Museum of Transportation: take the kids to see planes, trains and automobiles

June 8, 4:53 PMSt. Louis Motherhood ExaminerDenise Bertacchi

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Denise Bertacchi

The Museum of Transportation is a shiny gem for St. Louis train nuts both big and small. The place is mostly known for it's large and very impressive collection of old trains, but they do have a few planes, a tug boat, and nice collection of antique cars and trucks.

The train museum, as we regulars call it, is located in West St. Louis County, off Barrett Station Road. (Click here for directions.) This St. Louis County Park and Museum is in the middle of a big renovation with an unknown completion date: they are literally building a new museum as money allows.

If you have kids who love trains they will get a big thrill out of this hands-on museum. Unlike an art museum, most of the displays are open for touching and exploring. Two of the engines have open cabs to climb into (one you can even ring the bell) and there are two or three cabooses to explore. Hike down to the tug boat and you can climb aboard that too!

Come during tour times (Mon-Sat: 10am, noon & 2pm) and you'll get to walk through some real luxury passenger and dining cars. A special "Children's Tour" is available on Wednesday at 10:15am.

Plan your visit. The train museum is very big, and not very stroller friendly. Most of the paths are paved, but the terrain is hilly. If you want to go into any of the trains, you'll need to climbs several steps. If you must bring a stroller, make sure you feel comfortable leaving it outside the train so you can escort your children into the display trains. These are real retired trains with real dirt, real rust, and the occasional sharp edge.

Because of the park's size, everyone should wear comfy walking shoes. There's very little shade in the train yard, so bring sunblock, hats and bottled water. There is a soda machine in the yard's rest station, in case you forget.

Train rides: buy a train ride arm band to get the most out of your visit. They have a miniature train that runs around the new parking lot (think Zoo Train) and a trolley that runs Thursday - Sunday. The museum's real street cars run back and forth across the yard - it's a short ride, but it's still pretty fun. You can ride the train and trolleys as many times as you want with an arm band.

Creation Station: if your children are very small - around pre-school aged - you might want to visit the Creation Station. For an extra $1.50 your child can play on a pirate ship, dress up like a fireman or play with tons of Thomas the Tank Engine track. The Creation Station is only open on weekdays.

You can pack a picnic - they have a covered pavilion in the parking lot and a few shady picnic benches. Or grab a snack in Barrett Station. Just be careful - they also have a very cool train boutique full of Thomas gear, train books, and every kind of transportation toy around. Plus stuff for grown up train fans too.

Should I buy a membership? Yes! But only if you have a Thomas fan at home. (Don't know who Thomas is? Then you're not a fan.) Budding engineers will want to return again and again to play in the cabs and crawl through the cabooses. Older kids will probably be fine with a once a summer visit. Got a grandpa with a love of all things train? Bring him along, he won't want to miss this place!

If you buy a membership, go for the $60 Coachman. You'll get free admission for your whole family and 35 "Choo Choo Stamps" which are good for a train ride arm band or Creation Station admission. Here's the math: admission is $6 for adults, $4 for kids, and free for kids under 4. Trains rides are $4 and Creation Station is $1.50. If you bring two adults and two kids and ride the trains, a visit will cost $36. The membership pays for itself after the second visit. If you have preschoolers, you'll love coming to the Creation Station often for a no-brainer play date.