Cool museum depicting the history of railroads and trains in the Pacific Northwest. There are ancient and modern train boogies to walk through, miniature models and play areas for kids. It was an interesting visit. read more

See all

This is a charming stop between North Bend and Snoqualmie Falls, in the town of Snoqualmie. You can reach the museum by train, on the 5-mile train ride that goes back and forth between North Bend and the Falls, or you can reach it by car - there is a parking lot and road access. It's a large facility with multiple train engines and cabooses and the like inside, from different time frames, and with explanation. There is also a gift shop and restrooms. The staff, a lot of which are volunteers, are all friendly and knowledgeable - and very passionate about trains. One of the big focuses of the museum is to show how trains changed the way we do things - not just how we travel but how we eat, everything. This was very interesting and eye-opening. They are currently working on a new exhibit of a miniature train traversing areas of the state, such as the Gorge. It's looking great! Big P.S. Part of what they do is the train ride, I believe. They run most of the year. It's great fun. We did the Twin Peaks fundraiser ride. Staff was great - many clothed in traditional uniforms - and everyone went out of their way to make the experience fun and fulfilling. read more

Northwest Railway Museum - Museums Near Me - Snoqualmie, Washington

See all

I went on the Halloween wine train which was my first time to the museum. The train is cool to ride in and the view of the falls area and valley was really pretty. The museum was interesting to visit and look around in. Overall it was fun to attend an adult only event here! read more

Northwest Railway Museum - Train depot - Museums Near Me - Snoqualmie, Washington

Nothing like good old fashioned nostalgia, especially in the form of rail cars and conductors. That's what get at this historic train station converted into a museum. Most of the 'museum' is on the outside of the station with many old engines and rail cars parked adjacent to the building, still sitting on railroad tracks. Better though is the still operating train that takes folks on short round trip scenic rides through Snoqualmie Valley. Love the sound of the steam horn and the 'choo-choo' of the wheels moving slowly down the tracks. The operating train kinda resembles the Polar Express, so gives you the chills when standing next to it. Relatively affordable ticket price for about a 45-minute train ride. Enjoy! read more

Northwest Railway Museum - Museums Near Me - Snoqualmie, Washington

We were in the area because I wanted to see the falls and decided it would be cool to check out other area attractions. I found this and thought it would be fun. We enjoy all types of museums so figured it was worth a few minutes of our time to see what they had and check out same train cars. There are multiple displays of varying interest around. You can walk on some of the train cars, but not all. Still cool to check them out. The place was pretty empty but it was not a weekend or event. They have some extra things that might interest kids a bit more too. They also have the cute running miniature and I really love minis. It's not going to take a lot of your time as it's not a huge attraction but still worth the stop. read more

See all

Fascinating history of railroading in the Northwest. We stopped in during a trip on the Snoqualmie Railroad. They gave us 25 minutes to look around, and there's a lot to see, need to come back someday and spend more time here. read more

- tiny museum for history & railway lovers - We came here on Sunday when a ton of people just left to ride the train. I believe this is a midway stop for the train ride, and it's not super popular for tourists not riding the train. If you read everything carefully, you can spend 30 minutes here. I read some but I got lazy, so I was here for maybe 15 minutes xD. To be honest, the only history that I enjoyed was Chinese history but that's only because it's 5000 yrs and the chance of weird (or fun) things occur increase with the number of years lol. There are two trains that you can sort of get on and take a look, but otherwise the trains are used as walls to display historical facts or stories. I think it'd be more interesting to come here with little kids as there are children's books here as well. Otherwise it's probably not worth visiting specifically for this museum as it's quite small and won't take an hour of your time. You can combo it with Snoqualmie falls or a tour in Snoqualmie downtown for a cute little date. read more

See all

I had so much fun on the train ride from Snoqualamie to North Bend! The trains are from the 1920s and still in wonderful condition- I felt like I was on the Hogwarts express. The first stop was Snoqualamie falls, which was hard to see since we sat on the wrong side of the train. I would recommend asking one of the volunteers which side the falls are on so you can choose a spot accordingly. The rest of the ride was lovely- great fall colors and a stunning view of the small towns. We also stopped at the museum for fresh hot cider- some of the best I've ever had. There is a cute store inside along with some old trains and cool models of railways. I think it's more for kids, but it was still interesting. The staff was super friendly and everyone had an awesome time on board! Just be sure to use the restroom before you go. read more

