We celebrated my son's 2nd birthday here, and they we so accommodating! The room was already set up with tables and tablecloths. We were able to bring in our own food and dessert. The staff was very friendly and very easy to deal with. We were a little worried about going over the limit for guests, but everyone was able to get a Trolley ride! They even let all the children pull the whistle, which they absolutely loved! The price was very reasonable, and they even opened up the museum part so the children could play and take a bunch of great photos! This children all received party favors of one free future Trolley ride. My advice is to get a membership for an even more amazing deal! Our party guests exclaimed that this was the most fun they've ever had at a birthday party! Great job! read more

See all

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! read more

See all

Went a while back for a fall birthday party... the Trolley museum is very small and there isn't much to do. The kids did get to go on a trolley ride and pick out pumpkins. There was some activities outside as well but it was cold and wet outside. Unfortunately I won't be taking my kiddos back since they were pretty bored. The workers however are kind! read more

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! read more

See all

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. read more

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!

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. read more

See all

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!! read more

Connecticut Trolley Museum - Bradley Airport tram - Museums Near Me - East Windsor, Connecticut

See all

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. read more

Connecticut Trolley Museum - Museums Near Me - East Windsor, Connecticut

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. read more

See all

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. read more

See all

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! read more

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. read more

See all

This museum's "Ride the Darkside Electric Railway" event is incredibly unsafe in light of the pandemic. I attended this evening (the 6pm ride on 10/17/20), and while the website promised that adjustments had been made due to the pandemic, clearly not enough has been done, and the event poses a serious COVID19 risk. First, so many people were packed onto the train, it was impossible to adequately socially distance from other groups of passengers. We counted and there were over 30 people total packed onto this train, with no more than a foot (usually less) in between any group of passengers, and all the windows were sealed so there wasn't any air flow. Second, the event was scheduled to start at 6pm, but did not actually begin until nearly 6:45pm, so all patrons were packed into an enclosed space for over 45 minutes for no reason (we could have been asked to safely wait outside instead), increasing the risk of getting COVID even more. We were told that they were waiting for sundown to start--if this was the case, I am not sure why 6pm was even offered as a possible time to purchase tickets for. Finally, several patrons took off their masks or wore masks that were not covering their noses. None of the volunteers or staff members did anything about this, and ignored my groupmates and me when we asked the people around us to respect social distancing and wear their masks appropriately. This museum's website says that they are abiding by the following guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID (these are copy-pasted directly from your website): ~"The Museum will sell a limited amount of tickets per hour so visitors can stay distant from other visitors." ~"Visitors are required to bring and wear masks or cloth face covering that completely covers the nose and mouth unless doing so would be contrary to his or her health or safety due to a medical condition. Visitors will be asked to leave the property if they are not willing to comply and may face additional sanctions if the East Windsor Police Department is called to assist." This was a museum-sponsored event, held on the museum's premises, and neither of these policies were upheld. The volunteer actors were clearly high school students in over their heads, and I did not expect them to be able to handle the situation on their own. However, there was an adult woman sitting at the back of the train with red hair and black mask who seemed to be a manager of sorts and was observing the performance. Despite the many violations of what is said to be the museum's policy, she never once spoke to anyone to make sure museum policy was upheld. This was an incredibly disappointing, anxiety-inducing experience, and I am now worried for my own health and have even felt the need to schedule a COVID test (and I would encourage others who attended this event to do so as well!). It is especially disheartening because this event (which the volunteers had clearly worked really hard to put together!) could have easily been held in a safe, socially distanced manner (e.g., with fewer people in each train car so that more distance could be kept between each group). I have also reached out to the museum directly and asked that they address these serious violations of their own COVID19 policy immediately. But, at present, I cannot recommend this museum or this haunted railway experience to anyone. read more

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. read more

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.) read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

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 read more

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. read more

See all

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

This is for the haunted trolley ride event. I wish I had known this information before we went. There were NO covid precautions, there were more than 30 people on our trolley which did not allow for any social distancing. Several passengers were either not wearing masks, or were wearing them improperly. None of the staff said anything. Also, the tickets said the event started at 6 but it didn't start until dark (about 6:45). Why wouldn't the tickets say the proper time? We sat there for 45 minutes as they packed more and more people on. We considered leaving and honestly should have. This is a super-spreader covid event waiting to happen, what with the number of people being crammed into a small space, lack of mask enforcement, and staff yelling in attendee's faces wearing nothing but a flimsy circular shield right over their mouth (instead of at least a full face shield). We not only wasted money on this, but are now having to go get covid tested in 5 days to make sure we didn't actually contract covid from this whole mess. The actors (who seemed like volunteers?) were all lovely but despite what the website says, this event is not covid safe at all, it's truly irresponsible and should not be happening. read more

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! read more

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

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. read more

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. read more

See all

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! read more

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 read more

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! read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more