Galveston Railroad Museum

The Galveston Railroad Museum sits pretty on a 5-acre historic rail yard in downtown Galveston, where its centerpiece is a fully restored 1932 Santa Fe train depot. You not only get to admire the trains on display, but you're even able to climb aboard the vintage steam engines, passenger cars, sleeper cars, dining cars, and more. The collection also includes life-size "Ghosts of Travelers Past" sculptures, historic railroad china that real meals were served on, and model train displays. On weekends, the museum offers caboose rides, but the real treat is for overnight guests, as the RailHotel lets you sleep in a restored luxury rail car! 

At the RailHotel, you'll be given the option of two luxury passenger rail cars that each sleep up to 10 guests. A night at the museum includes 24-hour concierge service, light breakfast, security, complimentary museum admission, and parking. For a virtual tour and reservations, go to the museum website at www.GalvestonRRmuseum.org.

When the rhythm of the rails isn't rocking you to sleep, they're buzzing with a number of annual events and festivities. In April, the museum hosts RailFest, a model train rally that showcases the startling creativity of train lovers. Come summer, you can partake in the highly-anticipated Harvey House Dinner, which includes an old-fashioned dinner and train ride to celebrate southern African American culture. Of course, we can't forget about The Polar Express Train Ride, the perfect way to awaken the holiday spirit in the lead-up to Christmas. If you have an event of your own, the Galveston Railroad Museum can be rented for special occasions! 

While the museum can be toured at your own pace, docent-led tours are available upon request for groups and student field trips. To maximize the educational experience, the museum even provides school curriculum, lesson plans, and sensory activities for autistic individuals.

Nothing captures the American spirit quite like trains. They represent a time of progress and optimism, as well as that uniquely American desire to travel, to pick a direction and go, to jump into the wild unknown and make a name of yourself there. We think of vagabond poets like Woody Guthrie, the clever murder mysteries of Agatha Christie, and the wild excitement of Jesse James. Trains are deeply embedded in our shared history, and The Galveston Railroad Museum lets you live in that history just a little while longer.