See all

Being a southern girl and living directly in front of a major railway in GA utilized by CSX, the Northwest Railway Museum provided so great content about WA railways. Thomas the Train was exceptionally fun my son is telling everyone about his day with Thomas. If you have little ones and are looking for something different and fun to do this is the perfect activity! The museum attendants were all very courteous, and helpful. I plan to return once my parents arrive they really enjoy great museums; I highly recommend! read more

See all

We made a spontaneous stop at the Northwest Railway Museum after visiting Snoqualmie Falls, and it turned out to be a fun, low-key experience. The area has ample parking and is great for kids who love trains. They especially enjoyed running in and out of the old cars. The museum isn't large, and there's not a whole lot to see inside, but the open-air layout and sunny weather made it a pleasant stroll. Restrooms were reasonably clean and there's a small gift shop to browse. Even better, there didn't seem to be any admission fee, which made it feel like a bonus stop. JY review read more

See all

We've been on lots of historic trains. This one is Real bad. Train is falling apart and should be restored. Paint chipping wires and foam coming out of seats.....it's disgusting. Staff is confused and short when asked questions. Would never again. read more

My parents bought tickets for the family to visit Santa Claus at the Northwest Railway Museum. We road a historic train on a trunk line to the Museum and toured the Northwest Railway Museum. A large collection of rolling stock was on display from Pacific Northwest. Our son and his nephew, the target demographic of their grandparents enjoyed the museum but ultimately decided to skip the long line to meet Santa Claus. read more

3.5 stars for Santa train. Agree with other reviewers that this was slightly underwhelming experience. $40 a ticket for short 15 min train ride each way and small museum for an hour waiting in line for Santa. Trains are historic but the seats were truly falling apart in some areas. We had a fun time since we've never been with of it of town family but don't think we'd make this an annual tradition especially when kids older. read more

I stopped by here while I was in the area and it's a good find. You can catch up some history and take some name photos of the trains in the back. They have stickers you can purchase and other gift items. The staff is knowledgeable as well. read more

See all

My hubby and I love trains! Not just model trains but we love riding the rails as well. We've taken Amtrak to Vancouver several times and loved it. When I heard about this train ride to NW Railway Museum we had to check it too. This is a historic and beautiful train. We were were warm and comfortable during the ride. We moved at a nice leisurely pace from North Bend to Snoqualmie Falls, stopped to admire the Falls for a short while, then rode to the NW Railway Museum for another short stop, then back to North Bend. It was incredible. You haven't seen Snoqualmie Falls till you've seen them from the train ride. Even if you're not a train geek like my husband and I, the views alone are worth the trip. Perfectly safe and family friendly too if you have kiddos. read more

See all

If your kids (or you) love choo choos then you absolutely must make a trip out here! Even if you don't like trains the walking experience and the views available from riding the trains are spectacular. There is a large number of trains to look at and climb on at the main stations as well as several unique train experiences throughout the year. Thomas and Friends - happens once or twice a year. Have not experienced a sold out issue yet but times did slim down quickly. The Boo train - will sell out but is fabulous fun! The train with Santa / polar express - will sell out quickly but a wonderful experience for kids and parents Wine trains - when these events happen ditch the kids and come have fun! Volunteer opportunities: this is a hugely volunteer run operation! If you have the time and like to talk to people come down and join the crew they have there! The people who work there honestly are the cherry on top with every experience we've had there. 10/10 would Bring all out of town guests. read more

I was really excited to take my granddaughter on the train, I let her choose between the Halloween or the Santa train. She chose the Halloween train, we were so excited planning our costumes and looking forward to it... I gave two stars only because I love riding trains but the rest of the trip was kind of a disappointment. There was zero interaction with the children, I saw in the description that there would be vintage toys, a hay maze and what looked like Mary Poppins giving a show but all I saw was duplo blocks so the kids could make a train. We got on at the Snoqualmie depot and we started going and I thought ok this is going to be fun especially for my granddaughter very first train ride... but as fast as we started going we stopped and they announced that we were next to Snoqualmie Falls, then we started going back towards the station, we kept going until we got to the museum... it was great seeing the history of the trains, not really geared towards children.after walking around for awhile we heard the train whistle so we went back and the train headed off again this time stopping right by the Nintendo building we sat for a bit then went back to the train station where the ride ended. Unfortunately all I saw were a lot of bored children... they didn't even hand out goodie's I will definitely think twice before I purchase tickets again, very disappointing but we made the best of it read more

