Activity Center - California State Railroad Museum

Educational opportunities for kids abound at the California State Railroad Museum! Although the Museum is perhaps best known for its School Field Trip Opportunities and other educational programs for school-age children, the fun doesn’t end there.

At the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento, Guided Tours introduce you and your family to the role railroads have played in making California the great place it is today. Weekend Train Rides from April through September in Old Sacramento show you what it was like to travel by rail.

Horses to Horsepower Activities

Hop on board Horses to Horsepower to experience what it was like to build the nation’s first Transcontinental Railroad more than 150 years ago! Your conductor will escort you to five different stations located throughout the California State Railroad Museum. Discover how Transcontinental Railroad reduced travel time, inspired innovation, encouraged western settlement, and enabled California’s agriculture industry to grow. The Transcontinental Railroad changed life in America forever!

The activities explore topics from the Horses to Horsepower Education Program.

Open Activities Page

Junior Engineers

Hey kids! Do you love trains and want to learn more about the Museum and the amazing railroad cars and locomotives? Are you between the ages of 7 & 12 years old? Then become a Junior Engineer today!

Take the Junior Engineer challenge and begin your adventure today.

Earn your Junior Engineer award by completing the activities in this book as you explore the Museum. Then bring your completed Activity Guide to the Museum front desk when you are finished for your official Junior Engineer award. Once you have taken the Junior Engineer pledge, you can help the hundreds of park staff and volunteers who protect and care for our California State Parks.

Download and print, or pick up your very own Junior Engineer Activity Guide and learn about everything from smokestacks to the Lost Golden Spike!

Find answers to the questions you are asked by touring the Museum, reading exhibit information or exploring the Museum with your family. Park staff and volunteers will be happy to help you discover the Museum!

Junior Engineer Activity Guide

Story Time

All Aboard For Story Time

Let railroads help introduce and foster the love of reading for your little ones! Visit the Museum every Monday of each month with readings at 11:00 a.m. in the East Theater.

This interactive and fun program is designed for imaginative young children ages two to five. Museum volunteers and staff will read a different railroad-related book each month and afterward, little ones can enjoy the Museum with their parents. Whether its toy trains or big locomotives, there is something to discover in the Museum that will thrill children of all ages!

Learn more about All Aboard for Story Time.

Summer Road Trip: A Smithsonian at-home Activity Guide!

As a Smithsonian Affiliate, we're proud to share their "Summer Road Trip" at-home activity guide. Summer vacation plans may have gotten more difficult to manage and implement, but we still have our imagination! Use this time at home to help your kids craft a fun road trip utilizing what you already have in your drawers and cabinets.

Download the activity guide below, and get ready for a unique adventure the whole family can enjoy!

Summer Road Trip a Smithsonian at home activity guide Summer 2020 print ready

Coloring Pages

Calling All Creatives!

Keep the magic of trains alive with these fun coloring pages. Tag the California State Railroad Museum Foundation in your completed artwork for a chance to be featured on our social media channels! See below for coloring pages, and check back for updated content.

Train with two carriages coloring page

Toy train coloring page

CSRM activity page 1

CSRM activity Fruit label

CSRM activity Fruit label 2

CSRM activity Mary Colter

CSRM activity Plate design