Naples Depot Museum

This was the first place my family decided to go on our trip to Naples. It's self guided but has a lot of informative signs and labels everywhere. We loved the various displays and the train cars that were out back. It's air conditioned right through, even the train outside, so it was very comfortable and we took our time to soak everything in. I'd definitely recommend coming here! Did I mention that it's free?? Enjoy!

very nice museum, we spent about an hour and a half here, some very cool items on display including a refurbished rail road dining car from the 1920s. Air conditioned, plenty of parking, bathrooms on site, and near the downtown restaurants and about a block and a half away from the trolley 🚎. It was free to enter!

A vety surprising museum with high quality exhibits. There are some "standard" artifacts but the displays are well designed and the information is presented in a very accessible way. The conductor office and silver train car are worth the trip for this free museum. Donations accepted, and worth a few bucks at the least.

Lots of displays and information about trains. The diorama was extremely impressive. So much detail! It was also really cool being able to go into the full-sized train in the back. The gal at the front was super friendly and nice. When we came here, they happened to be having a Lionel train event as well and that just added to the experience.

Excellent presentation of the history of transportation for Naples. Includes beautifully restored passenger rail car and it's 1947 iteration. It really will give you an idea of the span of history and how many people it took to make what we have today.

Very interesting place that is free admission, learn all about SWF/Naples train history both passenger and freight as well as the history of Naples from the Indian tribes dating back 8000 B.C up to modern day. I was here several years ago and it was fun then to.

Super cool little FREE museum! A must see!!!! I took lots of pics but don't want to ruin it! Definitely gotta come here😁

Great place for the weekends with the family and little ones. Free admission and close to the beach and downtown. I believe the train rides for the young ones are available in October.

I love Collier County for so many reasons. One of them is that that they operate five museums including this one with no entrance fee. They love history as much as I do. The Naples Depot Museum is located in the historic Mediterranean Revival style restored 1926 Seaboard Air Line Railway passenger station. All of the Seaboard Air Line Railway Stations were designed in this ornate style and you can still see the historic stations in Delray Beach, Hialeah, and Homestead. Unfortunately the Deerfield Beach station was burned down by teen arsonists in February of this year. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967 when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. AIr Line does not refer to air travel but instead is a common term for the shortest distance between two points. The railroad operated 4,000 miles of track running from Richmond, Virginia down through Jacksonville and ending in West Palm Beach. Solomon Davies Warfield, chairman of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad at the time, extended the railroad further into South Florida to Miami in 1925 and to Homestead in 1927 where it ended. Solomon Davies Warfield was the uncle of Bessie Wallis Warfield Simplson, the woman whose love affair with King Edward forced him to abdicate the throne. There is a display about Mr. Warfield and his association with the railroad in the museum. The first trains started arriving in Naples in 1927 and service ran until 1971. In 1928 the Tamiami Trail was completed and that road, along with the trains brought tourists to Naples and they are is what is credited with expanding the city. In the 1970's the station building was preserved from being demolished and in 2000 the museum was founded, opening in 2005. The train station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Naples Depot Museum charts Naples rise from a swamp to the start of its settlement in the 1920's when two rival train companies competed to bring passengers into town. Displays in the museum include model trains and information about the people who worked in the building in the 1920's when it was a train station, artifacts from the earliest human habitation in the area, a Seminole canoe and clothing, a mule drawn wagon called the Naples taxi, an antique swamp buggy, a Chevy Bel Air and information about the early history of automobiles in the area, and a restored 1947 Budd Tavern Observation Train. Also located on the premises is the Naples train Museum with a model railroad and train rides but it is currently closed due to Covid. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 9 to 4. I was impressed with how many displays the museum had. I would have been happy if it was just a restored train station but it is also filled with a lot of interesting historical displays and railway cars outside.. Add to that, it is all free. How nice is that? Your enjoyment of this museum depends on how much you like to read, there are a lot of signs, and how interested you are in transportation and trade history. I love both so this museum was a stand out for me. I have been to many of these historic Seaboard Air Line Passenger Stations and this is the nicest of all. It has so many displays honoring it's place in history. I learned some things I didn't know. This museum is probably most enjoyable for adults although children might like the restored train car and the train rides when they are operating. I highly enjoyed my visit and recommend this and the other historical museums of Collier County.

Our Trip to Bonita Springs WOW! This is such a fantastic place, loaded with history. Whether you love trains or are just a local history buff, the Naples Depot Museum is a great place to visit. Admission is free; but, donations are accepted. We put in $20 for 5 of us, including one child. We stopped in on a whim, as we had finished lunch; and sightseeing in Old Naples and were on our way to the waterfront to catch some sun, sights, and happy hour! Parking was easy; and, the site is easily accessible from major roadways, including the Tamiami Trail. We spent about an hour inside, following the self-guided tour steps; stopping to see the exhibits and, reading all about them.

Very neat train ride..goes around 2x..my boys loved it. After the ride they got a chance to blow the whistle! Everyone working there was so very helpful and friendly. Museum was very interesting, the full size restored train cars was cool to check out plus the model train layout! Worth the stop!

I took my homeschoolers to Naples Depot Museum last week, and BBC we loved it. Very cleans and neat. Lots of history to read about. Enjoyed it!Location is perfect, after wards we went and grabbed some coffee, or you can do lunch or dinner.

Small and free. One rotting caboose and one fine streamliner car. A cool 1955 Chevy Bel-Air. One fantastic glassed-in display of model rail cars the Pullman cars detail was amazing as was the the large scale of the model trains. Some cool pictures of old residents dressed in wool suits. YIKES.

I definitely would spend 2 hours here - especially if it is raining. Enjoy the information on the movement to Florida from the north. Lisa, the Museum Manager, opened one of the cars that was under construction. She explained the re-modeling process. Great literature and train cars to explore. Only donations.

