Reviews of N.C. Transportation Museum (Museum)

David W. Calhoun

The train is how Salisbury became what it is today. Even Food Lion in the early days and still now uses trains to keep their warehouse full. People use it for transportation and it is still a work horse for the distribution of goods and services. Sometimes this place offers special events that are really good for Salisbury. I highly recommend this place for a visit. Trains may not be as fast as the airplane. But without them some cities around the USA would not have developed. Salisbury North Carolina is one of those type cities. Enjoy your railroad Museum. No matter how many history classes you have been a part of in your lifetime. Folks will still learn something that you did not about trains and transportation. Like me you may fall in love with the train all over again. That's not such a bad thing enjoy your transportation museum visit.

Ternell McMillian

Cool place. My son loved it.

Tim Marshall

Love this place ❤️❤️. We are members and go here at least once or twice a month. Would recommend everyone to go lot of history of planes cars and trains

Signal Man

The staff was great, well informed, and eager to share their information. Lots of exhibit space. The roundhouse tour is informative. Many old steam locomotives to see. Budget at least a half day, but a full day is required if you are into thus topic. I will definitely be returning with my family.

Charlie Ashby

Great place to take your family on the cheap. Kids love trains

Brandon Jeffcoat

Alot of really cool stuff at the museum and family oriented fun.

Meredith Bost

The actual train ride was very disappointing. The museum part was spacious for my 2 and 4 year old to run around. Entrance cost seems pricey for what you get.

Scott Dougherty

great place to visit came for the all ford show lots of nice cars to ser

Rose Detweiler

We took our 2 grandsons. They really enjoyed it, especially the train ride

Wayne D

This Museum was well maintained and had something for everyone. There are trains, planes and cars. I love industrial sites, and this one was exceptional. The engine shed was incredible, the trusses and size was a dramatic. I enjoyed experience.

Terry Campbell

Great place to visit for the whole family. Lots of parking and lots to see. Train ride was fun and the round house is amazing. They have a trolly to help you get around this huge area. Lots of old cars to look at also. The volunteers here are very friendly and eager to assist you and answer questions.

Esmeralda Alfaro

I have been in a wheelchair for three months and have not been able to get out during that time. My husband found this museum to be wheelchair accessible and he took me. We got to enjoy the train ride and we were able to enjoy the rest of the museum because my wheelchair was able to get through everything. Thank You.

Arnold Smith

Awsome very accessible. Really great place to take kids to sre

John Porter

Went here to get away and pick up on some history.. Loved every minute of it. The host was nice and very informed. She new her stuff.

Jil Elise

Wide variety of vehicles. Great day trip.

Rhonda Herring

Fun experience! We'll definitely be back for the Polar Express ride!

Charris Bradshaw

It has been about 20 years since the last time I have visited. The expansion was quite impressive. The additional tours were great for those who like to step into history.

Megan Smoot

Great place for all generations of family to explore. The train ride was fun!

Josh Bustle

This was our first time visiting during the Fire Truck Festival. We had a great time and there were some amazing trucks and equipment on site. The train round table and museum area was amazing as well. Definitely a good, fair priced, family fun destination if you've never been. There is a lot of history here!!

Lisa DeWitt

Great place for kids. My son loves to come here and see the exhibits. We enjoy walking through and around these giant locomotives.

Pat Connell

Take a train ride and walk through buildings viewing cars, trains and planes a great day trip with family. Watch how the town of Spencer was part of transportation history.

Jonathan Hill

We had a blast and got to ride on the 611!

Mike Willard

This museum has a primary focus on trains from the past century, including the largest turntable and roundhouse in the East. Admission is charged, but it is not much, and a short train ride can be added for an additional fee. Fun place for both children and adults.

Y Fry

It was a great first time experience. I would definitely do it again!

Timmy Cochran

Wonderful stop to a great weekend trip. A must see in cooler weather though, as some of the buildings are not air conditioned. The train ride was a blast and we will be back to visit again!

anthony meeks

A variety of different vehicles as well as a few air craft. Seem to be adding more train displays that you can actually walk through. Train ride isn't the greatest but still fun for kids. I've heard the polar Express train ride is good at Christmas.

