We were visiting North Platte on the way to Denver and checked Yelp, TA, and Atlas Obscura for things to do and see and this place had some great reviews and comments. Plenty of parking, and a little bit off the main drag, so it was not too crowded. The girl at the front desk was very helpful and took the AAA discount. When I went to purchase some gifts there was a YELP Discount offer which she had not seen that before, she ended up giving it to us, but I think she didn't know how to ring it up in her system. I should have brought my camera, but at least I got some pictures with my cell phone. Some great views of the trains nearby and the surrounding area. There is a lot of information about trains, history, WWII, and the area. A neat place to visit in North Platte for sure. There is a fee to get in but you get to see everything inside and you can take an elevator to go to 2 different observation levels, which have a lot more information and history, and offer 2 different vantage points. There is also a train car outside on the ground level, as wells as a small wooden train, and a bunch of state flags with some interesting facts on the base of each flag. read more

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Everyone at this tower was super friendly. All of the employees were nice and informative about everything there. We only paid $10 for our ticket to go up the tower and it was a very pretty view. They told us that we could come back all day with the ticket so if we wanted to get food and come back and picnic there we could! The view from the tower was really nice and the tickets they gave us was like a train ticket so it's really cute. A very good stop! read more

Golden Spike Tower - A picture from the tower! - Museums Near Me - North Platte, Nebraska

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The Golden Spike Tower has 2 observation decks over looking the rail yard. You take an elevator up to the top, one observation deck is enclosed, the other is outside. Very interesting learning and watching all the train and tracks. They have a nice gift shop if your looking for a few souvenir. This was a nice pit stop while driving across the state. read more

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Extremely interesting. Never knew this existed so learned a lot. The staff in the museum was great in answering questions

We stopped at the Golden Spike Tower on our way to Colorado on a family vacation (from Nebraska). My three year old is train obsessed and we thought it would be a great way to break up the trip. He liked the train by the entrance and the wooden train out back probably more than the observation tower, which does cost money. Adults are $8 and my son was free. I think for older train enthusiasts this would be great! You do get a nice view of the train yard and there are bits of history planted around the tower. There is also a gift shop. Don't miss the play area in back with the flags. At the watch Golden Spike Observation Tower you see the action of Union Pacific Railroad sorting and connecting over 10,000 cars a day on a classification hump yard, with nearly 120 bowl rows and 400 tracks. The largest hump yard in the U.S.! read more

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Clean, modern and well maintained. That's a lot more than you can expect from most of the tourist traps positioned along I-80. Our kids (who claim they like trains) were bored in 30 seconds flat. That isn't a lot of mileage for the admissions cost. My wife said the elevator smelled like weed. I didn't notice, but you can't rule it out due to the proximity to Colorado. Cool, but unless you really like trains or are looking for the cleanest bathroom in town, I can't recommend it. read more

My only reason for 1 star is that we drove 2 1/2 hrs to find the doors locked. I called and was told they were doing inventory and that, that info it had been posted a few times. I assumed facebook, so I check because the website site otherwise. What I found were 2 posts, one at 4m and one at 14 hrs, which would have been after 9 pm the night before. I had previously called and was told Jan2 and the facebook page said the same. I checked again after leaving and all facebook posts stating the 2nd had been removed. It was the lie that received the 1 star. read more

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Stopped here after reading some reviews from Yelp and trip advisor. This is an amazing piece of history as well as an important part of transportation of goods across the country. It's amazing how transformational this one location is for Union Pacific and the US. Their staff is extremely nice and very knowledgeable. Eldon showed us around answered all of our silly and sometimes stupid questions all while providing the history and workings of this place. If you have a chance stop in in for a little education both historical and current. I'm glad I made the trip to come check this place out. Make sure to peruse the gifts for that perfect birthday, holiday or souvenir for your loved ones. read more

Golden Spike Tower - Museum and shop - Museums Near Me - North Platte, Nebraska

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This place is great! Historical and educational value for all ages, not to mention the sheer size of this place! Pay the $10 to visit the observation deck. Also, one of the best gift/souvenir shops anywhere! You will be fascinated! read more

While this place is a short drive off the highway, the scenery to it was nice. The lady that greeted us at the Tower was very informative and helpful. Restrooms were clean. Gift shop offers many choices. Be sure to go to the observation decks. Gary, the volunteer, has so much knowledge. We really enjoyed talking with him. This is a great place to stop and stretch your legs while taking in some railroad history. read more

