Updated for 2024
Families visiting Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park will find so much to do and explore, including a collection of locomotives and passenger cars dating back to the 1800s. Our Guide to Travel Town has all the information you need to have a fun visit.
Travel Town Museum
5200 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Museum Hours
Travel Town is open 10am to 5pm daily, including weekends and holidays (closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day).
Admission and Parking are always Free at Travel Town Museum!
About Travel Town Museum
Travel Town Museum is “an outdoor museum which preserves and celebrates the railroad heritage of the western United States — its history and its artifacts.” Travel Town is the place to visit if you have train-lovers in your family.
Travel Town was developed in the 1950s and features an impressive collection of locomotives, freight cars, cabooses, and passenger cars. Visitors have the chance to see inside the sleeping car, lounge car, and dining car to get an up-close look at what rail travel was like in the 1940s.
Related: 21 Places to see Trains in SoCal
There are plenty of trains and engines to see outdoors, and there’s a large exhibit space indoors as well. It’s filled with train cars, engines, and a large play space for kids, complete with a train table and toy trains.
Whistle Stop Tour
There’s a self-guided Whistle Stop Tour you can take at Travel Town. Use your phone to scan the QR code you’ll find on a sign board, and go at your own pace.
Toddlers Love Travel Town
The idea of seeing trains up close seems to appeal to all the toddlers we know! And the engines are moved around to different spots often, so you’ll get to have a different experience every time you come.
Related: Explore SoCal with Metrolink
Special Activities:
While admission to Travel Town is free, for a nominal fee, families can take a ride on a 16″ gauge miniature train. The ride travels around the museum twice. Be sure to also visit during the holiday season to take advantage of the Holiday Light Festival Train Ride, when the Museum is festively decorated and tens of thousands of lights transform the area into a magical wonderland.
Find out more about the Griffith Park Train Rides on their website.
Related: The Best Museums for Kids in Los Angeles
Train Birthday Party Theme
Travel Town serves as a unique, only-in-L.A. birthday party venue. Your train-loving kids can have a fantastic birthday party onboard a real train! Check the website for details.
Related: LA Birthday Party Guide
There are opportunities for families to become members of the Travel Town Museum. Membership comes with special benefits including a discount in the Travel Town Gift Shop, subscription to the Museum’s newsletter, invitations to special members-only events, and more. They even offer a Junior Engineer Membership level — a perfect gift for the train-loving child in your life.
Food:
While there is no on-site restaurant, you will find picnic tables and grassy areas perfect for a family picnic. You can truly make a visit to Travel Town budget friendly (free admission, free parking) by bringing a lunch from home to enjoy.
You can also plan a family and/or group picnic at Travel Town by reserving a picnic area complete with 3 tables and 6 benches which can seat up to 30 people.
Nearby Attractions:
Because Travel Town is located within Griffith Park, you won’t run out of things to do nearby. Families can also go for a spin on the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round, a Griffith Park family favorite since 1937. And a short drive away from Travel Town, you’ll find both the Autry Museum and the Los Angeles Zoo.
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