Connecticut Trolley Museum

We visited over the summer with a friend and our three kids (plus two moms) and had an awesome time. Super easy to find, plenty of parking, and stroller-friendly....a total win before we even walked in. Inside the museum, the kids immediately made a beeline for the activity area: train tables, hands-on stuff, and some old trolleys you can actually climb inside. It was really cool to see the original seats, conductor controls, and imagine what riding one used to feel like. The trolley ride itself was the highlight... they take you on a round-trip through the woods, and ours had DINOSAURS tucked off the tracks which the kids thought was the coolest surprise ever. At one point you cross over a real road with real traffic, which felt wild watching the conductor stop and signal cars like it was 1920 again. The trolley we rode had original seats that flip so when the trolley changes direction, you literally stand up, move the seat backs, and suddenly everyone’s facing the other way.... the kids thought it was magic. (Honestly it blew my mind too.) Gift shop at the end with souvenirs, train merch, and lots of history tucked everywhere you look. There was also ice cream outside which was clutch after the excitement and heat. Such a great spot for history-loving adults, train-obsessed littles, and families who just want something fun and different to do. We’ll definitely be back.... especially for their seasonal events!

Very nice experience. Santa was very kind and so was all of the staff. I would definitely go back and spend more time just hanging out . My son wanted to watch how the Grinch stole Christmas in their movie theater but we had to go . Next time

Took four of our grandchildren to the museum for a trolley ride with a storytime. The kids absolutely enjoyed the ride and the story. We then made our way through the museum and the attached fire museum. There was a ceremony inaugurating the new parking lot with several dignitaries present. We did not participate.

Fun and nostalgic experience! The CT Trolley Museum is a great place for families and history lovers. Riding the vintage trolleys was a unique experience, and the volunteers were super knowledgeable and friendly. The exhibits were interesting, and kids especially loved exploring the old cars. A charming step back in time!

Here is my honest review of winterfest. If the indoor visitor center wasn't open.. I would've wanted all of my money back. We could not see the lights from the inside of the train. All I could see was a half lit Santa clause and a Christmas tree. They had the option of the enclosed train or open train and we chose the enclosed train due to it being a cold day and traveling with children. All of the kids were pretty sad and falling asleep on their parents.. no enthusiasm because you couldn't get much of an experience on the enclosed trailer. All o got to see was the conductors backside as I tried to look out to the front of the window... most of the lights are overhead so it's impossible to see unless your looking out through the front or back of the train... but trying to have 40 people looking through one hole of a window isn't ideal. For the price we paid it absolutely was not worth it. I don't think it's worth it to even pay to take a ride in the open trailer... we were more impressed by the lights from people's homes that you can see at a distance than any of the lights here. It was poorly put together. It's really the people who make this place spectacular. All of the volunteers are super nice and friendly. They interact with the kids. I loved that they had a movie playing, hot coco, popcorn and gift shop and trains that you could actually get inside and tour; some of them over 100 years old. That was definitely the highlight. I'd be open to donating lights to support their winterfest light show in the future as it could most definitely use some upgrades and improvements. However the staff and things to do inside were definitely plus and the kids didn't even care for the lights after that.

Went today with my 4 grandkids and my kids and enjoyed ourselves very much! I must mention we had a young tour guide, Michael! Made my grandkids day! This kid was amazing personality, entertaining and charmed the kids! Told them everything about the different cars and history! He told us his dad works there too! Took pictures for us and when he waved goodbye to the kids they were brokenhearted driving away. Went and grabbed something to eat an hour later my grandkids said "we're going to really miss Michael." Everyone was really nice! ❤️ I guess we will definitely be going back to the Connecticut trolley museum!