Golden Spike Tower - Entrance - Museums Near Me - North Platte, Nebraska

This is a must-see attraction for everyone - but especially for train lovers. I didn't learn of this attraction until recently or I would have had it on my bucket list. This is the world's largest rail classification and sorting yard and is over 8 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide. The Golden Spike Tower offers a 7th-floor open-air viewing platform and an 8th floor enclosed viewing area. There are "guides" (appeared to be mostly retired railroad employees) on the 8th floor to explain what you were seeing and to answer any questions. From the tower, you can observe the operation of both "humps" used to sort rail cars and can actually watch them putting together trains. One hump handles east-bound trains and the other handles west-bound trains. For train lovers and non-train lovers alike - it's fascinating to watch. The tower and switch year is located about 5-6 miles off I-80 and you need to follow a bit of a circuitous route to get there. But the "get directions" feature in Yelp got me there with no problems. If you're a train lover - put this on your bucket list now. read more

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Saw road signs and love trains so decided to stop in. The main visitor center lady was super helpful and nice and marked up a map so we could find the rail yard. Got here and there are cars in the lot, people in the store but it's locked and the open sign isn't lit. There are no hours posted so we were confused and waved at the people inside thinking maybe we were at a wrong door. She came and nicely told us they were closed NYE and NYD for inventory. This NYE is a Sunday and a top travel day so doesn't seem like a great business decision to be closed on a huge travel day. Plus most businesses stay open for inventory, we just wanted to see the trains. Maybe let the Visitor Center know so she doesn't send people over? read more

The golden spike tower was a nice experience. The views of the railyard really were very cool, but the orphan train museum was more of a display case than a museum. However, it was a nice place to visit on our way through town. read more

Golden Spike Tower - Orphan train exhibit - Museums Near Me - North Platte, Nebraska

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If you're into trains, THIS is the place to be! If not, it's still a cool stop to make. Being from Iowa, the appeal of trains is low. We grew up around them, hearing them, seeing them, getting stopped for an hour waiting for them, etc. However, it is kind of cool to overlook this large rail yard and learn a little history. The workers were friendly and the gift shop was adequate. Go see the museum and trains if you're into it, if not, try it anyway just to say you have been there! Happy sightseeing Yelpers! read more

Golden Spike Tower - Museums Near Me - North Platte, Nebraska

This was a great midway stop on a trip across Nebraska. We paid a reasonable cost to go to the top where we were delighted to meet Lynn, the volunteer who was so knowledgeable about how everything worked, how the economy had affected the quantity and flow of the trains over the years, the history of the train industry, and so much more. We could have listened to him sharing for hours had we had the time. The views were great. The little guy enjoyed the displays inside the tower, though there weren't very many hands-on things for him to do. Might be basic for a train expert, but for we three newbies it was a great stop. read more

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A must see if you are even remotely interested in railroading. Provides an excellent view of Union Pacific's sprawling operations of this huge sorting yard for transcontinental trains. Lots of useful information and the staff are friendly. read more

Golden Spike Tower - Golden Spike Tower - Museums Near Me - North Platte, Nebraska

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The golden spike is so fun to go to while traveling across the state it's a perfect pit stop

The Golden Spike Tower overlooks the largest train yard in the world. it is over 8 miles long and processes over 300 trains a day! They rebuild locomotives and all other aspects of the train. The tower allows one to oversee all these happenings, and get an inkling of the scope of the operations here in North Platte. The tower has both enclosed and open areas for viewing. There is a video about the yard and the tower. Be sure to see the movie before proceeding to the elevator. Small displays on 1, 6, and 7. Stop and read some are real tidbits of history that really show mans humanity and inhumanity to man. It was gripping. Learn about the North Platte Canteen, and the Orphan Trains. Two incredible bits of our US history. read more

A winning nonprofit organization! For the railroad enthusiast, well worth the visit! Volunteer docents are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about train operations! The hospitality and small town feel contribute to the enjoyable experience! The view is spectacular! read more

Golden Spike Tower - Museums Near Me - North Platte, Nebraska

I haven't especially been a railroad fan, but grew up with a railroad track running behind my house. I find the sound of running trains comforting, and this place appealed to me. I was not disappointed. I found the history video very interesting, and the retired railroad employee volunteers charming and informative. The Bailey yard was fascinating! As an aside (or maybe the reason for your family to visit), I'm a special education teacher. I've worked with boys with autism who LOVE trains, and I know they would totally love this place. I asked one of the volunteers if they get many special needs visitors, and he smiled. He shared several stories of wonderful encounters he has had with exceptional visitors. For us, it was a great visit! read more

