San Diego Model Railroad Museum

This experience was just ‘wow’. Train fans or otherwise, the San Diego Railroad Museum is simply fascinating and hides Easter eggs around every corner. [ Indubitably the highlight of my Balboa Park package, even though I do not take a strong interest in railroads] Take your time in here- read the signs, look closely at the miniature scenes, whether it be people racing cars along an abandoned train track or fight scenes breaking out, the more you observe the more interesting it will get. Note that theres a small outside section too! Many people seem to skip or miss that part. This is one of those experiences that will look much more impressive in person, as photos cannot adequately capture the sense of childlike wonder that was felt within this little world. Staff were exceptionally passionate, and atmosphere was really nice.

I only got to be in this awesome place for two hours! I could spend days exploring every inch of it. I grew up with trains running through both my mom and dad's hometowns, and I see them all the time during harvest – they always make me smile, day or night. This place made me, my sister, and my fiancé so happy! We had a blast, thanks so much.

This is the best museum in Balboa. There is so much to see, you can come back many times and notice new things. Plus, the talented model railroad builders are always working hard. I especially enjoy the holiday display. There is so much magic and passion in these displays and it gives you great appreciation for the greater SD area, seeing how things were and learning about the railroads.

This place is awesome!! I was worried that $20 for a ticket was gonna feel over priced, but after spending hours in here I now feel it is a totally fair price. The attention to detail is incredible. Fun for all ages, not just kids!

This place would be cool when it's less crowded. However, we went during December Nights! Understanding that it was free, it was so great to go visit and see all the neat little trains going at it. I asked a few questions of the gentlemen running the trains and honestly, maybe caught them at a bad time, they've been running the place for 40 years so congratulations, but they seem so unenthusiastic to even interact with me when I was just trying to share in their joy of miniature trains. I hope they get a little more pleasure/interaction with the kids to make it a fun experience and share their passion. It's obviously been a lifelong project during their retirement!