Great experience, love the enthusiasm of the volunteers! Was great for kids with all the lights and visitor center

Such a fun place to visit! (Side note: if you or your kids are sensitive to loudish noises, it's advisable to bring some foam earplugs or something as the horn for the trolley can be loud/ startling) I took my kids for the pumpkin patch trolley ride event. We booked tickets in advance online. The entire museum was decorated for Halloween, which I did not expect, but was very pleased to see. Inside the museum they had little cards about local spooky ct legends, including some I'd never heard of before. Checking in was easy. We got our pumpkin patch tickets and headed to the trolley. The ride is short and sweet, but very scenic. The pumpkin patch for the kids was very nicely set up. The museum itself is very cool, with multiple cars you can go into and look around, and several others available for viewing. There is also the fire museum in the building behind the trolley museum, which is included with your ticket. You can see all kinds of historical fire trucks and equipment. My kids (almost 14 and 9) had a blast. The gift shop is nicely set up and extremely reasonable. No price gouging, and a ton of actual train/ trolley themed items. The museum itself is run by volunteers, which is so cool. Everybody there was welcoming and kind. Additionally, the museum has other holiday events. Currently, there's a "Curse of the Rails" event for Halloween if you want something spooky, and there looks to be a christmas event coming in December. Definitely planning to come back again.

My family and I recently took a drive up to the Connecticut Trolley Museum to experience their "Winterfest and the Tunnel of Lights". The museum is run by the Connecticut Electric Railway Association which was founded in October 1940. It is the nation's oldest incorporated organization dedicated to the preservation of the trolley era. The museum operates a 1.5 mile heritage railroad on an original portion of the Hartford and Springfield Street Railway Company's Rockville Branch. The museum hosts a variety of events throughout the year that are themed around dinosaurs, Easter, Halloween and Christmas. 2023 marks the museum's 45th year hosting Winterfest. The museum and property are decorated inside and outside with over 15,000 lights. Guests have a choice of riding closed trolley cars or an open air 'electric sleigh' down the tunnel of lights for approximately 25 minutes. We chose the latter option, but be sure to bring plenty of layers and blankets as it can get very cold. Afterwards we headed into the Visitor Center where we saw multiple model train layouts and vintage trolleys decorated with holiday lights. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was playing on an endless loop in the theater room while children were writing letters to Santa. Cookies, hot chocolate, and other light refreshments are available to purchase. Guests also have the option to take family photos with Santa Claus himself! Winterfest continues until December 30th, so get your tickets while you can!

The Halloween curse of the rails is an absolute joke. Charging almost $50 per person to sit on a trolley while people scream and put on some sort of theatrical mess is absurd. Save your money.

The haunted attraction definitely isn't worth $45! Total ripoff and won't be back! We've tried the past 3 years and wasn't worth it!

Visited recently during their Winter Festival and it was delightful. The museum was decked out in lights, train sets and holiday décor. The $13 special event admission included a 3 mile trolley ride on a decorated route. Lots of fun!

Shame on me. For 30 years I've lived just 19.2 miles from the CT Trolley Museum and never set foot inside until today. It's run by a non-profit organization whose volunteers are dedicated to the preservation of the trolley car era. And what a job they've done meeting that goal. They have about 70 trolley cars, some of which go back to the time of the Civil War. They have all sorts of vehicles - freight and passenger streetcars, service cars, locomotives (both diesel and electric), elevated railway cars, passenger and freight railroad cars, and all sorts of other odds and ends. You can take a three-mile round trip streetcar ride that features a stop for mid-ride flip of the bench seats so you don't have to ride backwards on the ride back to the museum. There is a tour guide aboard who'll fill you in on some of the history of the streetcar and its historical effect on American culture. The museum grounds also houses the CT Fire Museum, so if you're a fire buff who appreciates vintage fire fighting vehicles and equipment, you'll have a great time here too. Your kiddies will have a blast here, trust me on that. There was a big group of young girl scouts here and they all had a look of enchantment as they rode the train and wandered around the premises looking at these big impressive pieces of American history. Please go and support this unique celebration of a lost piece of American history. It wouldn't kill ya to throw a fiver in the donation box either.

