Inside the Casa de Balboa in Balboa Park, tiny trains carry big imaginations: the San Diego Model Railroad Museum is one of the largest model railroad museums in North America, and a family favorite where kids can watch whole miniature worlds come alive.
More than 27,000 square feet of exhibits feature operating layouts in several scales, from sweeping mountain passes and desert canyons to a detailed miniature of San Diego’s own Union Station. Young engineers can hunt for hidden details in every scene — tiny hikers, parades, farms and freight yards — while parents rediscover the hobby they loved as kids.
The museum’s Toy Train Gallery adds hands-on fun for the youngest visitors, with trains they can run themselves, and special family programs and camps keep the calendar busy all year.
Best of all, this nonprofit museum runs on volunteer magic: the modelers who build and operate the layouts love answering questions. Bring the family, press your nose to the glass, and enjoy the happiest little railway in San Diego.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
