Step Into Historic Locomotives at Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park
As a California local, and a Los Angeles resident for 2 years now, I can say there are an infinite amount of historical attractions to see and do in and around the city. Attractions ranging from museums, historic downtown’s, abandoned locations, and more.
When we aren’t spending our days in nature, we normally opt for an outing at one of these memorable sites.
Nathan and I were trying to figure what to do with a lazy Sunday. Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park, Los Angeles happened to be an ideal outing! A convenient spot for those looking for a quick getaway over the weekend after a long work week.
A historic landmark filled with old locomotives and cars is already appealing and then we found out it’s FREE!! We’re always onboard (pun intended) for exploring a new place especially when it’s free!
🌻 Our content may contain affiliate links. If clicked through to make a purchase, the price remains the same for you and we will earn a small commission. This helps us to continue creating useful and valuable content for you and other visitors. 💜Where Is Travel Town Museum?
Should you decide to stay in Los Angeles, California Travel Town Museum is located in Griffith Park, a 4,310 acre park in the middle of the city. If you already live in Los Angeles or in a surrounding city then you have no excuse to not make this visit!
Griffith is the 2nd largest city park in all of California and is considered the central park of Los Angels. A perfect escape if you’re looking for a break from the busy city. (we can never get enough of those)
Travel Town Museum is just one of the many things to do in and around Griffith Park and we were honestly surprised we haven’t discovered this museum sooner! My guess is because the museum is located in the most northern part of the park, a less visited part of the park. Majority of the attractions in Griffith Park reside in the southern or central area.
Travel Town Museum General Info
- Free admission and parking
- Open daily, except Christmas
- Monday through Friday – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Saturday & Sunday – 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Plan around 1-2 hours to see the whole place
Why Is Travel Town Museum Here?
Good question. Why is there a random locomotive museum in the middle of Griffith Park? Well it all started with William Frederickson Jr., the city’s superintendent of recreation.
Back in 1947, William came under the realization that many children (and adults) do not have the opportunity to come close to experiencing some of histories greatest vehicles. Such vehicles like airplanes, locomotives, historic cars, and even a one-horse shay.
William made it his dream and passion to create such a space where visitors can walk among and explore all the unique vehicles created over the course of time.
Originally, William imagined airplanes being the main attraction of the museum. Although, complications came up and airplanes were no longer available for donation.
Plans changed in 1952 when William was granted a donation of one gigantic 25.5 ton locomotive which was soon moved to the park. This was the start of Travel Town Museum.
Visitors quickly flocked to have the chance to climb aboard a massive locomotive and learn the controls, pull the cords, and feel what it was like to conduct a beast of a vehicle.
Word about the Travel Town Museum quickly spread and gained strong popularity among the public. Almost immediately, there was an influx of all types of vehicles being donated to Travel Town Museum including street cars, tank wagons, circus wagons, and several other large locomotives.
What To Do at Travel Town Museum
For a free museum, this place has a lot to offer. Honestly, it was surprising how much there was to see without a fee.
Here is a list of the main things to do at this fun outdoor museum:
1. Explore The Locomotives
When you first walk into Travel Town, you will immediately see a large train engine just a few hundred feet from the entrance.
Due to its sheer size, it is easily the first thing you’ll be drawn to. This is one of the locomotives where you can actually climb into the engine cab and imagine what it was like to be a conductor!
Over the years, I have seen these old steam powered trains in many old photographs and history books. Actually standing next to one creates a whole different story.
The size of these train engines completely blew me away! Just the wheel alone was taller than me. It had to be nearly 6 feet tall!
Past the engine cab, you can also go inside and walk through the attached passenger cart.
Despite the seats being removed, it was still very easy to imagine what it must have been like to travel in this cart.
Continuing on there are numerous other trains to see at the Travel Town Museum.
If you continue down the small train platform, you will see a large metal canopy housing about 4-5 more historic trains. I felt that this area is the most picturesque section of the museum.
Walking along the train platform and below this grand canopy was such a surprise. Definitely not something you would expect to find within Griffith Park.
Enjoy viewing the many different kinds of trains by continuing down the long rows of locomotives. You can only climb up into one train in this area, the rest are closed off for display.
2. View More Historic Vehicles Inside the Museum
Take a break from the trains and have a gander at the many other historic vehicles at the Travel Town Museum. In between the first locomotive and the large canopy sits an indoor museum or barn which holds a variety of cars, train carts, and wagons.
These are just a few of the things you can expect to see:
- 44 passenger street car
- 50 year old kerosene tank wagon
- Old Circus Wagon
- 76 year old dray
- A veteran “home on wheels” for nomadic trainmen
- One-horse shay or carriage
Towards the back of the museum through glass panels, you can see inside a large room dedicated to model railways and trains.
This room isn’t open to the public but it’s still interesting to see the workings of these detailed train sets in action.
3. Ride the Miniature Train Ride
If you want the full train experience, you can also ride the miniature train ride at Travel Town Museum. This short railway loops you around the museum grounds twice and is a popular attraction for families with small children.
Train ride fair:
- $2.75 per person
- $2.25 for seniors over 60
- $2.25/person for groups of 20 or more people
This is a fun little activity to add on for the little ones. The inner kid in me wanted to climb aboard but Nathan wasn’t too fond of the idea. Cramming into a small train cart with a bunch of noisy kids didn’t seem to excite him. Weird, right?
It’s obvious who is still the kid at heart here.
4. Reserve A Spot for the Docent Tours
If you want to learn more about the trains and historical equipment, sign up for the Docent Tour. Tours are held 2nd Saturdays of the month from 11:00am – 3:00pm.
During the tour, you will be guided by Docent Interpreters who provide historical information, lectures, and stories about the museum’s locomotives.
This opportunity is great if you want to dive deeper into the history of these trains and have the ability to ask any questions you might have.
You also get the chance to visit a real dining car, Pullman Sleeper, and the famous club car “The Little Nugget.”
5. Enjoy a Relaxing Picnic
Lastly, you can have a picnic on one of the many grassy areas of the museum grounds. There are a few picnic benches to post and enjoy lunch while viewing the locomotives.
Or if you have a special event, you can call to reserve a space for birthday parties or other large gatherings.
If we had known bout these picnic areas prior, we would have definitely brought a packed lunch to enjoy at the park!
Travel Town Museum Is One of the Best Free Museums in Los Angeles
Travel Town Museum in Los Angeles was much more than I expected for a free day at the park. This small museum is fun for both adults and children alike.
Spend part of your day learning the history of the many historical vehicles, climb aboard a real vintage train, and take a small train ride around the museum grounds. A great location for those looking to learn more about the incredible machinery humans have created and how it’s changed our history.
Free can’t get much better than this.
For more free adventure, be sure to visit our favorite place in Griffith Park, The Old LA Zoo. Only 7 minutes away, you can explore an abandoned zoo filled with empty animal cages along with a few hiking trails.
Have you had the chance to visit Travel Town before? What did you enjoy most while here? We’d love to know in a comment below!
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