Golden Spike Tower - Museums Near Me - North Platte, Nebraska

Really neat place to stop along I-80. We tend to like trains in our family, so we enjoyed this a great deal. The Visitor Center is set up well, and there's an nice little intro video to watch before you take the elevator up to the observation decks. Floor 8, the top floor, is an enclosed museum-like space. There was a gentleman up there answering any and all questions for those of us looking out the windows. He was very knowledgeable, and very personable. It was clear to me that he enjoyed the subject, and liked sharing it with us. It's hard to have a bad time talking with people like that. We loved him. Floor 7 is the open-air observatory. Very cool, but we missed the guy talking upstairs :). There's a nice gift shop I. The Visitor Center, and the folks working there are also great. Overall, this is a cool place to check out in Nebraska. read more

I am not a railroad fan, but I enjoyed the Golden Spike. Perhaps because I know less about trains, I learned more. I had no idea what a clasification yard was and how they assembled trains. I had never thought about how trains of coal cars from Colorado get to the destinations that need them. I found that facinating and you sure need the height and explanations in the tower to understand what you would miss from the ground. To me it was worth the price. read more

An amazing place. If you are into trains and train activities, this is a must see. The observation tower gives an excellent perspective of the entire 8 mile long facility. I learned things of which I was not aware. The volunteer guide in the tower was very patient and allowed us to ask many questions about the yard and trains in general. Even if train activities are not interesting to you, you should stop to get an idea about the incredible efficiency trains bring in moving products across country. read more

I'm a railroad fan. When traveling, a railroad museum is a perfect excuse for me to stop. I wish I wouldn't have stopped, and paid, for my time here. :-( I had known about the Bailey Yard, the world's largest railroad sorting yard, for a while now. Driving cross country on I80, I was essentially following the original transcontinental railroad. While at the the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, IA (a recommended stop), I found out about the Gold Spike Tower when I picked up pamphlet. Was good to see that the Union Pacific was making the most of some free public relations as there was no price mentioned on the pamphlet. Nor any price mentioned on the web site (http://goldenspiketower.com/index.php). Was dismayed then when I arrived at the Golden Spike and they wanted $6. Ugh. But since I'm here, why not? What the $6, for adults and less children, buys you is an elevator ride to the windowed 8th floor. While there is some printed information available, it wasn't enough. Was only a bit more interesting than watching a slow moving 18 lane traffic jam. The only bright side to the museum was a number of volunteers that one could ask questions of. Unfortunately they didn't have presentations so if one didn't have a base to start asking questions, the volunteers weren't of much use. In all, I spent about 45 minutes at the "museum" including using the bathroom. I wish I would have used the 45 minutes to drive further west and would have just used a rest area's bathroom. read more

I work in the railroad industry, so this place was a must see for me while working in Nebraska. The Bailey Yard is HUGE, and going up to the observation deck (stairs or elevator) is the best way to appreciate the actual size of the yard. The next floor down has several informative displays, along with a live feed of the yard and coin operated viewers/binoculars. There was an attendant, and he was a local with some interesting stories to tell. The Bottom floor has some nice displays and a gift shop with t shirts, toys, books, and railroad paraphernalia of all sorts. They also have drinks and snacks. Admission is $6, and worth it. read more

We had a great time here. My son loves trains, so we stopped by. The tower has an impressive view of the trains. The person working upstairs was very knowledgeable about the trains as well. The shop downstairs was wonderful as well. We were disappointed the train car was closed for renovation, but this happens. We will stop back when it is open. read more

This was a fun and fascinating stop on a family road trip. It's a bit of a drive to get out there, but then again everything is farther apart the farther you get out west. The staff was friendly and the enclosed viewing area with a former train engineer was a great place to sit with a cup of coffee and learn all you ever wanted to about trains and the industry in the United States. We had young kids with us and they enjoyed it to. I would recommend to those that are already interested in trains. read more

Honestly, I could spend a whole day here, with no regrets. BUT, you have to like this kind of stuff- I'm neither WERB nor Foamer (google 'em), but I LOVE Commerce, and to see how our stuff is Sorted and Sent is truly awesome. Rail is one of the last analogue industries we have, and you will view its Nuts & Bolts in full working order from this Tower. Such an intricate ballet, with Multi Ton Railcars gliding down a gentle slope to couple with their eventual destinations. read more