Graham Mozingo

Great place to go for Kids and Kid @ heart. Love Trains and automobiles

Janet Stancil

Everyone was so nice and friendly. Very clean. Lots of fun, entertainment and history. Will go back and recommend to others.

Brian Mowers

Took my grandson for his first train ride. Everyone had a great time!

Ron Fauconniere

Great piece of history from another era.

Dewayne Ray

Great place to explore and fun for the kids also. They have everything form steam to diesel trains on display. Make sure to check out the roundhouse and the working shops where repairs and restoration are currently underway.

Mallory Oosterhouse

After two years of attending The Polar Express at this same location, we decided to try A Day Out With Thomas and we were blown away. The site recommended arriving 1-1.5 hours before your scheduled ride, we have a train loving boy so we arrived 2.5 hours before and still didn't do everything. We loved that we could explore the grounds and exhibits. During Polar this was not the case and we drive 2 hours to attend. Thomas was enjoyable from the rides, the history, to all we could do. Check and plan for weather and pack according. We loaded up on sunscreen and water today and decided when leaving that next year we are skipping Polar and coming back for a Friday (less packed) Thomas!

Matthew Helms

It is great that the are trying to preserve the past. We went to the "movie star cars" and the organization to the event was great.

Dennis Dalton

Self guided facility, very interesting with a wide variety of vintage autos, trains, busses. Most exhibits are not explained, which is unfortunate. Bring sunscreen and be prepared to walk several minutes from parking area to exhibits.

June Hysell

Attended the Pops at the Post concert. A nice venue for this annual event...at least until construction of the new Bell Tower Park in Salisbury is completed. We have been to other special events here. A very interesting place to have events.

Marie Bates

Awesome, friendly staff. Fun day trip. Be sure to check out their events. There's always something fun happening there.

Stephanie Cupp

Great piece of history we enjoy coming here for the special events like the fire truck show/parade, Thomas and the Polar Express. Highly recommend for kids but definitely enough to keep adults entertained as well.

Edward Mcgrath

Affordable, lots of walking , hot as hades this day we went . Still fun ...

Jesse Safir

This museum is GREAT! We always go for Day Out With Thomas and Percy and love all the activities they have setup. The museum buildings have incredible old vehicles and the roundhouse has an amazing display of old trains! It's just magical!

Carole Miller

This was an ok place. There were about 60 old cars and trucks and trains. The train ride wasnt much but it was a brief ride. The best part was the round about where they used to get the trains on the tracks. Theres a lot of space here they could do a lot more with. Good place for kids.

Maria Fernanda Hurtado F

I liked the museum very much. I love how the different kinds of transportation vehicles have there, they are not junk instead they are in the museum.

Dale Shepherd

If you like old cars trains and planes it's a really neat place check it out

Charles Gillam

It was a great place and was fun to and got to see a lot of different things...

Samantha Riggins

Great staff great places to go good trains to look at low prices I recommend you going there

Wanda Jones

We enjoyed reviewing the history and looking at cars, trucks, trains and airplanes of yesteryear. Rode the train and round table. Great day..

James Roberts

Well organized, good variety. Great special events

The Carolinian Railfan

The NC Transportation Museum is a great place to go to. The museum has a historic collection of locomotives in the large Bob Julian Roundhouse. I have visited this place multiple times and it is an outstanding operation. If you take a visit here, you won't be disappointed.

Tom Surig

Work in progress. Keep up the good work.

Donna Coco

Great place in history. See the history of trains and transportation. Kids love trains and the big kids love trains. Good gift shop. See the trains being renovated/refurbished. Trains are main theme but have cars, trucks, and more.

Charles Baylis

An experience you will definitely remember. A great place for the whole family. Very interesting to be able to see a train repair and restoration shop, and also take a train ride.

Tom P

Historic place. Lots of cool stuff and way bigger than I expected.

All things Statesville NC with Sonya Leonard Homes

Took the family on the Polar Express train for Christmas. The kids just loved it. We went to the early show and I would recommend the one after dark as the lights are so pretty and you cannot see out the windows during the ride. Would need to book way in advance though. Worth the price!

Kendria Pierce

We came to ride Thomas and Percy. We had a great time! Everyone was very nice. It was a great event.

