Historic RailPark & Train Museum
Historic RailPark & Train Museum
Historic RailPark & Train Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Located on a major north-south corridor between two major cities, Bowling Green has a long history tied to the evolution of transportation in Kentucky; from steamboats traveling the Barren River to the railroad and eventually the current interstate systems. The current L&N Depot was built in 1925 to replace an older station. At one time, over 20 trains per day departed the current site, providing a hub for Bowling Green’s economic foundation and exposure to travelers between Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingAdmission tickets
from
AU$25.58
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Historic RailPark & Train Museum and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
171 within 5 kms
Attractions
64 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
321 reviews
Excellent
199
Very good
80
Average
26
Poor
6
Terrible
10
Timothy T
Nashville, TN319 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
We decided to take a day trip to Bowling Green on Sunday. We love trains and history and decided to visit the Historic RailPark and Train Museum-First time / last time...
Upon entry we were asked to sign the guest book. We’re told we needed to sign in and provide personal information In case anyone working came down with Covid19?
Our tour guide upon getting on the train said, I’m cool If you want to take off your masks during the tour?
We toured the dining car and kitchen. The kitchen was filthy and when we were informed it was a working kitchen used for events I nearly vomited?
The rail cars are old and run down. I have visited railroad museums in other States and this was the absolute worst. At $14 per person, it’s a waste of money...
Tim Toepfer
Spring Hill TN
Upon entry we were asked to sign the guest book. We’re told we needed to sign in and provide personal information In case anyone working came down with Covid19?
Our tour guide upon getting on the train said, I’m cool If you want to take off your masks during the tour?
We toured the dining car and kitchen. The kitchen was filthy and when we were informed it was a working kitchen used for events I nearly vomited?
The rail cars are old and run down. I have visited railroad museums in other States and this was the absolute worst. At $14 per person, it’s a waste of money...
Tim Toepfer
Spring Hill TN
Written 18 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tim, thank you for your candid review. I apologize that your experience did not live up to what you expected of our museum.
There is certain verbiage that I have trained my guest services staff to use regarding our COVID-19 policies- the sign-in booklet simply requires a name and either phone number or email solely for contact tracing purposes, and we do nothing else with that information. I will retrain staff with regard to what they tell guests and how they present information.
I also apologize that he gave you incorrect information regarding the diner car kitchens. We allow caterers to host events and meals in our diner car and even have events ourselves in them, but the kitchens themselves do not have electric power and are not in use for food preparation.
We pride ourselves on the restored interior and exterior of our cars, with maintenance and staff working consistently to ensure they are presentable. We are sorry that they did not meet your expectations and will endeavor to ensure they are in nice condition.
Again, thank you for taking the time to visit our museum and being honest with your feedback. We will use it to improve the experience for future guests. Should you have any questions or would like to follow up, please do not hesitate to reach out via phone at 270-745-7317, and or to visitorservices@historicrailpark.com.
Dustin Ferguson
Visitor Services & Administrative Coordinator
Written 25 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
hockeychief
Canton, OH146 contributions
Aug 2020
We thoroughly enjoyed the Railpark and Train Museum. Walking thru the six actual cars took us back in time to see how train travel was in 1949. We saw a variety of cars from the engine, sleeper berths, mailroom, kitchen, and parlor. While we just made a quick run thru of the museum, it appeared to be first class and was well organized. Maybe next time we can come back to check it out.
Written 15 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Porthos7
West Chester, OH8,929 contributions
Apr 2021 • Friends
What a fantastic place! If you love trains and history, then this is your place! They have a cool museum, neat model train set up, rail yard, an actual Engine with historic rail cars to tour through (make sure you get a docent tour), and plenty more to see and do. Museum is handicap accessible-but I'm not so sure with the rail cars. You'll need about an hour and a half. Go have a great time!
Written 2 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for visiting the Historic RailPark and leaving us a five-star review! We really appreciate your feedback and are so happy that you had a good time!
Written 10 April 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Karen K
Lexington, KY141 contributions
Sept 2021
What an impressive depot for a small town like Bowling Green--the restoration for reuse as museum was very well planned. The tour of the train cars was fascinating, especially the mail car. The tour guide was excellent and was very thoughtful toward a young boy (2-3?) in our group in terms of pointing out things that might interest him and letting him push buttons as needed.
Written 10 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen,
Thank you so much for visiting the Historic RailPark and Train Museum and leaving a review! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your time here!
Written 31 October 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ronald B
Arlington, VA3,763 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
The event sponsor scheduled several side tours. One of them was to the Louisville & Nashville Rail Park. There, we got to tour the L & N Depot, with a working model rail road and toured onboard a 12 inch to the foot scale train. It was headed up by Engine 796, an E8A locomotive. It was followed by a post office mail car (complete with replica reptiles), dining and cooking cars, passenger cars, and an observation car. There was also an army medical car. Nice day at the park.
“Red and black, friend of Jack. Red and yellow….”
“Red and black, friend of Jack. Red and yellow….”
Written 20 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Highway2See
Dunedin, FL7 contributions
Oct 2024 • Solo
The Murders & Misdemeanors gave a great overview of Bowling Green's shady past. Thanks to the tour guide, Sam, & his assistant for making the tour very enjoyable. Just wish it would have lasted a little longer.