Great experience. Staff was very friendly and Gary gave me a great education about the yard and all that goes on there. Definitely worth a trip. read more

We were traveling through NE on our way back to AR from CO. We spent the night in North Platte. Saw this museum on a sign in the hotel and decided we'd try it the next day. Admission was resonable. My wife is from a railroad family and I have done contracting work for Union Pacific before so we had a few relative ties to want to come here. The museum was OK, the fact that we got to see the largest railyard in the world was cool. Wish we'd had time to do the corn maze made into a UP logo. The gift shop was the highlite. Got our daughter a cool toy train for very reasonable price. Would recommend it if you are around the area - but probably not a destination venue. read more

Our visit was too short; however, we were able to hear about the orphan trains, a must-see video! We marveled at the views of the world's largest train yard from the GS tower, and wonder how many locals take advantage of watching the sunsets? Must be spectacular! read more

We stopped in because we were on our way home from a vacation in Colorado and it seemed a good point to get the kids out of the car for a bit. The lady working the gift shop register made us wonder if it had been a mistake to pay what seemed a pretty high price to look at trains because she seemed annoyed to have visitors. The gift shop and video about UP there aren't anything real special and the outdoor viewing platform was obviously cold on a breezy day. Once we got to the 8th floor which is enclosed viewing it was all worth it. The view of the railyard was wonderful but you need some binoculars to really see what's going on because the yard is so large and the tower is kind of centered on it. There was a very knowledgeable retired employee of Union Pacific on the 8th floor and he explained everything we wanted to know and told us a ton of interesting things we'd have never thought to ask about. There were some kiosks for the kids to click around on and keep themselves occupied with when their attention spans for train talk dwindled but ours hadn't. Allow at minimum an hour for this and really if the fellow that was there the day we stopped in is there you could devote half the day and you'd still not have given yourself enough time. read more

World's largest classification "hump yard" - no, strike that, TWO "hump yards" in one. If you've ever seen a train and wondered where they are going, how they get there, and how it all gets put together, this place and its excellent volunteers will teach you the answers. Great views of the plains, cool views of the "hump yards," sorting, classification and repair facilities. Personally, I just like to say "hump yards." FYI, the "hump" of the "hump yard" is an elevated mound from which individual rail cars roll down hill, through a series of switches, to be sorted - or classified - to the track designated for its particular destination. There are two humps, oodles of tracks, dozens of locomotives and hundreds of railcars here. Fascinating peek into the arcane business of freight trains. Curiously enough, our guide had no railroad experience - but was a life-long model train buff, which was appropriate because watching the "hump yard" from this height was kinda like watching the world's largest model train set. And for those people who complain about the prices, I've paid two or three times as much to go to the top of really tall buildings in big cities and learned a lot less than I learned here. Truly unique experience. Highly recommended. Informative and fun. read more

This stop was a lot of fun. The intro movies were very interesting (one on the railroad and another called the Canteen Spirit that goes on for 60 minutes). The information was good, but the views were awesome! There is an outdoor 7th floor and an indoor 8th floor. The volunteers on the 8th floor were great at answering the questions we had. There was some good information about the area's history on the 8th floor as well as on the main floor. We enjoyed watching the Bailey rail yard. We liked the various stories/ histories of people that were involved. Allow 1 1/2- 2 hours without watching the hour long Canteen video. read more

I thought it might be exciting to view the worlds largest train yard , but it really wasn't . Number you don't have a clue what's going on and the hump yard is just watching single cars way in the distance roll by themselves....whoop-ee ! I can't believe even after paying to go up to the 7th floor which is the outside viewing area that that charge people to look into their stationary binoculars. I had forgot my own binoculars but after seeing with my eyes it wasn't worth the trip back to the parking lot. $6-7 isn't worth the view in my opinion to go to the top, heck go on Google Earth and you'll understand it way better. I kinda thought that the top floor was actually part of control central and might have a little area where they could explain how a train system works etc....but it was nothing. The volunteers who work there are very nice people and can answer your questions but so can Wikipedia. It's not their fault it's all set up that way it's the Multi-billion dollar Railroad who I guess needs more money. I rate this as disappointing . read more

This is a great place for the railfan. You can go to the 8th floor and see the world's largest rail yard through glass if the weather's bad. Or you can go to the 7th floor and get an open view-great for pics or shooting videos. There is a gift shop and restrooms in the tower. Admission is $7, but well worth it. My only gripe is it is not open after dark so you can get a good night view. read more