I was disappointed in this as it looks so cool and historic from the outside. The museum consists of two very small rooms with information on the wall. There was nothing I saw outside to tell you what it was used for, significant events, etc. I could have missed something I suppose. There just seems to be a lot of history here but not a lot of it explained. The door was closed but the sign read open. Could have fooled me though. read more

Took the family here for a different adventure. Cool riding on an old train. Informative operators and staff were available to answer questions and give some brief history on the trains and area. Great for the kids and for train enthusiasts. Not so much for the mentioned view of Snoqualmie falls. You barely see the tip of the falls through the trees. The view of the valley was nice, but I came to see the Falls from a train, I only got the train part... Train Museum was nice. Lots of vintage items and photos. You can walk through a caboose and the chapel car(it was closed) They have theme train rides also varying on the season. All in all, ok for an afternoon out. For 24$ a ticket it isn't cheap. read more

Northwest Railway Museum - View from the train of the valley. - Museums Near Me - Snoqualmie, Washington

See all

It is a must for little kids and toddlers. Yes, adults can come and have a very good experience too and taking a look to the views. But adults tend to be more critical about chairs, etc. I totally understand that paying a lot for so many tickets, can be something. But also if you just look at the cost of each ticket, it isn't that much. Christmas tickets are more expensive though. As an experience in Halloween and Christmas, I would recommend it. Fog makes it spooky. You feel like Harry Potter and stop on this Museum of Trains. You can look at these old engines and know more about the town's history. You can get hot cider for free. I read some previous reviews that it wasn't enough. I found that there was a lot of waste. People don't finish it out doesn't know how to pour it :( For us, we didn't even drank it. We were more into the museum and saying high to a big spider :D Then just take a trip to North Bend and Snoqualmie Falls (taking a look from the top. Not going down). Yes, view is not perfect. But as winter gets near, you can look at them better (less bushes)). I think that toddlers will have enough and will be ready for the next thing :) I beleive that the second car was the most comfortable and cute. Yes you can go all the way to the front. There is a car with chairs with an open view too. I guess these are open on summer. It would definitely be a great thing to get some chairs recarpeted. Some other cars have wooden chairs making it feel like a real train with different decor. I would like to understand why so many pieces were left next to the road. Were they too heavy to move or not worthy? Why are they still there at the present moment? Can they be used? Parking wasn't bad. We arrived for first train at 11am. read more

*This is for the Santa train ride* Just don't. There is such potential for whoever is "running" this. It's unfortunate for the high schoolers operating it they have to deal with the frustrated customers because of your negligence. The seats, and all of their exposed sharp metal lining, are truly historic. No direction. Nothing to do for children. Cheap cookies. It starts with angry parents and ends with people literally about to take the train over because of how badly run this is. 1 star because negative stars aren't an option. Criminal how bad this is. read more

My wife and I rode the Halloween Train to North Bend and back. The first half of the ride was pretty, as we looked out over the falls and saw kayakers. However, the rest of the ride was disappointing. It felt like a standard train ride, with no sightseeing or special experience. The ride also felt rushed and unorganized, especially when we stopped for people to get off the train. read more

The Santa Train is a seasonal program run by the Northwest Railway Museum annually from late November to mid December. Tickets are bought online and are either mailed or picked up at will call. The site gives a breakdown of how many seats are left for each time slot. Once you arrive at the North Bend Depot there are two lines you can get in, one boards from the back and the other from the front. We opted for the front of the train on both legs. Each train car had different seating and decorations. It was a nice change in scenery from the "city life" being on the train out in the North Bend/Snoqualmie area. The enthusiasm of the kids excited to see Santa was quite contagious and cute. The train ride itself goes by pretty fast. You will arrive at the Snoqualmie Depot in about 20 minutes where you can 1) get in line to see Santa 2) check out the Army Ambulance Kitchen Car and get cookies with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee 3) explore the museum or 4) check out the local shops. You will find yourself spending most of your time waiting in line, but it goes by relatively quickly. It's a great chance to just people watch or chat with your company or other people in line. The ride itself is a little pricey ($27 this year), but I think it was worth it to participate in a Northwest tradition and to help support the museum. Great for families with little ones. read more

See all

Book the SANTA TRAIN! The grandkids loved it...... December 2021!!! Such pleasant staff and something the kids won't soon forget. THANK YOU read more

Northwest Railway Museum - Museums Near Me - Snoqualmie, Washington

See all

What a disappointment! We booked tickets for the Santa train. After a 15 min train ride we stopped at northwest rail museum. No carolers, no Christmas songs on the train, no Christmas atmosphere, Santa line way to long , no activity's , needless to say I was not the only one who felt duped. It felt like the grinch who stole Christmas. Don't bother with this. read more