We went in August 2020 with Covid restrictions in place with my 2 1/2 year old son. The trolley ride was fun & really educational, about 20 minutes total. My son was a little scared of the actual trolley ride as it moves pretty fast & the horn can be loud, so parents of little ones should keep that in mind. Overall this was a great museum, I loved seeing the old trolley cars and busses. I will definitely be back. This place is run by volunteers and charges very reasonable rates, so don't be a cheapo and throw some money in the donation box!!

We went to a PBS event where kids met Daniel Tiger and were able to ride the trolleys. So fun, and a great learning experience! The trolley ride was longer than we expected, lasted about 20 minutes. The event was very well organized and we had a great time. We will definitely come back on a non-event day and try out more trolleys. They have a dozen or so trolleys on display and it's fun seeing the old ad's in the cars and see how far transportation has come over the years.

If you have a little one you need to bring them at least once in October to take a fun trolley ride to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin. Then you can check out the museum and decorate your pumpkin. My son had a lot of fun. It might seem a little pricey but I think there's enough to do. The trolley ride itself is about 20 minutes. Not super long but enough for a little one to enjoy it.

I'm not particularly into trains or trolleys, but this place was recommended by a friend, so we decided to go tonight. The volunteers really know the history of each car, they put a lot of time and effort into their shows and displays, and it was a very fun evening. The gift shop has some cute stuff, and inside it's all decorated for Christmas. I highly recommend seeing the light show!

I went for the Easter Bunny Fun Day with my daughter. It was a first visit for both of us even though we live nearby (it was closed for renovations when we tried to go last year). We had a lot of fun riding the 2 different trolleys that left about every 20-30 minutes. The open air trolley had cool seats with backs that flipped to allow you to face forward on the return ride. The conductors are friendly, knowledgeable, and dressed up. Outside is a wooden train that young kids will love climbing all over. The outside looks "kinda" junky with trains in various disrepair but there are some amazing vintage trains. The main museum inside has at least 6 train cars you can enter and explore and was fun to check out. The scavenger hunt was really to find the color of plastic bunnies in various locations and easy to do. Apparently the info on their Web site is less reliable than their Facebook page. The web site states that children will receive "an extra-large Easter egg full of goodies when they complete the Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt". Not true: they got a small egg with a toy and sticker inside. Still nice, but bad misinformation after I had told my daughter what the web site said. They should update that. Posing with the bunny was easy and not a mad crowded rush, so that was nice. Also, this was the least scary looking easter bunny I've seen, so my daughter was willing to pose with him. My daughter and I had a great time, especially in the movie room where they played the old fashioned Easter stop-animation movies continuously. The gift shop is great with some fun toys. The fire truck museum is a nice bonus and don't miss it! It's actually larger than I realized with several vintage trucks and memorabilia. The only downside was that they had snacks for the special day (popcorn, cookies), but only accepted cash. There is a snack machine, but no other cafeteria type setting. So a big tip: BRING CASH. It was a pain that nowhere did they accept cards except at the store/admission, and there was no ATM machine on the grounds. We could have left and returned but that was not worth it. Thankfully, we brought a sandwich and snacks and water so we ate while watching a movie. It's too bad they lost a money making opportunity in that case. I understand they are run on a volunteer basis, so yeah, don't leave thinking poorly on the place: it's not heavily funded and it's not Disney. Anyways, young kids don't notice and have a wonderful time.

We love the Trolley Museum. It is great for my preschooler and children of all ages! We essentially love the special trolley museum events like the pumpkin patch ride, story time trolley, and the Christmas lights events! I love watching my daughter notice something new every time we go to view the trolleys inside the museum and the fire truck too! The volunteers are all so kind and helpful! We appreciate the Trolley Museum so much! Thank you for being a fun, educational destination for our family

Week off educational trip brought us to the trolley museum. Self guided tour kind of thought there would be a little better organization. But it was a beautiful look into an era gone by.