Kris Ruangchotvit

Went for the Thomas Train event. Cool grounds too. We enjoyed the round train dome garage. They have old classic cars as well to view.

Bill Bauer

Enjoyed our visit. Inexpensive for a lot to see. Lots of trains.

Jsax 1970

Not a special exhibit day but nice educational walkabout. Kids liked the Fords.

Robin Howard

We had a wonderful time at Day out with Thomas. It was very well organized. There was a lot to do. Our 5 year old granddaughter had a blast.

PHIL'S WORLD TRAVEL

Spencer Came by Train Once the largest steam locomotive repair center in the region, a so-called back shop, this facility was named after the first president of the Southern Railway Samuel Spencer. The complex consisted of a machine shop, a storehouse and office building, a wood working shop and a combined smith and boiler shop. Even a separate power plant was part of it! An automobile repair facility existed there as well as a huge 37-bay roundhouse, and over 2,500 employees found work there. The town of Spencer, NC was developed in 1905 to become home to the complex and it workers. So if you are an enthusiast of or are just interested in railway history in general and in respective technologies in particular this place is definitely for you! The museum is like an hour out of Charlotte, NC and you can enjoy a historic train ride and tour some most interesting exhibits with railway relics on the 60-acre site. Families with children are invited to spend a "Day Out With Thomas", the classic storybook engine there... The only thing we missed was a somewhat higher quality of the gift shop merchandise. We at PHIL'S WORLD TRAVEL recommend a visit to the the NC Museum of Transportation to everyone visiting this region.

Nicholas Efstathiou

What a nice place to take the kids. We rode the train to the round house and the self guided tour around the complex. We spent about 3 hours here and were not board. The kids enjoyed playing in the kids area as well. We will be coming back for the Polar Express Experience as well as Thomas the Train Ride.

carroll hill

Grandson loves trains. We have been members for 5 years. Visit at least 10 times per year. Best value for money anywhere.

Thomas Elswick

Great place to spend the day with the family.

Plymouth Ruckingberg

2 weeks ago I went over to this museum for some time away from home, and holly heck was the trip worth it. The Staff were their on the day I traveled, the experience of the round house, back shop and flue shop was highly antique-ish, there were a few things to interact with, for example you could climb in the cab of one of the steam locomotives, specifically No. 1031 if you are wondering, there was simulation where you could take the controls of a diesel locomotive, which when I got there it wasn't functioning, and loads of more. The train ride and turn table rides are worth the money too. Overall, this is a wonderful place to go to for every one of all ages, young or old.

Sunny Everhart

We loved walking through some old rail cars.

bryan mcgavis

Fun place you have to ride the train.

F Sanders

Get ready for walking in miles, it's pretty big land to explore. So, it was fun to visit. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the train ride. I guess since I went to Monticello, IL, so the train ride there is lot longer than this one. The big win was the turn table. Still had fun with the kids!

Patty Martinez

Wow! Hidden gem? This place has so much more to offer than it would appear from the front! We spent hours here, there is so much history around every corner, there are so many opportunities for pictures. Perfect, seriously, for the train lover. They also have so many different automobiles. The establishment is so well kept. Definitely worth our time!

PR Queen

We truly enjoyed I wish I had found it a bit earlier in the day to spend more time in the premises and town!!!

Ashlee Molisee

Had a great time. If you are into nostalgia, this is for you! Our younger kids in the group were not that into it. There is a lot of walking, but there Is a lot to see!

Caleb Oosterhouse

We went today with our three year old and arrived a few hours before train ride one of two. There is SO much for kids to explore, we will block out even more time next year. Previously we have taken a two hour drive here for Polar Express but after experiencing a Friday of Day Out with Thomas, we think we will just come back for this. We spaced our rides and spent 5 total hours at the Museum and our little guy still didn't want to leave. The activities, being able to explore all of the grounds, and the Thomas experience made today an awesome family day. We highly recommend.

Irene Peterson

Wonderful knowledge and history on the Southern Railroad - very interesting exhibits.

taushia connell

Great place for the family. My kids loved it

Allen Free

Interesting place with alot of exhibits

McMannis Photographic

This has been one of our favorites for many years. The museum has put their admission fees and donations to excellent use and year after year have made improvements and added new attractions. Their partnerships with local group such as the local rc flyers has yielded some excellent exhibits that capture the attention and imagination of young and old alike. Can't wait to see what the future brings!