Took the train ride to the museum to see Santa. Santa was really great. He took ample time to speak to each child and you can take your own pictures. BUT, the train going to the depot was so decrepit. Seats were torn. Really run down. Bathroom at depot was out of toilet tissue with a long line of women waiting to use it. Waiting on line you're sandwiched between old train cars. It's a museum but not much to see but the outside of the train. Not worth the price. The hot chocolate and cookie at the end was a nice touch read more

I'll say that apparently this is a completely volunteer-run operation, but it doesn't really excuse the lack of festive decor, food, music, activities, or basically anything fun for kids on "the Halloween train." It takes two hours overall, and that's a crazy long time for little kids. The train and view aren't that exciting, so there needs to be more going on to occupy them. I expected treats, spooky decorations, train workers in costumes or acting in character. Something! read more

Train-lovers of all ages will enjoy seeing the vintage trains on display at the historic Snoqualmie Depot, originally built in 1890 and restored in 1981. There is no admission (donations accepted) to see the railroad history exhibits in the former gentlemen's waiting room and freight room. A railroad history-themed gift shop (The Depot Bookstore) is housed in the former ladies' waiting room. Public restrooms occupy a portion of the original freight room, and replace the privy originally located just to the east of the structure. To get the full experience of the historic train, you should get tickets to ride the train. "The Snoqualmie Valley Railroad aboard historic railroad coaches through the Upper Snoqualmie Valley along 5.5 miles of the original 1880s Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern Railway. Standard schedule train excursions depart from both the Snoqualmie Depot and the North Bend Depot for a 2 hour round trip including a 30 minute stopover at the Railway History Center for visit in the Train Shed Exhibit Building. Following their Train Shed visit, passengers reboard the train and continue west to the top of Snoqualmie Falls with views of the scenic lower river valley. The train then goes back east with a stop at the Snoqualmie Depot. Passengers may disembark at any stop to visit and catch a later train back to their depot. Trains operate on Saturdays and Sundays, April through October. " (from website). We decided to sign up for the Charles Baker Hydro Museum WINE TRAIN tour with our friends - a 21 & over event. This was a 3.5 hour experience started at the Snoqualmie Depot and included eight tastings of wine from a variety of Snoqualmie valley wineries. We checked in at the Depot and received our wine glasses and drink tickets and enjoyed our first tastings. The train made its usual stops at the museum's Historic Train Shed exhibit building, where there was live music, wine tastings and delicious chocolates from Bohem's Candies, all enjoyed while strolling around to see many more historic trains. The train continued on to the Snoqualmie Falls Hydro Museum - home of the world's first underground hydroelectric plant, built in 1898, where there were more wines and some food prepared by Carnation Farms. We then returned to the depot - entertained by musicians on the train - and received a yummy dessert from the Black Dog Cafe and all the wines we tasted were available to purchase. We thought this was great fun for $49! There are many other special train rides throughout the year, including more wine trains! Information and tickets can be purchased online at the Northwest Railway Museum website: https://trainmuseum.org read more

See all

Fun for the kids. Interesting for the whole family. We visited the museum in conjunction with taking the train from North Bend to the top of Snoqualmie Falls (and back). The train is a historic train used for these "back in time" experiences. We took our two young grandkids and they loved it. The old train cars provide a nostalgic ride through the foothills. Passengers can board the train in either North Bend or at the train depot in Snoqualmie. The train travels slow and stops at the top of the falls where all can view down through the Snoqualmie Valley. The conductors do talk about the train's history as well as the history of the old power station on the Snoqualmie River. Nice way to spend a couple hours. I recommend getting on in North Bend. Fewer passengers boarding the train and gives you more pick of cars and seats on the train. A lot more people get on at the Snoqualmie depot. Sit on the north side of the train for the best valley views. But the train stops and gives everyone a chance to appreciate the view. After viewing the valley, the train stops for 40 minutes at the Train Museum. We got off and had our kids enjoy a quick snack at the picnic tables, allowing everyone else to go through the museum. When we entered, most passengers were headed back to the train and we took our little kiddos through a nearly empty museum. They got to board an old coal locomotive and ask questions of the employees. Everyone was super nice. We still had plenty of time to see the whole museum before the whistle blew to go back to the train. When we stopped back in North Bend, we were included in just a few passengers to de-board there while all the remaining passengers had to wait til the train retraced back to drop them at Snoqualmie. Nice trip! I do think the holiday season Christmas Train would be fun too. Just dress warm cuz the train is likely pretty drafty. read more

