Roads and Rails Museum

The Roads and Rails Museum in Frederick, Maryland is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in transportation history. This museum is a hidden gem that showcases the evolution of transportation in America, with a particular focus on the development of roads and rails.

The museum is located in a historic building that has been beautifully restored to its original glory. Inside, visitors will find an impressive collection of artifacts, exhibits, and interactive displays that tell the story of transportation in America. The museum's exhibits cover a wide range of topics, from the early days of horse-drawn carriages to the rise of the automobile industry and the development of modern highways.

One of the highlights of the museum is its extensive collection of model trains. Visitors can marvel at the intricate details of these miniature locomotives as they chug along the tracks. There is also a large collection of vintage cars and trucks, including a beautifully restored Model T Ford and a 1929 Chevy truck.

The museum is staffed by knowledgeable and friendly volunteers who are always happy to answer questions and provide additional information about the exhibits. There are also plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning, with interactive displays that allow visitors to experience what it was like to travel by stagecoach or to operate a vintage telegraph.

Overall, the Roads and Rails Museum is an excellent destination for anyone interested in transportation history. The museum's exhibits are engaging, informative, and well-presented, and the staff is welcoming and knowledgeable. If you're ever in Frederick, Maryland, be sure to stop by and check it out!

Great train set up and so big. My family really enjoyed our visit. We visited on a Sunday and it wasn't too busy. They have a few smaller setups too but the big one is just incredible. You can tell they set it up with love. You can pick up a paper at the register for a scavenger hunt. There are plenty of step stools for the kids around the train set up so they can see everything. There is a separate room which has some Lego setups. This was actually my kids favorite room. So many cool Lego characters in it.
The bathrooms are clean.
There is free parking behind the museum.
I can only recommend this museum to everyone who enjoys trains.

Lots and lots to see not only trains but whole cities from present time to earlier times. My son loves trains and we stopped here after our train 1 hour 10 minutes ride at The Walkersville train which is about 10 minutes drive from this museum. Its only one floor but its amazing to see the scope of work put into this and the attention to details. If you love trains then definitely a worthy visit.

Its a huge miniature Lionel train museum ! Its just impressive! It has these vintage, modern trains going through mountains, cities and country side. There are also references to tv shows and prominent structures!

There is a separate room with Lego buildings, also very impressive.

One of the must visit things in Frederick !

Had a great time here. Such attention to detail and hard work behind this epic exhibit. Good place for kids and adults alike.

Our 4 year old train lover had a blast and we had to make several loops around the model to see everything. Truly a hidden gem in Frederick!

This was a really nice find. We had been in Brunswick, MD and were told that this would be fun to visit with kids. The model layout is incredible with lots of track and trains. There is a lot of opportunity to interact with the display with various control points to press. There is a good deal of pop culture reference throughout.

As well as model trains and cars, there is a fairly extensive Lego display too. All in all a good place to spend an hour or more with children of all ages.

The staff is wonderful. So much to see. The kids loved the scavenger hunt and all the interactive buttons. Perfect stop for a rail fan

Nicely done (although a bit ageing). I love the idea of the scavenger hunt, which forces you to look at everything.

This was an amazing treat for our granddaughter and we all enjoyed it. Everyone who worked there was friendly and inviting. We will be back!!!!

Really fun place! Our little one had a blast running around pressing all the buttons to make the trains and other animations move. They also had a Lego room with several detailed displays. Of course, the Lego room has moving trains too! Don't miss the hidden gems like the display showing how the old rotary phone works- it is interactive as well.

One of most amazing museums we have visited. The Lego room hands on display was awesome! Both my 8ish and teen daughters said they could stay for hours.The details were amazing with pop culture icons from recent to literally ancient times. Well done and worth the admission.

We've been here twice now, and we'll be coming back soon!

Be sure to give yourself enough time to really absorb the models. We only had an hour and fifteen minutes before the museum closed and it wasn't enough. I would recommend two or more hours if you're into models!

Wonderful, interactive museum. Great fun for little kids, older kids and adults. Great day trip from DC. Highly recommend. Price of admission lets you return multiple times in the same day (which kids insisted we do!)

Roads and Rails is a amazing place, I am grateful that I have had the chance to volunteer there. I hope that if anybody can visit, they do, as it has amazing detail and you won’t regret coming.

This is a really cool place. It was much larger than expected. The scavenger hunt was really interesting and could entertain someone for a long time. I’ll definitely go if I’m in the area again.

Wonderful place to visit. The main train setup, although only living in one room, offers hours of investigation and exploration. The lego train setup is exquisite. This is not the place for hard-core scale purists (as in, everything has to be size and period correct in the display), but it is a neat place to explore with a young'un.

This train garden is fantastic. It's the largest one that I've ever been to here on the east coast. There's a sign inside that says it took five people five years to build it. You can tell they took their time and paid attention to detail. If you're in Frederick make a point to stop in!

Great activity for the whole family. Lots of creativity and knowledgable staff. Enough action to keep a three year old occupied for two hours, with tongue and cheek humor throughout the layout to even have adults enjoy.

The quizzes will consume hours searching the exhibit for minutiae. The staff were helpful and enthusiastic about trains. However, not a copy of "Ticket to Ride" was to be had.