Went to opening night of Winterfest, wasn't impressed at all. Waited in line for 45minutes for a lack luster train ride. There were hardly any lights on the "tunnel" train ride. I do however appreciate the historic part of this and the fact that it is mainly volunteer based. Hopefully this was just because it was opening day.

This is a cute, small, local museum. There is a big room with lots of historic trolleys from different eras. You can climb in them and read about them. I brought my six-year-old son. He's not super into trains and trolleys, but he was mildly interested. As a toddler, he probably would have been thrilled. The trolley ride through the woods is fun. I was sort of surprised that none of the staff (volunteers, I assume) seemed interested in our visit. Normally, when you visit these small museums, people are super enthusiastic, happy to see you, and can't wait to share what they know. At this place, when we went in to get our tickets, it was sort of like "Uh-huh, sign here." Not at all welcoming. The men driving the trolley were friendlier. Definitely don't pay full price for tickets. We got in free because our library has passes; I assume that most of them do, so call your library and ask. The museum also has half-price days for residents of certain towns. The museum is a nice way to spend an hour, but if I had paid a lot to get in, I'd be irritated. (That said, I'm sure it costs a lot to maintain the working trolley, so I understand why they have to charge a fair bit.)

Cool time for a young child, especially if that child has never been on a "train". Experience for a parent is mixed. The price to get on a trolley seemed excessive for like a short 20 minute trip. About ten minutes to the "pumpkin patch", and about ten minutes back. With a 15 minute stop in the middle while everyone selected a pre-picked pumpkin off the ground. The trolley drivers are real nice. They had a few outdoor activities for kids to do, maybe to make it seem like you received more than what you did. It's the kind of thing you'd do once in your life. They have free parking, gift shop, trolley museum, and a small movie theatre. The train sounds it's horn a lot and might be too loud for sensitive kids.

We went for the tunnel of lights event. It was just Ok. A boring back and forth ride on a trolley didn't say much. But we enjoyed the indoor Christmas decor, lights and music.

We did the holiday festival at the trolley museum. It was sweet, simple, and adorable for our family. We rode the trolley through the lights and sang Christmas carols. There was a singer inside and we enjoyed the trolleys and trains that were set up. Delightful. I'm not sure what it's like the rest of the year but we had a 5 star time!

I visited the trolley museum during their winter fest and was immediately a fan. I am an adult but kid at heart and my wife puts up with it. The two of us went to the museum after reading in a Yankee magazine article that it had one of the better Christmas displays in New England. We arrived at 7:30pm on a December Saturday night. (They close at 9pm). For our purpose this was enough time. We did not experience this as a museum, but rather as a Christmas display and it fit the bill. In the large hall there were hundreds of model trains on display, all running and all with a Christmas theme. As a child I would have been in awe. They were serving hot chocolate and popcorn and all the staff were very nice and happy to give as much of a trolley education as you wanted. My favorite part of the visit was the trolley ride. My wife and I braved the cold and took the 15-20 minute ride on an 'open' trolley. The entire track was lined with Christmas lights (almost forming a tunnel). I have read the previous reviews and I think it is important to note that the museum does appear to be pinching their pennies (but what non-profit isn't these days). The people were nice. The trolleys and model trains were great. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Traveled 2 hours for Winterfest and Tunnel of Lights. It was a waste of time, gas, and money. We were envisioning a nice trolley ride thru out the property with lights galore to see. Nope. Not the case. You purchase this overpriced ticket, wait in line for the trolley to take you up a little hill thru the "tunnel of lights" (which was just lights on a pole on one side of the tracks, wasn't a tunnel).. then you head back. On the way, they stop for a "light show" which consists of a few tree lawn decorations set to music, maybe lasts 2 minutes? People who decorate their houses set to music do a way better job. Just my opinion, hope it helps.

