Minnesota Transportation Museum★5.0

Great Lakes > Minnesota > St. Paul > Minnesota Transportation Museum

Mill Ruins Park

Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

Historic railway museum preserving Minnesota's transportation heritage through vintage locomotives, railcars, exhibits, and excursion train experiences.

General Information
Hours:
Varies by location, exhibit, and seasonal excursion schedule; check the museum website for current operating hours.
Fees:
Museum admission and excursion train pricing vary by exhibit and event.
See the museum website for current rates and special event pricing.
Pet Policy:
Pets are generally not permitted inside museum facilities or aboard excursion trains.
Closest cities with hotels:
Saint Paul, Minnesota (less than 1 mi)
Seasons:
All year, with the largest selection of train rides and special events operating spring through fall.
Location:

How to Get There

From Downtown Saint Paul (2 mi): Take East Seventh Street northeast, continue onto Minnehaha Avenue East, then follow Pennsylvania Avenue East to the historic Jackson Street Roundhouse museum complex.

Overview

The Minnesota Transportation Museum preserves and interprets the rich transportation history of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, with a particular focus on railroading. Its centerpiece is the Jackson Street Roundhouse, a rare surviving railroad maintenance facility where visitors can explore historic locomotives, passenger cars, freight equipment, and interactive exhibits that illustrate the evolution of transportation across the region. The museum's collection spans the steam era through modern rail operations, offering an engaging look at how trains helped shape Minnesota's economy, communities, and industrial development.

Beyond its exhibits, the museum is widely known for operating seasonal excursion trains and special events that allow visitors to experience historic railway travel firsthand. Restoration projects carried out by dedicated staff and volunteers provide insight into the craftsmanship required to preserve vintage transportation equipment for future generations. Whether exploring the roundhouse, boarding a heritage excursion train, or learning about the role of railroads in connecting the Midwest, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for the transportation networks that transformed the region and continue to influence it today.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official museum pages for the https://transportationmuseum.org/Minnesota Transportation Museum, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

National Park Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Appraiser at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
steve lyon from minneapolis, mn, usa, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted