Just a few blocks from the heart of downtown Naples the Naples Depot Museum houses trains to watch, trains to ride and trains to operate. The museum is housed in a restored passenger station of the Seaboard Air Line Railway. The exhibits which include Seminole dugout canoes, a mule wagon, antique swamp buggy, restored rail cars and exciting interactive exhibits take you back in time to the glory days of the railroad. You will learn how the trains and railroads where instrumental in conquering the impenetrable Florida wilderness and helping to turn Naples from a small village of 300 adventurous pioneers into today’s glittering Gulf coast resort.
Outside the main building you can explore the original 1909 Caboose and pretend to ride in style on the 1947 air conditioned Club Car.
The Lionel Train Museum at the Naples Depot
While the Naples Depot is interesting and engaging the Lionel Train Museum, that shares the same building with the Depot but has a different entrance, will really have the little train lovers in your party jumping over the moon with excitement. The Lionel Train Museum consists of a single room in which you will find an intricate Lionel train model. Scale Lionel trains zip by through mountain tunnels and over bridges, through towns and across county fairs. The exhibit has many buttons that you can press to operate the different interactive Lionel accessories: have the little people put ice cubes on the box car, have a train drop off logs at the miniature saw mill where they get cut into boards or stand in front of the camera and have your video displayed in the small outdoor movie theater inside the display.
Reminisce at the Wall of Trains featuring original Lionel locomotives and rolling stock and ride the outdoor scale train pulled by either a live steam or diesel locomotive.
The Naples Depot is free and the adjacent Lionel Train has a suggested donation of $5 per adult, $3 for children and children under 3 free. The Naples Depot is open Monday –Friday The Lionel Train Museum is only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. November through May. Please call before going as this information might change at any time. For more information contact the Naples Depot at: 239-262-6525 and the Lionel Train Museum at: 239-262-1776.
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Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this review. My opinions are honest and sincere and may differ from your opinions.
How fun! I have a little train lover in my preschool class that would love to go someplace like that. My son is too old for that now 🙁 We used to go to a museum close to us that had a huge train display. He really liked that. Looks like a great place to visit!
what a fun place to visit-I love anything hands on–we are all about touching and trying in our house–too bad we are not closer–great pictures and post thanks for sharing
My kids would adore visiting this museum. We live right on a train track so I think they are very intrigued on how they work and what they do.
wow this place looks amazing, we have to go, thanks for the great post i never even knew this place was in florida, awsome, my kids will love it
Oh this is so nice! My kid would love to visit this museum, looks amazing! Maybe….some day…who knows 🙂
This looks really fun. My son would love this. i love how your blog has all of the things to do in Tampa. I have always wanted to go to flordia but have never had the money