Well it's interesting and allows one to reminisce about a time when times were much simpler. The train comes complete with all the creaks and bumps and squeaks of railway cars that at more than 100 years old. It was $18 round trip for the diesel train run from the depot in Snoqualmie to north bend then back to the Snoqualmie depot then to the falls then back to the depot. About 2 hours roundtrip. The view isn't much to look at in most places and you have to be aware not to sit in a seat that might have had a leaky overhead panel. The view of Snoqualmie Falls from the other side is blocked by trees. Since the distance between stopping points is so short, the train doesn't move that fast...but alas it's an old train & is probably more subject to wear and tear. Overall, it's cool that the people that run this are still keeping the history alive and strong and showcase this somewhat archaic brand of travel. You can't buy tickets online and have to buy them at one of the depots. It's worth a go at least once. read more

See all

We didn't go in the actual museum portion of this park, but the area we did go into was quite amazing! They have placed a ton of old train cars throughout the park area and they let kids climb all over them! Located across the street from the main downtown, we had to come take a look at this area because at a very fundamental level, everybody appreciates trains! They had tons of them to look at, and look in as well as good areas for the kids to climb around on. It was like Disneyland for our two little boys... until they figure out what Disneyland is, then we're hosed! There's an actual Northwest train museum is located inside a few of the train cars as well as the stop for the Snoqualmie to North Bend a train. We didn't end up doing either as we had a pretty full schedule, but the place was need enough that we will probably be back to check it out again. If you stop by the town of Snoqualmie, there's no reason you shouldn't let the kids run around here for a while. Perfect place to blow off some steam and to learn about some trains! read more

I had the pleasure of visiting Snoqualmie a few weeks ago via my stay in Seattle. I am an avid photographer and even though it took me almost 2 hours to get there using public transportation and lugging around a 25 pound camera bag, got my photo of the fall and was a happy photographer. I knew nothing about the city but kept hearing people say "That waterfall was from the show Twin Peaks!" which honestly I had never watched, and was also told that the Railway Museum is worth checking out and photographing. Since the bus stop was near the railroad museum and I was hungry and thirsty, I started walking up by the train tracks and also snapping some photos of the trains since they looked nice. Here is where things hit a sour note. Once I got to the Railroad Museum, I thought it was a charming building and took a photo, but I noticed across the street, a security guard was eyeballing me and walking towards me aggresively. There wasn't much going on - just a gazebo and some what looked to be a light stands and other gear on the gazebo. I thought maybe there was a band setting up to play later or perhaps a charming small town bandstand type thing, but nope, it was obvious something was up. Not being from that area, I asked the security guard if something was wrong and was told I couldn't photograph there. Keep in mind, I was on a public sidewalk, there were no signs posted regarding any photography restrictions, and I had not stepped even one step towards the gazebo. The security guard was polite and professional and we had some small talk(which consisted of him asking my name and where I was from and otherwise sizing me up), but he offered no details about what was going on other than to confirm my question of "is there a private event there?". He pointed to the area which was open to photography and said it was ok "there" except that "there" was not very clear, but it was clear across the street from the museum was so I couldn't even go in. At that point, I had a feeling I was being watched so i put my camera away and kept walking wondering what sort of thing I had walked in on. Was it a political event? Was it some sort of military activity? I had no way to know because I wasn't from there. As I kept walking, I saw another security guard in a large parking lot full of trailers talking on his headset- no doubt about me. At that point, I decided to just buy a snack and water from one of the stores there and head back to the big city before I "accidentally" take a picture of the precious gazebo. Later on, I found out that it was just the set of the reboot of Twin Peaks. That's it. All that drama because of the reboot of a 90's show. So I guess the point of this rant is, if this is supposed to be a charming little tourist town with a charming little Railway Museum where they want tourists, they shouldn't freak out when they see a guy with a camera, even if it's a bigger than normal camera. I would have loved to check out the museum but not if I felt like I was going to be harassed and the front of the museum is as far as I could get. I'm sure the city made a bunch of money from the show so tourists' dollars don't matter much in the short term, but next time I'm in the area, I'll just pass right through the town and not spend any money and just go take pictures of nature sites. If they don't want tourist dollars, then that's fine - maybe they can make up the money off the next reboot of Twin Peaks. PS. That is one weird show. read more

