Museum of Transportation

Walked in and quickly found out the 9:45 creation station was full, told receptionist that I’ll do the 10:45. Paid and we walked around learning stuff and riding the train. That was pretty fun! Came back at 10:35 to get ready for Creation Station and discovered the receptionist didn’t ring me up for the creation station correctly. The next one available was at 1pm. They were not very accommodating or apologetic for their mistake. Was not very happy with the service we received. Left the place an unhappy customer

First time visiting here. It was an ok place especially if you really like trains! They have a whole lot of them some of which you can walk through and take a look. A lot of history there for sure. They also have some nice cars. Train rides and trolley rides are also available. The workers were all pretty knowledgeable if you asked them a question. Good place to go and spend the day!

Great displays and you get to ride on a trolley and a miniature train. The volunteers are very knowledgable. Great place to spend a day. Affordable clean indoor and outdoor activities.
Play area that is fun for preschool to kindergarten age children.
Get there early they close at 4 PM and the train ride stops about 320 PM.

Wonderful historical and informational exhibits of air, trains and autos. Spread out over several acres, lots of examples in great condition, a mini-​train for adults and kids alike to ride, plus a small gift shop and snack bar area. This museum took 3 – 4 hours to really see everything at a leisurely pace.
However, BEWARE if you are driving a larger RV. The entrance is not designed to allow in big rigs easily. While the satellite view makes it appear that you can probably find a parking place, Barrett Station Rd driving to the museum is very narrow with drop-​offs on the side, and then you have to go all the way into the oncoming lane to successfully turn into the museum road that is flanked on one side by a steel post and gate and by a large sign for the museum on the other. Even if you make it into the lot without hitting one of those obstacles, then the entrance road makes sharp s-​curves down to the lot and you will have to run over curbs to make it in. Getting in was a nightmare, fortunately, they opened a gate at another end to let us out (we have a 40-​ft RV with a toad).
Find a place to park elsewhere, unhook, and make the drive into the museum. It is worth the stop.

It’s ok. I have to admit it was a lot to pay for a museum. It was neat to see the cars and trains and the kids loved going on the boat but after 30 minutes everyone is tired and hungry and the cafeteria is expensive and doesn’t have much. It would be recommended to bring your own lunch. Overall it’s cool to at least do once, take some pictures and that’s enough.

This is an alright place. Too spread out and not much there. The train ride is pretty good because they take two laps and lasts around 11 – 12 mins. The museum area has a mini cafeteria and a mini train shop which is extremely overpriced. The train there was for $ 26.95 and I purchased the EXACT SAME THING from Toy’R’Us for $ 6.99. What a rip off! The admission fees are cheap and include endless rides.
The set up if this place is ok, nothing spectacular. The train guy was pretty rude and seemed extremely irritated which was weird because it was a perfect 65 – 70 degree sunny day lol. The best thing about the museum was at the other end where they have huge trains you can go into but out of 15 – 18 trains you can only go into about 3 – 4 trains. I wouldn’t go back here just because it is extremely boring, even my four year old who is obsessed with trains was bored within 15 mins.

This is a nice place to visit if you’ve got kids who like trains or cars. However, use caution and be wary of the offer for a guided tour that begins before you reach the train shed on the upper level.
We met a very nice, knowledgeable retired teacher, who approached us and told us we were his 10 AM tour. But we hadn’t expressed an interest in taking the tour. I figured why not – tours are usually short, informative, and at the point where we met this docent, we were in the auto museum. I thought the tour only was of the auto museum. Boy, was I wrong.
We were held for just over an hour, regaled with anecdotes that sometimes had nothing to do with trains, and analogies, such as the one that explained how steam engines propelled locomotives (did you know that a teapot operates on the same principal?) We (and my son) were asked questions along the way of both opinion and fact. This was not a guided tour; this was a lengthy lesson. At points, my six year old son was told to pay attention – a hard thing for a boy his age, in a lengthy narrated tour. Two others had joined us – a man/​woman, and a man/​small boy early on, and they somehow «disappeared» early on in the tour. Not surprised.
To be fair, I did learn a few things, including this: I learned that the size of the wheels are proportionate to the speed of the train; that the oil rags in the boxes on the wheel were often stolen by hobos to use in lighting campfires; I can explain the role of the engineer and the fireman. I understand the historical evolution of brake systems on trains – and the early role of the brakeman, who ran atop the cars to manually apply the brake to each car, and Westinghouse’s contribution to modern brakes on rail cars. I know about reefer/​refrigerated cars and how ice was used to keep them cool. I understand the change in style of cabooses, from the cupola style to the more modern side window style, and why those were placed at the rear of the train. I know how mail was picked up and delivered via train car. And I can probably tell you a few things about Casey Jones, who was blamed for his own death when his train collided with another on an open track.
So why three stars? My wife and I didn’t like being asked to demonstrate things with my hands, or to guess answers to questions that I didn’t know and then told the answer. Most importantly, and the greatest cause for the rating, is that the level of detail, particularly a lot of the mechanical details, that was shared as we went along the way — far too much for a six year old, and difficult for me to even pay close attention. It was 70 minutes later, and we had not walked through any of the really nice trains in the shed.
I would encourage you to go, but decline the guided tour. Walk yourself. This way, you can see what you want to see, and not be held to what another person thinks you should see and hear about. Nice man – the retired teacher, and he meant well, but I think he misses being in the classroom.