Excellent and Informative Museum We really enjoyed our visit to the free Naples Depot Museum. It was easy to find with plenteous free parking as well. The displays detail the history of Naples, with emphasis on the importance of railroads In its development. The displays are well done, and informative! We especially enjoyed the temporary art exhibit: "Adorable Monique", and the exhibits of a swamp buggy, 1955 Chevy Bel Aire, and Coach Car, plus a real caboose! We were happy to make a contribution to such a nice museum.

Hey what are you waiting for Collier County has tried to preserve a few pieces of the past that this little gem is waiting for you. It might only take 90 minutes to take it in but this place captures the essence of another era. It makes you long for the lost rail system we once had in this country. I am not saying its time to bring it back but we just seemed to have discard something that was special and unique. You will also get a great background on the creation of Naples, it is amazing it happened at all. Who could survive down here now without air conditioning!

Best train museum around. My son loved the model trains, one huge room full of model trains that you can walk around and see. Lots of people to answer questions. We rode on the train twice that encircles the museum, just loved it. It is outside and you ride on this miniature train. The museum of Collier County history was anazing, full of history, photos, art, interactive. Just great. They are remodeling the actual train cars so you cannot really go on them, except for the cobboose. My son loved it, anyone who loves trains would.

If your kid is in to trains (or if you're into trains or a history of the Naples area), check it out. Lots of good history about SW Florida, focused on the train station that used to reside at this location. A "fake" train on huge LCD monitors, masked as windows, goes by every 8 minutes. My son loved it. Lots of things to look at & read. My 3-yr old loved walking thru the passenger car and caboose, which are open to to the public whenever the museum is open - oh, and this is all free, by the way. The only thing we didn't get to do was the train ride. As it turns out, the "Lionel Museum" isn't much of a museum at all. It's basically a group of guys (train afficionados) who have built a huge track around the Naples Depot Museum that you can ride on (kids only, I believe). Problem is, they've been losing funding and cutting back on hours a little, so if you want to do both the museum and the train ride, make sure you call ahead and find out when the Lionel guys are working. The week we were here, they were only there Thurs/Fri/Sat. We showed up Mon. Bummer for us... Call ahead and ask.

As far as the Railroad museum....it is worth checking out. Unfortunately, the Lionel Train museum for the kids/adults cannot decide whether to charge an admission or request a "suggested donation" from patrons. We went today (5-26-12), and particular volunteers were exceptionally rude, and insisted one of our parties NOT go on the outside train ride because this grandmother did not have a stamp on her hand indicating that she provided a "suggested donation" of $5 that day. The man actually, rudely, told her to get off the train. Another man(customer) was so upset, he went to speak with someone inside, and that volunteer told him, he was banned from coming back to the lionel museum. It really was poor treatment by a select 3 volunteers....so, the trains are very cool for the kids to see....BUT, I seriously caution you when entering and paying your "suggested donation" to this NOT FOR PROFIT organization. They don't want to pay taxes on admission...so they have "suggested donation" on the sign....BUT, THEY ABSOLUTELY, and rudely, INSIST THAT YOU PAY BEFORE ENTERING.

Collier County operates this Railroad museum, and does a great job. Admission is free. The former train depot, c. 1927, has been refurbished with artifacts from the days when passengers came through this depot. Rooms have cogent displays about segregation, and about the Seminole tribe, in addition to the days when train travel meant corporate dining service and silver cars. Call ahead for availability of the miniature train that circles the Depot corner lot. Operations at the back of the Depot are handled by lionel train enthusiasts, so as a volunteer operation, hours are dictated there by whether a volunteer is present that day. For Veterans Day in November, there is an annual USO Show with live music from the 40's , dancing, and a Veterans' tribute. (2011 details: Nov 11, 2011, 11:45 to 1:30PM, bring your own chair). A few picnic tables are on the narrow lawn beside the parking lot in case you bring a lunch.

A hidden gem! Great place to spend an hour or so with little train lovers. My 2.5 and 1.5 yo boys loved this museum. The Lionel trains were very well done and entertaining, they loved riding the train and I enjoyed walking through the 1947 club car.

There is not much here. Thank goodness it was free. A few non functional model trains. Some train artifacts. Some boats. A couple cars. Not much else. Also the outdoor train doesn't run in the summer.

Educational and very Cool. Small but great things to see from the past. History is a great thing to study. I would recommend stopping there at least once. Worth the stop.

This is a great place to go to learn about Naples history and see toy trains run. The volunteers were so nice. The grandkids and I had a really good time.

This place is so cute, the depot museum was ok but we really enjoyed the model train exhibit that is in an adjacent building (separate entrance). The gentlemen that volunteer there (I think they are volunteers?) genuinely enjoy passing their love of trains on to others. They were incredibly patient helping my boys with the interactive exhibits over... and over... and over... again! We were there forever. They even had treats for Halloween (yes I am way late writing this review... but that's how good it was I owe them a write-up!). Afterwards we rode around on their miniature outdoor train, kids had a blast!

We had a great time. It wasn't a big museum. But just right to keep a 7 & 10 year old busy.

We are former residents visiting family during the holiday season and decided to stop in with my 2 year old daughter since she is a train lover. We stumbled into the Lionel train display, and the volunteers there were incredibly rude to me. They had charged my mother for my daughter that would have been free because she's under age 6. When I noticed the error, I brought it to the volunteer's attention, and he spoke very rudely to me. Refused to give us our money back, and asked us to leave. When we went to the museum itself to complain, they were no help to us. They said there was no manager to speak to and to get our money back. I have visited the Naples area since a small child and have never encountered such rudeness. Don't waste your time especially small children. Not kid friendly, tourist friendly or family friendly at all.