Northwest Railway Museum - Last photo I took before being hassled by the Twin Peaks Security across the street. No it wasn't Sheriff Harry Truman or Agent Cooper. - Museums Near Me - Snoqualmie, Washington

See all

We stopped here on our way to Snoqualmie Falls. I can't say much for the events they have here but for us this was a perfect, free, roadside stop. Our kids were able to run around and check out all of the trains. There were no people at all around. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit but if you're driving by anyway it's worth a stop. read more

See all

Yes railroad museum located just out of Seattle Washington as many examples of antique steam and diesel locomotives as well as rolling stock the turn of the 18th century. The museum per se was somewhat lacking in that it didn't have that many artifacts. What are vaccine had were well documented and displayed. I think the depot was particularly well restored and preserved. Don't miss out on the rolling stock that is stored some distance from the depot behind a locked fence. You get plenty Close these units and see what they are actually made of. read more

See all

Disappointed to say the least. Way too much $$$ for zero Christmas spirit, for the employees and environment. If we had wanted to see some Christmas lights and a 40 minute line to Santa, then we could've done that elsewhere. Save your money and go somewhere else. I love supporting local, but not for the experience we just had. read more

I'd read about Snoqualmie falls and we took a drive from Seattle as soon as we landed to see the fall before going to our hotel ... we were tired from our flight but the falls looked worth the effort. We happened upon these cool old trains as we passed thru and i had my husband stop for me to take a quick peak. I seem to recall they were on the other side of a fence and i didnt know about the railway museum .. so we didn't go in. I would have liked to have gotten a better look and seen more.. read more

See all

According to their website, the train ride starts at the Snoqualmie Depot at 11:00A, departs the North Bend Depot at 11:25A, departs the Railway History Center at 12:10P, and departs Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Museum at 12:35P before leaving the Snoqualmie Depot at 1:00P for another trip. That's about one hour and 45 minutes to ride roundtrip along four miles of track which is incredibly slow even with layover time. According to the signs at the museum, the ride is 75 minutes to Snoqualmie Falls and back but the tracks are on the wrong side of the river to visit the viewing areas of the falls. Given the conflicting information, I really have no idea where the train goes. I could have asked the employee in the ticket booth but I didn't want to waste time waiting in line and had trouble tolerating the screaming kids pounding the toys provided by the museum. The experience was confusing and annoying. Regardless of the destinations, the train doesn't go anywhere aside from the Railway History Center that can't be seen by easier and faster car. Like I had just come from the Hydroelectric Museum - just a three-minute drive from the Snoqualmie Depot. We skipped the $20 diesel train rides in old Pullman passenger cars and wandered the free museum in the Snoqualmie town depot for 15 minutes. The museum didn't have much content. Outside, the best item was the 2-6-6-2 steam locomotive. It would have been interesting to see inside the hospital car, but none of the locomotives or railcars on display were boardable. read more

Such an amazing experience. Surprised my husband with a trip up to Snoqualmie to ride this beautiful train, every employee from start to finish was absolutely wonderful. We learned so much and it was such a special time. Went on a tour at the depot and wish the tour was longer, it was so awesome how they bring all these beautiful cars back to life for so many to enjoy. We will be telling many about this spot as well as returning and staying at the depot longer next time. read more

See all

For the train buff or non-buff this is worth the trip to North Bend to check out the trains, get a history lesson, and ride the short track from one end of North Bend, about 20 minutes for the 3.5-mile trip to Snoqualmie. Believe me it's worth the donation fee to see your little train-buff enjoy the ride. We took my son when he was head over heals with Thomas the train, he was 4 then, needless to say, now 13, he still talks about that train ride! They do a "Santa" ride in December tickets sell out fast and I've only heard outstanding reviews of this program. Worthy of a short day trip, then visit the outlet malls in North Bend to finish your day off. read more

Northwest Railway Museum - Museums Near Me - Snoqualmie, Washington

The trains themselves rate five plus stars. This review is related to the museum proper. This is a great place to stop if you are interested in old fashioned trains. If you are into museums it is A-OK. The biggest draw is to climb on the trains outside and use them as backdrops for your photos. The museum building is a converted rail station, pretty cool! The shopworn display cases seem not to have been opened in two decades. Granted not much has happened in railway history in twenty years. The exhibits are geared at the geriatric crowd. If you are bringing grandchildren I hope they are taller than an average four year old, so they can see into the cases without a boost. This is a great place to take people from out of town if you are heading to or from Snoqualmie Falls. My father loved it eight years ago, and my mother-in-law took great joy in holding her grandson up to peer into the cases. read more