If you are looking for something to do with kids when the weather is nice, this is a great place to go. The actual park itself is free but the best parts do cost money. Younger kids will enjoy he Creation Station that costs a few bucks and there is a mini train to ride around the campus.

I love this place! It definitely brings the little boy out of you. The museum is spread out over a large, but easily walkable, area and has a building dedicated to old cars as well as a decommissioned train yard full of old train engines and railroad cars. The range of cars is impressive, spanning from steam-​powered cars to classic Mustangs. The train yard is my favorite. A few are open to walk through and the ones that are not have windows so you can peer inside and imagine what it must have been like to be a passenger in that era. Lastly, the miniature train ride is a lot of fun. On our trip we were even able to see a coyote!

this place is great fun especially for kids. as noted by another reviewer most of the attractions are outdoors. you get to see model trains, antique cars and big old trains. you can even check out the inside of one of the train cars and go on a small train ride. they also have a cute gift shop and a café to grab a snack.

The Museum of Transportation has become one of our favorite destinations as a family. It really is a great place for everyone and I get the feeling that most folks around town have no idea it exists.
We first went to the MOT last year as the whole facility has been undergoing quite a renovation. The facility has a new entrance and parking area that is really nice and spacious. We parked on the lower lot and headed into the new welcome area. Right from the beginning, there are some cool things to explore from a mock steam whistle to the Wabash railroad caboose that you can walk through. Once you’re inside, tickets run you $ 8 for adults, $ 5 for kids 3 – 12 and kids under three are free. There are a couple of additional items you can choose to take advantage of if you like. There have a train ride through the property that you can ride as much as you like for $ 4 as well as an interactive play area called «Creation Station» for kids which is $ 2. I have not been in the Creation Station but it looks like a big area with all sorts of wooden trains the kids can build, etc.
One great thing to note is that there is often a Groupon for the MOT which is well worth the investment. I believe that it gives you a few admissions along with tickets for the train ride with a nice savings. However, if you visit and you really like it, it makes sense to really become a member (which we are thinking of doing) if you plan on making a few visits.
Once inside, the focus of the museum is really on trains and automobiles. There are a few boats, plans, etc. at the museum but really the bulk of the exhibits revolves around trains and autos. There are some amazing exhibits on the grounds and what I really enjoy (and the kids do as well) is that you can actually walk through and sit in the engines of quite a few of the trains. You cannot go on all of them, but by no means is this a «look but do not touch» operation.
In addition, there is a real cool guided tour in the upper train shed that takes you through some of the old sleeper and Pullman cars from years ago. It is really interesting to see this history up close and think about how much influence trains had upon the nation when they were the mode of transportation. I definitely would recommend a visit to the MOT to take it all in.

One of few St. Louis County parks that continue to improve their facilities and exhibits.
Tip: Take the docent guided tour of the train shed.
The railroad exhibits include so many sole surviving examples of the locomotives that helped build and shape the US from the late 1800’s through the 1990’s that there are few transportation museums in the entire country that rival it.
On the down side, many of the exhibits lived out and exposed to the elements for decades so being wood and metal there are quite a few that have decayed or rusted which are undergoing cosmetic restoration efforts, but in today’s economy those expensive things progress at a much slower rate.
Right in front of the upper entry building is one of the original Panama Canal locomotives that pulled ships through one of the sets of locks.
Inside the Automobile Building are some extremely unusual vehicles as well as normal everyday ones for past eras.
Circling the lower display area & display buildings and gift shop is a small zoo sized train that can be ridden for quite a distance.
Highly recommended for all ages.

