Wilmington Railroad Museum
Wilmington Railroad Museum: Hours, Address, Wilmington Railroad Museum Reviews: 4.5/5
Wilmington Railroad Museum
Wilmington Railroad Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
A wonderful railroad museum that will entertain and educate the whole family. The museum pays homage to the major impact of railroads in local and national history, featuring regional railroad artifacts dating from the 1840's through the today. In addition to the historical items, the museum has one of the finest interactive model railroad layouts in the region. Children and adults can also explore a full size steam locomotive, boxcar and caboose.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Best nearby attractions
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Wilmington & Beaches Convention & Visitors Center1763 ftVisitor Centers
Riverwalk1,4170.2 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
The Cotton Exchange2070.2 miShopping Malls- The Golden Gallery30.1 miArt Galleries
Battleship North Carolina3,5180.4 miShips
Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts2520.4 miTheaters
Port City Marina130.2 miMarinas
Cape Fear River2340.4 miBodies of Water
Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College340.2 miTheaters
Historic District1,0410.4 miNeighborhoods
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Popular mentions
4.5
301 reviews
Excellent
162
Very good
97
Average
31
Poor
8
Terrible
3
Barbara H
Wilmington, NC88 contributions
Jan 2022
A cold January Saturday and we had wanted to visit this Railroad Museum since moving to Wilmington.... It was a great way to spend a couple of hours learning so much about the history of the Eastern seaboard railroads and how they developed, the work & lifestyle of an engineer, conductor, brakeman and how things changed over the last century +. Well done exhibits and lots of fun trains for young kids to play with or observe in the huge (Guiness World Record) display of electric model trains in a Wilmington/coastal landscape scene.
You could enjoy it for one hour -- or spend a few hours, if you are a model train buff, especially!
You could enjoy it for one hour -- or spend a few hours, if you are a model train buff, especially!
Written January 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Lester L
165 contributions
Nov 2021
Really excited our grandsons who usually all about superheroes and have short attention spans. They loved it - ages 3 and 5.
Written December 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Vicky W
Lake Mary, FL602 contributions
Aug 2021
Was a great exhibit of trains and their history in this area. A lot of built model train exhibits with running model trains, a lot of memorabilia. A nice stop for the entire family. You will learn a lot in this building.
Written August 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
james w
Murrells Inlet, SC144 contributions
Jul 2021
while small as museums go the content here at the Railroad Museum was fantastic. A historical ride thru the era of train travel in the southeast. And the model train room with its multiple train layout was entertaining beyond words.
Written July 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
beth w
2 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
My wife and I have visited bigger railroad museums, but Wilmington’s museum ranks right up there as among the best. There isn’t much rolling stock on display, but the railroad history displays are truly impressive.
An added bonus was the Guinness Book of Records model train display. We set up our own HO scale railroad at Christmas, so it was easy for us to appreciate the work that went into creating the museum’s model train layouts.
The museum store has a nice collection of donated train equity for sale.
An added bonus was the Guinness Book of Records model train display. We set up our own HO scale railroad at Christmas, so it was easy for us to appreciate the work that went into creating the museum’s model train layouts.
The museum store has a nice collection of donated train equity for sale.
Written July 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
5535jessie
Summerville, SC7 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
Very well organized and informative mueseum. At the beginning of the river walk. Enjoyed reading all the information and interacting with the toy train sets.
Written May 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Augiedog
Carolina Beach, NC14 contributions
Dec 2020
A wonderful and informative museum about the Atlantic Coastline Railroad, and it's huge impact it had on this city. A must see.
Written May 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
TXMARTINS
Atlanta, GA3,364 contributions
Mar 2021 • Family
A cute museum with vintage trains in the heart of the Riverfront are! You can easily see some of the attractions outside even when closed, but it’s worth the time if you have little kids:) Fairly easy parking with a nice garage nearby and some street spots.
Written March 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Karen123WV
Elkins, WV218 contributions
Mar 2021 • Couples
This is a nice little stop. It only takes about 30 minutes unless you want to stand and watch the model trains (which are very nice). There's a caboose, engine and box car to explore as well as some pretty interesting exhibits of railroad memorabilia.
Written March 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
GregoryT3037
Greenville, MI549 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
If you enjoy toy trains you won't want to miss this museum. The staff here was amazing and super friendly. There is a great history of the railroad in Wilmington. I have seen several train set ups before and this is the most interactive and has some unique features. Parking is in the lot with the train right in front of the train for the museum.
Written November 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MRyan317
Philadelphia, PA68 contributions
Would this be a good idea for a 2 year old?
HurricaneGal_11
Hurricane, WV763 contributions
They had a play are for kids with toy trains and costumes
kenwhitt1
Kernersville, NC
We are putting together class trips for middle school 7th graders and looking at Wilmington as one of our options. We are interested in any types of discounts for a group of students? Is there a limit as to how many can visit the museum at one time? Would there be a possibility of guided tours? We are looking at 150-180 students, split into two groups that would visit at separate times.
2 minutes ago Answer
EileenKaz
Southampton, PA168 contributions
I'm sure if you contact the museum they could give you the info you need. However, the museum is not that large and 150 students at one time may be very chaotic.
Are there large enough rail road track that u can take pictures on
RuckinBrit .
64 contributions
Depends on how long you want.
But there is a fully size train there with a caboose on the back end. It's on a track. If you want open tracks with nothing on it, then some but not really. It abuts the building and on the side of a parking lot, so you'll have "stuff" in the background.
Take a look on google street view and overhead, you might find it acceptable.
Do u have a long enough rail road track to take pictures on
RuckinBrit .
64 contributions
Depends on how long you want.
But there is a fully size train there with a caboose on the back end. It's on a track. If you want open tracks with nothing on it, then some but not really. It abuts the building and on the side of a parking lot, so you'll have "stuff" in the background.
Take a look on google street view and overhead, you might find it acceptable.
Frequently Asked Questions about Wilmington Railroad Museum
- Wilmington Railroad Museum is open:
- Mon - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Hotels near Wilmington Railroad Museum:
- (0.03 mi) Social Distance Downtown Location Balcony River View
- (0.04 mi) Aloft Wilmington At Coastline Center
- (0.09 mi) Best Western Plus Coastline Inn
- (0.08 mi) Embassy Suites by Hilton Wilmington Riverfront
- (0.28 mi) Hampton Inn Wilmington Downtown
- Restaurants near Wilmington Railroad Museum:
- (0.09 mi) Steam Restaurant & Bar
- (0.10 mi) Cloud 9 Rooftop Bar
- (0.10 mi) Our Place Restaurant
- (0.17 mi) The Basics
- (0.16 mi) Paddy's Hollow Restaurant and Pub