Ian Savigar

Lots of things to see. Educational, interesting. Easy access and nice atmosphere about the place..

NaToya Dingle

The staff/crew makes this a very enjoyable experience!! From the moment I pulled onto the property, I was greeted with smiles and warm hellos. I took my son to the Day with Thomas event and had fun and I'm not even that interested in trains. I most enjoyed seeing the vintage train cars. I also like that the entire grounds is clean and family friendly.

Sterling Seals

What a great place to take the family if you love trains. The people who work there are very helpful and they have added a lot of new displays.

Keith Lowe

I love these types of museums, probably not the best for younger kids (under 6). They had a great variety of things to see and learn.

Bob Schwingel

This is a fantastic place to visit, bring the family and enjoy riding the train and seeing old steam engines and some beautiful Diesel engines. There is a kids play area, some vending machines and a super gift shop.

Duane Cress

Very nice walking tour. Volunteers run the train, great job! Very educational toy of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. For $12 tour and train ride is a bargain! Resting place for rare 2-10-0! Train enthusiast will know what that means?

Leslie Milner

We visited again this year for Day out with Thomas. As always it was a blast. The whole group at the museum were friendly and helpful.

Andrew Bryan

Such a fun place and extremely well kept and maintained. I grew up going here as a kid and it is one of the few places I was pleasantly surprised to come back to and have it even nicer than my memories.

Jonathan Sites

We have been to the transportation numerous times. This is a great place to take your kids, especially when they have an event going on. We recently went when they had the fire trucks. Had a ton of fire trucks to look at and activities set up for our children to do. Was a bit crowded so if it’s your first time visiting it may be better to go on a regular day to be able to see all exhibits easier.

Karan Berry

Wonderful, interesting place to visit. Plenty to look at and explore. We had a wonderful time yesterday at the Brew Chooooo!

LaKeana Hampton

My family enjoyed A Day Out With Thomas. The special event days are awesome!

dustin gray

Great visit today. Thomas the train and Percy made an appearance. My son absolutely loved it. I grew up around trains so the huge round house and museum was awesome !

Kelly Lowe

What a fun day out with the little ones. There's so much to see and do!

David Evanoff

A very interesting museum specializing in transportation, mostly ground with a couple airplanes. The trains are the reason to come, the old steam engines are incredible. Plan on doing some walking the site is vast.

Jason Colepaugh

Amazing place great staff, amazing cars, trucks ... awesome trains. Nicely restored roundhouse and locomotives. Check there website for special events (trains and tractors, fire truck weekend, and of course Thomas the tank engine for kids!!)

Brenda Haines

Always something new. Had a great time. Will go again and again.

Norem Dana

This was an absolutely amazing day trip. The train ride was very nice and the guided tour at the roundhouse was comfortably paced and very informative. The price is very reasonable and they have an awesome gift shop.

Brown Family

Four kids, ages 3-10. There was a lot to see, spread out over a few blocks. There are multiple Trolley stops along the way to take you from one place to the next. The kids enjoyed seeing all the old cars and the plane. We rode the train in August with temperatures in the 90's. It was too hot in the train car (we opted for the windows down w/ no AC section), the train doesnt move fast enough to create a breeze, jump in the AC cars. The train horn was very loud and difficult for my noise sensitive kids, we ended up leaving without seeing everything due to the heat and noise. There is a fun play area for the kids with a sandbox and toys, this area is shaded.

Terri Rush

Awesome place..lots of exhibits. Train rides. Wheel chair friendly.

Earl Pough

I love the food it was so good it was my first time

Ashley Thompson

It was fun for the kids! We rode the train, packed lunch and ate at the picnic tables. It's got nice wide paths so it's stroller friendly. Lots of fun trains, cars and planes to see. You can also go inside some of the rail cars.

Henry Hicks

What a great place to take a family! The staff is excellent and very helpful. The museum has a lot to offer for all those train lovers out there. Their are many displays and exhibits other than trains as well. You can make this a short or all day trip, it's up to you. We came on a Wednesday and had the place to ourselves!! Have fun!!