Written 22 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel L
Cecilia32 contributions
July 2012 • Couples
Bowling Green, Kentucky may be best known for its Corvette Museum, but there is another museum in town that features an earlier form of innovative transportation - the Historic Railpark and Train Museum. Easily reached from Interstate 65 and blessed with abundant parking and an easily traversed lot (flat), this complex offers something for rail enthusiasts of every age. For the youngsters (and the young at heart) there is a large room given to a scale model of Bowling Green in the early 20th Century, complete with working trains. For the historic-minded, there is a second floor museum with expertly rendered displays for every era of L&N Railroad history from the Civil War through the days of Jim Crow. These rooms are all in the old L&N Depot - itself an architectural delight.
For those who are interested in seeing an actual train and learning about its mechanics and daily operations, there are several rail cars on the siding out back, some of which are completely restored and open for tours (the mail car, sleeping car, caboose, etc.), and some others that are being restored (a World War II hospital car and a Jim Crow car from the days before desegregation).
Throughout the complex, the staff is friendly and well-informed. The site is scrupulously clean and the restrooms are nice.
This attraction comes most highly recommended. And when you are done, the Corvette Museum will still be waiting.
For those who are interested in seeing an actual train and learning about its mechanics and daily operations, there are several rail cars on the siding out back, some of which are completely restored and open for tours (the mail car, sleeping car, caboose, etc.), and some others that are being restored (a World War II hospital car and a Jim Crow car from the days before desegregation).
Throughout the complex, the staff is friendly and well-informed. The site is scrupulously clean and the restrooms are nice.
This attraction comes most highly recommended. And when you are done, the Corvette Museum will still be waiting.
Written 1 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Blake H
Bowling Green, KY135 contributions
Nov 2015 • Family
We loved the tour we had. They had a lot more exhibits upstairs than I thought they would. The rail cars were very interesting too. The history was very cool. We had a groupon which helped on the cost , but we added a small donation too.
Written 27 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
All of our tour guides are volunteers and it's always great to get good feedback on how they are doing. Glad to see you enjoyed the museum exhibits and the railcars. Thank you for making the extra donation. We are a non-profit museum and we depend on donations to keep the doors open. Thank you for taking the time to write a review.
Written 7 May 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
littleskunk2
Hudson Falls, NY234 contributions
Oct 2015 • Couples
I recommend the tour, though you can do a self guided in the Museum itself, The actual railcars outside are by tour only. Our tour guide Ed was wonderful and gave us a lot of information and allowed us time to Photograph everything- Photographs are welcome all thru the Museum (which is unusual in many Museums).
The railcars were really neat to explore.
Great for a family , couples, etc
The railcars were really neat to explore.
Great for a family , couples, etc
Written 19 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So great to read that you enjoyed your visit with us. Thanks for the kind words!
Written 27 October 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
RMH_9
Huntsville, AL89 contributions
Apr 2011
A relatively small but well done museum. Housed in what I believe is the old train station, you walk around back to go in. Once inside there is a gift shop and an amazing model train set-up that is a recreation of what (I think) Bowling Green looked like 80-100 years ago. There are a few trains that are circling the tracks in the town. Very well done and interesting to see.
After paying the admission, you go through the doors into the museum. There are some very nice displays about the history of train travel, including lots of models. There is more upstairs including a variety of push-button started videos where they have interviewed older gentlemen who used to work on the railroads. I found these very interesting.
Train tours starts periodically (it was either every hour or half hour). A tour guide walks outside and you board the postal car first to see how the post office used trains to deliver the mail. Sorting was done on the train and they show you how mail bags were picked up and dropped off at every small town along the way (without stopping).
Next is the dinner car, then the sleeper car and the presidental car. At the end, there was a caboose and you got to see just what they were used for.
Overall, this was a very nicely done museum. Depending on how interested you are in trains, you could spend most of a day here or just an hour or 2.
After paying the admission, you go through the doors into the museum. There are some very nice displays about the history of train travel, including lots of models. There is more upstairs including a variety of push-button started videos where they have interviewed older gentlemen who used to work on the railroads. I found these very interesting.
Train tours starts periodically (it was either every hour or half hour). A tour guide walks outside and you board the postal car first to see how the post office used trains to deliver the mail. Sorting was done on the train and they show you how mail bags were picked up and dropped off at every small town along the way (without stopping).
Next is the dinner car, then the sleeper car and the presidental car. At the end, there was a caboose and you got to see just what they were used for.
Overall, this was a very nicely done museum. Depending on how interested you are in trains, you could spend most of a day here or just an hour or 2.
Written 2 May 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do you need to make reservatins for a weekday visit? I saw tickets on here but not on the park's actual website.
Written 6 June 2019
No. We went on a weekday and it was open.
Written 6 June 2019
what are the closest hotels?
Written 9 October 2015
I didn't see any ticket prices. Is this a free attraction?
Written 15 April 2015
Ticket prices are located on the right side of our website. No matter what page you are on, that will always be visible.
Written 20 October 2015
Showing results 1-3 of 3
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing