Illinois Railway Museum

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Illinois Railway Museum

Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🚂 Train · Union

4 hours · $$ · No reservation needed

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 5.0
1–3 yrs
★ 5.0
3–5 yrs
★ 5.0
5–10 yrs
★ 5.0
  • 🚗
    About 65 min drive
    From Naperville · Parking: Large free museum lot (7000 Olson Rd)
  • 🍼
    Stroller-friendly
    Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
  • 🌳
    Little shade
    Great on sunny days · Good on cool days
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 4 hours
    Best seasons: Summer · Fall · Spring

The largest railway museum in the country, with unlimited rides included in admission: streetcars loop the grounds, old diesel or steam trains make a 4-mile round trip, and several huge barns hold more than a hundred old L cars, coaches, and steam locomotives you can climb aboard; a train-crazy kid's heaven, and one day isn't enough.

💡 Tips
Open weekends April through October (plus midweek in summer); steam locomotives run only on certain dates, so check the website schedule. Admission is about $16–20/person, free for the littlest kids. The grounds are big with few trees, so bring a stroller and lunch.

What this place offers

✓vintage train rides
✓streetcars
✓steam locomotives
✓old L cars
✓train barns
✓picnic
✓restrooms

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Union

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

☀️
Sat 10/17
Sunny · 32–54°F · 0% rain
☀️
Sun 10/18
Sunny · 40–59°F · 0% rain

Location

Union, Illinois

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