Adam Hutchins

So many fun activities for the kids and lots of friendly faces. They put a lot of effort into the museum. Fun and educational! Part of NC history.

Robert Bole

It's a small museum. Still a work in progress. It doesn't take long to go through, but it's worth the stop and they deserve the support for trying to keep the railroad history of the area alive.

Angel Powell

Me and my 3 year old had a great time. We enjoyed all the old cars. He loved meeting thomas the train and the sandbox. It was a nice day.

Haley Munoz

Great family fun! Have to check out the private train car of Charles Schwab, my favorite! Wonderful rich history preserved. Definitely worth the trip.

Josh McCall

I really enjoyed the train ride, and there are numerous classic cars to imagine yourself driving in. And even a couple planes, one of which is being restored. Come support some NC history!

Joshua Auwater

Really enjoyed the Day Out With Thomas Event. Really improved the museum displays from last year. Keep improving.

Liz Gilbert

We always have a great time here. The train ride is fun and the kids love going in and out of the trains in the museum. There is a kids area with train sets and a large sandbox. They have lots of things to see and learn!

C B

The star of the North Carolina Transportation Museum is the train ride. There are several buildings with lots of steam engines and rail cars to look at which history fans will enjoy. Even though it was extremely chilly the day we visited hardly anyone was indoors except for the building with a bouncy play area. Food is scarce at the exhibition, one small booth with hamburgers & hot dogs & cold drinks. During the train ride we learned that all the conductors and train workers are volunteers, not paid employees. Hats off to their great volunteers! We enjoyed our visit with family that live near Charlotte. This is probably a one time visit for us even though they do sell memberships for people to enjoy repeat trips. No doubt the cool weather impacted our trip negatively.

Crystal Farmer

It's great to see old cars, trains, and even some planes! It's a big place so be prepared to walk. I think a guided tour is worth the money unless your kids already know a lot about vehicles. The model trains inside the big building were really cool.

scrubberjerms

This place is awesome! We go once a year and the people the are super nice. Great assortment of vehicles and much knowledge.

leonard Averitt

Great family fun.. think my son said "look daddy train" atleast 200 times.

Steve Earp

Great place to visit for both young and old. Lots of history to see and touch.

Leeanna

My 6 y.o. is a train fanatic!! He LOVED the museum!! My daughter's did too ages 25 & 17. There's plenty to see and do for an afternoon here.

Fran Gayzik

Very interesting Kids really like the exhibits and hands on displays!

Mallory Smith

Do NOT book the birthday caboose. It was a complete debacle of a birthday party for my little boy turning 3. The caboose was not available for any sort of party set-up. There was NO room for decorations or food. It was blazing hot. Strangers were wandering into the caboose that we paid good money to reserve. No special accommodations we’re made and the caboose was filthy and smelled horrible. It was really embarrassing and no one that I spoke to seemed to have any idea how to help or guide. There was PLENTY of people hanging out in the employee area behind the ticket sale counter. Nothing was communicated properly and the description online is just not accurate.

Range Master

Amazing staff and so much learning. There is stuff for anyone who loves trains,planes,cars and even some boats. So much history about the area and so much to see. Great place for kids and adults of any age. They hold alot of events based for trains and cars. On June 22 2019 they held a first responders day showing off vehicles used by fire,ems,police. Over all an amazing place to learn and explore!

John Lee

Train ride too short. Good for little kids 5 and under.

Scarlett McKibbin

It was easy to get around with my daughter that uses a wheelchair or has to be in her stroller. There were several bathrooms that were easy to get too

Mandalorian Mercs

Outstanding museum gull of history and plenty of attractions for the entire family.

Gloria Torres

My husband insisted on visiting this museum and I am glad we did. It was our daughter's first train experience. Of course, my husband enjoyed the classics and my son could not wait to get his hands on everything he can touch on an old train. I enjoyed reading the history behind each artifact and of course admiring the beauty in the craftsmanship of each car, train and plane.

Irene Gobble

My family had so much fun! Great place!