My toddler loved it, especially the creation station. Creation Station is a huge playroom with train tables, crafts, dress up etc. Expensive place so you might try finding a groupon! I suggest getting in line before they open. Otherwise you’ll be stuck in a long line or it will be very crowded.

My son loves trains and this place surely does not disappoint. The employees are very nice and accomodating and go the extra mile. Here is what happended at our last visit: I showed up with a Groupon I had purchased a while back, which has since expired. I went to the museum to see if I could use what I paid for it instead of the promotional value. They said they would be happy to honor it for the promotional value, which they did not have to do; after all, it was my fault that I didn’t use it before the expiration date. Great model of a business that takes care of its customers!

For a train lover like myself this place is like Disneyland! Steam-​engines galore with a sprinkling of diesel engines, and one jet-​motor powered former Army-​engine! There are a few cars you can walk through, though I would definitely like to see more. Unfortunately you can’t go up into most of the trains and I only got up into one of the engines. You can tell a lot are becoming dilapidated by the sands of time and lack of funds. Never the less… it’s still very cool to see these very integral parts of America’s development into a civilized nation.
They do have a small collection of cars on exhibit inside one of the buildings. A model-​T, a Corvette, couple of Bel-​airs, a Mustang, and a few others being the standouts. Nothing too super-​exciting, but a decent collection.
It’s worth noting that the majority of the Museum is outside so I highly recommend sunscreen and some water on a hot day!

If you like Trains this place is 5 stars all the way.
I didn’t see many planes, or boats and I just peaked at the cars. So stop reading if you don’t like trains.
So, they have a small loop that runs old electric street cars. which is pretty cool. But I don’t know if they ever run any of the bigger stuff. (it’s a very small loop). They also have a mini-​train that you can buy rides on, which is fun for the kids.
Good indoor dinning area for hot or cold days and a decent gift shop.
Best feature is they have stairs that will allow you to actually go into some of the cabs of the steam trains (including the Big Boy).
Overall some very unique equipment here that is well worth the stop for any lover of trains. Especially the young ones.

I went here over my spring break with the parents I’m 19 so I was able to understand the history more than the little children that were there not much as far as interactive, more looking and reading. There was a lot of children gasping over the trains but what children don’t? I got to go on a tour through a train car that was really neat, as for the rest of the trains they were roped off each car and train had a sign posted that explained the history. It was a lot of walking and even though it was a windy colder day it was so hot, the summer must be unbearable. It was enjoyable though but I probably won’t go back untill I have my own children. The admission price for adults was 8 and they have train rides for the children.

The MOT is terrific for little ones who love trains, which mine does. There’s a small train that runs during the warmer months for rides & there are more old trains that you can look at in one visit. They have a trolley that runs sometimes as well, and a tram to take you from the main building up to trains and cars. Some of the train cars are open & can be walked through, which is very fun for a toddler. I like that it’s very open and one can walk around.
Don’t get me wrong, I personally find this kind of stuff fairly boring, but it’s educational & entertaining for a toddler, and provides an opportunity to burn off some of that endless energy.
We’ve been 3x in the last year, thanks to the amazingly good value offered by Groupon occasionally, and just discovered Creation Station for our son this last time. It’s basically just a big play room full of train wooden train sets that kids can mess with. It was a huge hit!
Another option is to buy a membership, which is an exceptional deal if you plan on going numerous times a season.

Both my children love trains and having the ability to climb in and out of the big engines is their idea of kiddie heaven! There is a lot of walking among all locomotives, but if you have an older train nut in the family (my husband), then there is plenty for them to point out to the younger conductors in the family in the family.
Take a ride on the little diesel and the trolley car to break up some of the walking. And don’t forget to tour the passenger train full of fabulous history of a bygone era.
We have been here twice in the last two years– the last time was just last weekend– and a lot has changed in that time. The new visitors center is really nice. We have yet to make it into Creation Station as it is only open during the week, but my 2 and 4 year old had plenty to keep them busy outdoors.

Planes, trains and automobiles! This is a must see if you have a youngster into transportation! They have a miniature train you can ride, along with a trolley and a small fire truck. The admission doesn’t cover these, it’s an extra fee. They also have LOTS of trains for you to look at as well as some cars and a boat and plane.
Warning — you have to pay for admission in the gift shop which has tons of Thomas trains and other train stuff. It might be a good idea to have one parent pay and the other one hang out outside so you don’t have to deal with the gimmees!
If you are coming with younger kids, you can bring a stroller, but it’s best if you have a backpack or frontpack for the little one as the stoller can be a pain. You can’t take it on the train and you have to take a shuttle to the train boarding area.