Big River Train Town
Big River Train Town
4.4
This location was reported permanently closed
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.4
84 reviews
Excellent
50
Very good
26
Average
4
Poor
3
Terrible
1
CCBosh
Festus, MO113 contributions
Jun 2014 • Solo
We popped into this shop to kill some time before taking a tour through the Haunted House on Hill Street next door. We hadn't anticipated going through the train town but when the owner saw us looking through the store she offered our family free admission! We were blown away at the magic when we stepped through the curtain. My kids loved it and so did my husband and I! It's very interactive with many different buttons that cause different reactions in the "town". The best part was watching the owner with my kids. She seemed to get so much joy out of watching the kids' excitement and enthusiasm. She offered them whistles and spent time playing and talking with the kids. It was obvious to us that she was a person that not only loves coming to work every day but also loves her customers (Even the non-paying ones!). We will definitely be back the next time we're in Hannibal!
Written June 3, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angela R
Table Grove, IL129 contributions
Dec 2017 • Friends
Big River was such a surprise to me! My daughter and I have been to Hannibal many times but have never ventured into this store. I am extremely glad that we decided to do so on this particular trip!
There is a very large room just dedicated to the largest set up electric model working trains I have ever seen!! It is a must see for any adult or child! Don’t miss it!
There is a very large room just dedicated to the largest set up electric model working trains I have ever seen!! It is a must see for any adult or child! Don’t miss it!
Written March 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Racine911
Fort Madison, IA11 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
We visited the train museum to pass a little time before we could check into our hotel room across the street. It was a scorching hot summer day in June, but the train museum was nice and cool and we could stay as long as we liked. I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable train attraction I've ever been to with kids in tow (and we've been to many over the years). There were train station benches inside to sit on if you needed to take a load off. The main attraction was the huge centerpiece: a four season collector's train exhibit to walk around and view closely through the plexiglass bumper. They had an urban modern skyscraper city display in one corner, a rural countryside in another, and one that seemed geared toward the youngest visitors who were more hands-on. There are lots of stools for youngsters to hop up to get closer look at the tiny village scenes, farms, and landscape features, but they will mostly want to control the trains and blow their whistles. The whole place is interactive, which kids (and adults) of all ages love. You can push buttons, flip switches, and turn knobs to control the model trains, which can occupy youngsters for over an hour. Adults will also admire the many collector's edition trains and vintage signs covering the walls, and if someone gets thirsty, they sell cold bottled beverages at the front desk. The staff were all friendly and welcoming, but unimposing. One nice young man handed out free little colorful train whistles to the smallest visitors, which was a big hit. I don't know if they always do this. You can also purchase Thomas the Tank Engine items; and wooden train-themed toys, books, & other choo-choo-related souvenirs there for any toddlers who have exhausted their stash of travel gadgets already (or as souvenirs for someone special child back home?) Since the railroads were a prominent piece of Hannibal history, a stop into this cheerful place feels like a great value that one must not forget to squeeze into their tourist itinerary, especially on a very hot summer day, and most especially for anyone who loves trains.
Written June 20, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave P
Platte City, MO46 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
Nice O gauge set up. Has buttons for "kids" to activate different operating accessories. There are a number of operating trains on various levels. There are also displays of additional trains around on the walls. While I have seen much larger layouts, this was done nice. It is small and has a small entry fee. I enjoyed it as one who has had trains for 60 years - and my wife and granddaughters enjoyed it.
Written July 31, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zilphap
New Port Richey, FL343 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
My grandsons enjoyed all the trains. The owner of the store/museum was very nice. If you collect trains, she has pieces you can buy. The cost of $5 for a family was reasonable, I thought.
Written August 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robin D
5 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
So glad we stopped for a visit. Out train lover was so excited to push all the buttons and see the trains and accessories work. $10/family max was well worth the 45 minutes we were there.
Written July 6, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark S
Homosassa, FL93 contributions
Jun 2016 • Couples
Fun for everyone who enjoys trains. Buy something at the store or buy a ticket and go into the "museum" and enjoy the walls of trains and the trains that are running. You can even run 4 or 5 trains.
Written June 12, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aleforge
Wentzville, MO685 contributions
Oct 2015 • Family
My wife and I spent some time in Hannibal this past weekend. I unexpectedly noticed "BIG River Train Town" tucked away down a side street. I was excited to find it, as I really didn't know it existed. I always had a fascination with model trains, and have spent a lot of time building and observing sets over the years. When we walked in we were greeted by a small shop and a VERY enthusiastic lady. There were some older trains for sale and a fairly wide variety at that. So if you are into picking up some harder to find models its worth stopping in. The lady told us as we walked out there was a museum in the back and it would be the best 5 dollars we ever spent. I was pretty excited and happily paid as it was very cheap entry fee.
When we entered she ran around showing us some things you could play around with. You could tell she was very proud of her setup. The setups (and I hate to say it) were not very good. Many of the interactive buttons did very little. For instance several lit up only a crossing light. A few didn't work, and the overall quality of the scenes were sub par. Now obviously this is more geared towards kids, so I might be over critical. However as mentioned they just weren't as interactive as they should have been.
As someone else commented it was also a very old setup. Everything was starting to wear and needed a lot of TLC. It was only 5 bucks and I didn't mind helping out. But the entire viewing lasted about 5 minutes.
If you have kids they might get more out of it, but be warned its not as fun as it should be (or even could be). I hope things eventually get updated, and possibly the owner could bring in some professional help to bring it up a notch.
When we entered she ran around showing us some things you could play around with. You could tell she was very proud of her setup. The setups (and I hate to say it) were not very good. Many of the interactive buttons did very little. For instance several lit up only a crossing light. A few didn't work, and the overall quality of the scenes were sub par. Now obviously this is more geared towards kids, so I might be over critical. However as mentioned they just weren't as interactive as they should have been.
As someone else commented it was also a very old setup. Everything was starting to wear and needed a lot of TLC. It was only 5 bucks and I didn't mind helping out. But the entire viewing lasted about 5 minutes.
If you have kids they might get more out of it, but be warned its not as fun as it should be (or even could be). I hope things eventually get updated, and possibly the owner could bring in some professional help to bring it up a notch.
Written October 5, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
janrteach20
Decatur, IL86 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
We spent more time in the bathroom than in the displays. The displays are really, really old, like 1940s. The lady was very nice and tried hard to make it a good time, but today's kids had a hard time staying interested. Good for about 15 minutes.
Written July 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_lens_view
Memphis, TN9 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
Not to be confused with a hobby shop, this is a toy train display attraction with a small gift shop in the front. You go there to see all sorts of toy trains in action on the half dozen or so layouts and to look at the vast collection of trains from all eras on static display. The focus is manly three-rail O gauge with a few items from other gauges and scales scattered about. Kids will love it, and adults who appreciate toy trains should find it interesting as well. If you get the chance, talk with the owner, Judy. The story of how her toy train empire came to be is worth the price of admission by itself.
Written July 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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