Ruoyang Yan

Nice location if you are a train fan. You can see a lot of trains here. It’s also a good place to learn the history of NC transportation

Chris Mandeen

What a great place! Big and open. Our two year old enjoyed seeing the big, small, and tiny planes. She really enjoyed playing in the little green train in the Round House. We all loved climbing in the huge steam train. Great place to go in the rain since it's all inside :)

Jerri Church

So many historical cars and trains. Lots of walking, but learned so much and enjoyed our day. The mail train was our favorite

Jada Minrod

A nice display. The cars are in great condition. The steam engines are nice and the turntable ride was cool lol.

Jeff Snyder

Took grandkids to Thomas the Train event and they had a great time

PUE PTA

Very disappointed. Purchased $375 parlor class tickets for this year's ride and the museum will not accommodate an additional 5 year old passenger. Website was not clear for this class of ticket. Bummed considering we spent $735.50 (with taxes and fees ($40)) for two families to ride the train. I highly recommend that this institution consider revising their policies to accommodate passengers (ages 5 and under) when families are paying $325 for a 70 minute train ride. They could even charge an additional fee for children ages 2-5. It is ridiculous that the solution to the issue is "that a family member stay behind because no accommodations will be made" even though I contacted the museum in August, with no call back, prior to purchasing tickets. Look like we will be heading back to the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad next year!

Joni S

So cool. I was told to check this out even if you're not big into trains. It's still fascinating. Beautiful setting and a great kids area too.

Anne Clodfelter

What a wonderful experience! My husband and I visited today for the first time. Very well done and so much history for a low ticket price. Anyone interested in trains, planes, cars, or trucks from days gone by, this is a Must See!! Lots of walking but well worth your time. Also great for kids as there are some hands-on artifacts. A couple of play areas for kids as well as some nice picnic areas. Thoroughly enjoyed the day!

Gyllian Nelson

Had so much fun here! The tickets are so cheap, and it was worth spending only a couple extra dollars to have a quick ride on the train! They have so many neat vehicles stored here, as well as neat exhibits and a quaint gift shop! Also, we can’t remember her name, but an older brunette woman recommended is a place to eat, and we went there and absolutely loved it, so extra kudos to the woman working at the gift shop!!!! You can bring your own food and drinks here, and they have not only great large places to picnic on grounds, but also a shaded picnic area as well! Definitely recommend to everyone to go at least once!

Jeremy H

My wife and I came here for a day trip. We loved every minute of it. There is so much to see and do. I highly recommend this place for anyone who loves trains.

Wes Allman

Been going here since I was a kid! I always had a great time. Just recently took my daughter for the first time. She had a blast!! They have expanded so much over the years. Very happy at what they have done

Jon Lorbacher

The Day Out With Thomas event was a lot of fun! Well staffed, activities for young ages, and great displays in the museum for the older ones. Well worth the trip.

Christine Cade

We had fun on the (short!) train ride and turntable ride. The museum itself had a lot of really interesting things, but they weren't well-labeled. Everything is run by volunteers, so it's impressive what they do have available. We went the Friday before Memorial Day and were surprised there were hardly any visitors.

Phillip D. Tidd

Great place to visit. Enjoyed the Roundhouse best

Kara Duggin

I I have been their before it is a nice place

Linda Hopper

My grandkids really enjoy it.enjoy the short train ride.love seeing all the trains and cars. Good place to spent the day

Franklin Adams

I've been coming here since I was probably 8 or 9 years old. Great family fun and always something new to see.

Chris Loop

Interesting place. Enjoyed the train ride. Very family place. Enjoyed.

Jim

What a great place for transportation aficionados. A serious collection of trains, planes and automobiles. The Round House is huge with real mechanics working on the trains.

Christine Michaels

So much to see planes trains and automobiles. You should plan half A-day if you're really into it

Judi Jetson

The largest, most restored museum of it's kind I've seen. Bravo! But it's a lot of walking, a shuttle service would be nice.

Steven Robideaux

This place was amazing, spent all day looking at so many different trains, planes and automobiles. The Pullman tour was incredible. Karen, our tour guide was so informative, knowledgeable and fun. The best part of the Pullman tour is being able to go into the 1901 luxury car. That was amazing. Took the train ride around the 60 acres and really enjoyed that.