ride
OC Model Engineers (Goathill Junction)
Costa Mesa
Volunteer-run ride-on miniature trains looping through Fairview Park over bridges; free public rides — riders must be 31" tall and able to walk.
🗓️ Third full weekend monthly
Disneyland Railroad
Anaheim
An authentic steam train that loops the whole park in ~18 minutes, passing the Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas; a relaxing classic for all ages.
🗓️ Daily
💵 Included with Disneyland admission
Castle Park Railroad
Riverside
A scenic ride-on train through this family amusement park; a real steam locomotive runs the 2nd and 4th Sundays, and kids ride free with a paying adult on weekends.
🗓️ Park hours; steam 2nd & 4th Sundays
💵 Park admission · ride included
Southern California Railway Museum
Perris
California's largest rail museum: ride real operating trolleys and trains on a mile-plus of track, with occasional steam-up weekends and a huge Pacific Electric collection.
🗓️ Weekends & most holidays 11am–5pm
💵 Free entry/parking · $ ride
Adventure City Express Train
Anaheim
A vintage 1938 ride-on miniature train (no height minimum) circling this small, toddler-friendly theme park; a great first train ride for little ones.
🗓️ Open days vary (check schedule)
💵 Included with park admission
Ghost Town & Calico Railroad (Knott's)
Buena Park
A real 1880s narrow-gauge steam train pulled by genuine Denver & Rio Grande locomotives through Knott's Ghost Town; a piece of working railroad history.
🗓️ Daily
💵 Included with Knott's admission
El Dorado Frontier (El Dorado Park Train)
Long Beach
A western-themed mini park whose mile-plus miniature train runs on a 1946 locomotive through a tunnel and past a lake; includes a carousel and gold panning.
🗓️ Weekends (seasonal)
💵 $ admission (train & carousel)
Heritage Park Railroad Exhibit
Santa Fe Springs
A restored full-size steam locomotive, boxcar and caboose you can walk through (a display, not a ride) at a free Victorian-era heritage park; nice for train-loving toddlers.
🗓️ Daily 12–4pm (static exhibit)
San Bernardino History & Railroad Museum
San Bernardino
A free museum in the grand 1918 Santa Fe Depot (still an active Amtrak/Metrolink stop), full of railroad artifacts and photos; a quick history stop, not a ride.
🗓️ Saturdays 10am–3pm (static)
Griffith Park & Southern Railroad
Los Angeles
A classic miniature railroad running since 1948, traveling a full mile past a wooden bridge and an Old Western town; a Griffith Park institution.
🗓️ Daily (weather permitting)
💵 $ per ride
Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum
Los Angeles
Volunteer-built 7.5" gauge trains carry the public on Sundays past a miniature Old West town and mine; riders must be at least 34" tall.
🗓️ Sundays 11am–3pm
💵 Suggested ~$4 donation per ride
Travel Town Museum
Los Angeles
A free outdoor railroad museum of real full-size steam locomotives kids can climb near, plus a scale train that circles the grounds; a Griffith Park favorite.
🗓️ Daily (museum); train most days
💵 Free museum · $ train ride
Poway-Midland Railroad
Poway
A volunteer heritage railroad in Old Poway Park running a real 1907-style steam locomotive, an LA cable car, and a speeder on rotating weekends.
🗓️ Select weekends (steam & trolley rotate)
💵 $ per ride
Balboa Park Miniature Railroad
San Diego
A rare vintage 1948 1/5-scale train giving a short loop ride beside the zoo, right next to the historic Balboa Park Carousel.
🗓️ Weekends & holidays; daily in summer
💵 $ per ride
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego
One of the world's largest indoor model railroads, with six huge operating layouts plus a hands-on Toy Train Gallery for kids; a Balboa Park rainy-day pick.
🗓️ Wed–Sun (no ride-on)
💵 $ admission · kids under 12 free
Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
Campo
Climb aboard real full-size vintage trains for a ~1-hour, 12-mile round trip through San Diego's backcountry to the border tunnel — a true heritage-railroad outing.
🗓️ Weekends (rides typically twice daily)
💵 $ ride (includes museum)
South Coast Railroad Museum (Goleta Depot)
Goleta
A historic 1901 depot museum beside Lake Los Carneros; the Goleta Short Line 7.5" miniature train gives rides the third Saturday of each month.
🗓️ Sat–Sun 12–4pm; mini-train 3rd Sat monthly
💵 Free museum · $ miniature train
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Heads up: several of these run limited days — steam trains and volunteer-run railroads often operate only on select weekends. A few entries (noted in their descriptions) are walk-through railroad museums rather than rides. Confirm hours first.
Frequently asked questions
Where can kids ride a train in Orange County?
The beloved Irvine Park Railroad in Orange and the Express Train at Adventure City in Anaheim are OC classics, plus the Disneyland Railroad and Knott's Calico Railroad inside the parks.
Are there real steam train rides in Southern California?
Yes — Poway-Midland Railroad (San Diego), the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, and the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo all run full-size heritage trains on select days.
Do the train rides run every day?
Some park trains run daily (weather permitting), but many volunteer-run and heritage railroads operate only on certain weekends — always check the schedule before you drive out.
Are the railroad museums free?
A few are free to enter with a paid train ride (like Travel Town in LA and the Perris museum); others charge admission. Each listing notes the general cost.