I'm honestly a little surprised at all these reviews I've been reading - decided to take my daughter there for the day (she's 2) and we had nothing but a great time! First of all, it's super easy to get to which is a bonus. It's about 3 minutes from the highway. I guess for those people who aren't used to working railroads, I could see how this place looks a bit rundown. But, it truly isn't. You have to remember that this place is a museum and it's all done through volunteer work. That means, the motorman and ticket person aren't paid. That means any work that needs to be done on the trains - painting, driving spikes, restoration - it's ALL volunteer. Keeping that in mind, it's insanely impressive that people actually care about history that much to keep something so significant like this alive for future generations. We took a ride on two separate trolleys - both were wonderful and it was a treat to be able to sit back and enjoy the breeze, my daughter enjoying her first ever train ride and the history. They've got a wonderful sized gift shop with loads to choose from, an indoor museum warehouse that houses HUGE trolleys (this place is jaw dropping when you first walk in) and a great outdoor fire museum that unfortunately we didn't get to because we were so busy with all the other stuff. They do have a theater that plays a constant loop of an educational video akin to that of the Smithsonian rooms that only old people hang out in - I mean really, why watch when you can go see? But, I get why they have it - some people enjoy that sort of thing. I've been to some of the best railroad museums in the country and I will say while not as big as the others, this place holds some pretty amazing memorabilia. The bathrooms are clean, it keeps the kids occupied and you can hit up your local library for FREE museum passes so really - could it be any better? Final verdict: It's worth a visit, history buffs will enjoy, kids will love and you can ride the trolleys as much as you want!

I did the Rails to the darkside Halloween activity. It was awesome ! You buy your ticket inside and then wait outside. There were concessions with Italian subs, cider, hot chocolate and some other stuff. The staff was helpful and you could really tell they were having a good time and enjoyed being there. After You buy your ticket you wait in line to board the trolley. Once aboard they take you for a ride with the lights off. It's spooky bc you can't really see anything outside and it's a bumpy ride. Then the trolly makes a few stops and ghouls come on and off. After they let you off you go through their haunted house which is awesome!!!! Then after you leave the haunted house you go through the actual museum that's completely dark and "haunted" too. It was like 3 for the price of 1 haunted attractions. 10 out of 10 recommend!

We showed up while they were closed, but were still allowed to look around. They have old trains and trolleys in the yard. Very cool. If you like the history you will enjoy this museum. As in all old things they need money for restoration. So donate if you can/want to.

Idk, I was expecting something a little better. Everything here is rundown. Nothing has been restored and your riding around in some real old crap. My 3 kids loved the trolley rides up and down the track for a mile and a half. The trolley museum was full of pigeon poop all over the place, very nice ambience. The trolley theater could use help to. You could barely hear the video being played and there was only me and my 3 kiddos in there. The bathrooms were nice and clean. The snack shack was an utter joke, they had nothing at all except french fries. NOTHING, but french fries. They have a special trolley that you can have birthday parties in, the outside looks a little scary to me. If your in a wheelchair or cannot climb a few stairs you won't be able to ride the trolley. Save your money, go to dinasaur place instead.

Sorry to disappoint but I had a grand time here despite the rain, and boy did it rain. Two different cars were run down the length of their track, and of which there are two grade crossings and also two sidings. In the Kelly car barn, there are five other cars on their active list. The museum owns many pieces of rolling stock and I can understand why others would call them junk, some are projects in the works, and others are in a state of utter decay; in the Teresalee B. visitor center, there are many pieces inside and out which are in various states of restoration. I for one love to see pieces which look like hopeless wrecks because it gives the me something to compare the restored pieces with. One can not imagine the herculean effort in getting a historical piece operational and in condition better than when it rolled out of the factory.

