11 Fun DC Train Rides & Activities

This holiday train show at America's #1 plant conservatory lets families visit New York City's Grand Central Terminal, St. Louis' Union Station, and many more train landmarks without straying far from home. Kids will learn a bit about railroad history as they tour this plant-filled display that includes over 30 vignettes, real and fictional. Be prepared for long waits and plan to hold on to your belongings, as there is no coat check or stroller parking. A plant and building guide with lots of trivia can be downloaded online to ease the wait and enhance your visit.

Opened in 1908 is one of the earliest and greatest railroad stations in the United States. Today the historically and architecturally significant building serves as a transit hub for Washington, D.C. and indoor shopping center. The restored building is a marvel any day of the year, however kids particularly love visiting during the holidays when a large model train exhibit can be found in the main hall.

Families love making time to visit this free zoo housing 2,700 animals in a beautiful settings. Kids 2-11 can enhance their visit with a 3-5 minute ride on a trackless miniature train through the Great Meadow. Purchase tickets from the Panda and Lion Information Kiosks. Tickets help support research, conservation, and educational programs at the zoo.

Brookside Gardens' outdoor light display draws big crowds with charming holiday scenes and twinkling fountains, however train loving families know to head directly indoors, where G-scale trains wind through the conservatory. On-site catering serving cocoa, soup & more make it the perfect place to warm up after a stroll outside, or plan to complete some last minute shopping at the gift shop while kids watch the trains and enjoy nightly live musical performances.

Come discover the history of street cars and how they helped build the communities where they were established at this museum full of educational displays and real, full-sized street cars from around the world. Kids love that admission here includes unlimited rides through the woods surrounding the museum on real, working trolleys. Be sure to check the museum calendar to find out about special events, like Holly TrolleyFest when you can catch Santa riding the rails.

This historic railroad station played important roles in the Civil War, Battle of Bull Run, and in the surrounding community. Today it houses exhibits and events related to local history and railroading. Rotating model train exhibits, ranging from G to T scale, are displayed here at least once a month, with bigger special exhibits scheduled several times a year. Families particularly love the annual holiday train show, which fills the entire station grounds.

If you've been meaning to spend a day exploring this picturesque Virginian town, this annual Railway Festival is the perfect opportunity. Local model train groups will fill the area under the Harris Pavilion with models and train memorabilia while performers set the mood with live bluegrass and country music. Kids love taking the special excursion trains that leave the station here and travel to Clifton, VA and back.

The oldest, most comprehensive American railroad collection in the world can be found at the B&O Railroad Museum. The 40 acre site is filled with numerous exhibits and includes an interactive kids zone that hosts story times and special activities on weekends. If coming from D.C., kids love the 20 minute ride around the first commercial mile of railroad track laid in the US. Better yet, ride the MARC train here- just 7 stops from Union Station + a short bus ride!

Take a trip back in time with a scenic railway tour through the Monocacy Valley. The 1hr 20 min trip in 1920s passenger cars or open flatcars take visitors along tracks originally built in 1872 takes visitors past turn of the century buildings and a 100 year old lime kiln. Seasonal train rides include an Easter train, Santa train, Teddy Bear Train, Super Hero Train, steam trains, Civil War reenactments and more.

This free history museum tells the tale of how the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad helped shape the town of Brunswick. On one floor, rooms decorated to evoke the early 1900's tells the stories of railroaders and their families. On another floor, a 1700 square foot HO Scale model railroad provides a birds-eye view of the B&O railroad from Brunswick's rail yard to Washington's Union Station. Kids love the many interactive elements that were added to the model railroad in 2007.

Trips on this historic rail line include two hours on the train plus a one hour layover in Frostburg, MD where families can visit the Frostburg Depot and the adjacent Carriage Museum or tour the shops and restaurants on main street. Seasonal offerings include a fall foliage tour, Christmas trains, and Gap Trail Connection.