Great place to go, fun for the family and kids. They do a lot of seasonal rides with the biggest probably being Halloween ghost ride

I live around the corner from the trolley museum. It is a historical recount of trolleys around CT. It's a little boring, because I'm just not interested in trains - I never have been. My husband was in a train wreck, so he's also got little interest in trains of any kind. It was kind of fun to listen to the history of the trolleys, though. With that said, I'm dying to take my 6 year old nephew there. He absolutely loves trains. There is a thing where you can pay to be an annual member or something for $55, but it includes being the conductor once, and kids can do it. I think my nephew would go ballistic over 'driving' a trolley, so I am excited to go back again. I really want to check out the haunted trolley thing they have at halloween, but i haven't been yet. The place is in need of repair. They don't really have a lot of funds. I know they try to do fundraisers - I hear about them from time to time locally. The people that work there are friendly, and I think some of them are volunteers. There is nothing fancy; it feels more like a farm town attraction. I thought the fire truck museum in the back was pretty cool, too. It has a couple old trucks and a couple of newspaper clippings about big fires in Hartford. My husband and I are into that kind of stuff. I'm a fan of the "random roadside attraction" as well. You too, might be mildly amused by the trolley museum.

Absolutely fantastic. Could spend all day. The conductor quite obviously loves his job and is passionate. Will be visiting again. The gift shop is awesome prices too! The scenic ride is a definite photographer dream. Osprey nests every where.

Expect a long line if you go at the peak time of night. But it's well worth the wait for the trolley ride (SO much better if everyone sings their favorite Christmas songs!) The indoor set up is well done! I may not go every year, but it was a fun family night.

Save your money - not worth it. Advertise 4 trolleys running - there were only 2. Waiting in the freezing cold over 1 1/2 hrs. Advertise "group rate" for 10 or more people then said we had to pay more because it was a "special event". Trip was 1/2 hr with a few blinking lights and one Christmas carol. Pay a little more and go the North Pole Express in Essex. Much better! We wanted to try something different this year but this was very disappointing. When I called to inquire they said you won't have to wait long...yeah!

My boyfriend and I had a great time at the Halloween event dark ride they had. It was unique to the usual places we go and also after the trolley ride there were two haunted trails. I don't think it was super scary but it was fun!

They really need to clean up the place, all that Junk laying around, some claims its a working railroad, i thought it was a museum , it needs a lot of cleaning, Haven't expanded the line i see even though they talk about it all the years

This place used to be great but now its slowly deteriorating. The place seems doesn't seem to be well maintained. Recently it was robbed...

I am a volunteer at the museum. I serve as a Motorman/Conductor and I work in the shop where trolleys are restored. I agree that the museum seems run down and some of the trolleys on display look like they are poorly maintained. We are definitely not "Disneyland" where everything looks brand new. We are doing the best we can - just about everyone is a volunteer, and our funding is very limited. If you are interested in trolleys and their history here in northern Connecticut, come to the museum. You won't be disappointed. If you prefer to be entertained in like-new equipment in a park-like environment, visit the other trolley museum in our state. The majority of people who ride my trolleys seem to be enjoying the experience.

Very disappointed! Very expensive for what you get! They were in the middle of setting up for a Halloween event...wish they would have told me that before I bought my tickets. My son was terrified and didn't want to even go in to see any of the trolleys...so basically we paid $30 for a 15 minute ride on a trolley. I appreciate that people volunteer for this place, but the person selling tickets should be more informative on what you will get for your money. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone to visit, sorry!

I think when you go to a place that has a sign as you walk in that reads "no refunds on tickets purchased...." You kind of get a sense that something my be amiss. My kids saved their coins for months to take a special trip at Christmas. We moved to the area a few moths back and wanted to do something memorable in our new home. Well it cost $49 for myself and four kids. Gasp. The ride was about half an hour round trip and consisted of riding down a track that had a small amount of lights up on the poles. Not visible for every passenger. We were able to see since we were in the first row on the way. The trolley just went in reverse back down the same track and at that point we were not able to see the lights. This was really disappointing. On the website it advertised a "tunnel of lights"... Hardly. I really wish that it had been more for my kids who invested a lot of hard earned money to come here. I must say the gift shop was cute, Santa was great and the staff was very friendly. I just wish it had been a better light display. Next year we will hike on up to Springfield for the Bright Lights instead and save quite a few dollars.