What a hidden gem! Full of train AND local history. Incredible collection of coaches you can explore from different eras. Fairly cheap entrance ticket too. Great for kids! read more

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Stopped in yesterday and they were doing free admission to the museum. They have quite a few restored cars and are continuing to build out exhibits. It is cool visiting and they offer tickets to ride in the train for $15-20. Yesterday there was also a car show and coffee and food trucks in the parking lot. Located in the zoo Miami lot. read more

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can get up close to real train cars, plus adorable working mini trains and a wooden play zone for kids. The ride wasn't running today, and the website could've warned us-so we missed out. Three stars, but fun if you're nearby. it's also free to get in the first Saturday of the month and if you are attending the car show and coffee event read more

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Displays are very limited, especially if you don't pay the extra for the presidential rail car. Very disappointing for a museum in a city of this size. read more

I have seen the signs for this railroad museum over the years when I went to Zoo Miami, but I had never gone. Now, I am glad that I finally went. There are lots of huge, vintage trains here and a laid back atmosphere that makes it a relaxing experience. Old Big Band music played while we walked through the trains. We learned Miami history we never knew before. Very interesting. This is much more than just small displays in a building. This is real. We also bought a ticket to ride up from the engineer's cab of a train. A nice, different experience. read more

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Gold Coast Railroad museum is a really cute museum for kids who love trains (which are many!) Highly recommend you visit with children. Parking is easy and the place is easy to find - it's right by the Zoo. The best part is that you can go inside these large trains and look around. There's also a play area in the back of the train building. It's fun for adults too and a fun way to spend the afternoon. You can also head over to the Zoo afterwards which is next door. Pro Tip: The Museum is free every first Saturday of the month. It's worth stopping by, at least for an hour to walk through history. read more

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I've lived in Miami forever and didn't know this railroad museum existed. Fun place for young kids and even parents to see how folks traveled in the past. The indoor model train area is super cute. You can also take a ride on a real choo choo train but for a half hour ride it was way too expensive. This place could be so much better if they had a small cafe or even food trucks. They don't even have water. Too bad. I really liked it. read more

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It was a nice experience to see these old trains. Free admission on the first Saturday of the month. The museum is quite worn down and not well maintained. A lot of the structures are old and deteriorating. The office seem to have cute little things for sale but a lot of things look like it has been sitting on the shelves untouched for many years. I did enjoy the little mini ride through the pine trees and seeing very old out of commission trains. I wish we could've taken a ride on the full size train in the caboose but we didn't know to make reservation ahead of time. It's worth coming to check out if you have a free day. I'm not sure if I would pay the admission fee to visit however that would help fund the maintenance for the property. read more

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Exploring this wonderful museum, so much history. So many details. It's really amazing how everything is preserved. Thank you read more

Went here for the first time (on a Sunday) - no trains running (1 not running, the other one had a leakage they said). This place looks abandoned and could definitely use donations and $ that actually go to its revamp. It has a lot of potential, but not taken care of. Which explains why people never go here. Not sure if Miami-Dade runs it, but some tax payer dollars should go to this! read more

Gold Coast Railroad Museum - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

Soo entertaining and i love talking with the informative train crews about the train car histories. The presidential railcar tour is a must-do for weekend-goers! read more

Gold Coast Railroad Museum - Steam Engine - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

The service is bad. In there everything is dirty. The place looks like a joke. We ask for the refund which not much but we r not happy be there and they don't refund and they r not respect customer is the first, the place Is very dirty. No matter what. They should keep stuffs clean because is a museum read more

This place was very interesting, and I am not a train fan per sa, but I really enjoyed my time here. I was fascinated by the presidential train and was interested to see what food the president was offered (see my photos!).Here is some information about the museum see below. You can also go inside and see the trains. i also found it a great place for photography - hence all my pics. i took my charges who were 5 and 7 - and they loved it. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and operating historic equipment. It houses over 40 historic rail cars including Presidential Rail Car 'Ferdinand Magellan,' and Florida East Coast Steam Locomotive #153. ​Founded in 1957, GCRM was built on the former Naval Air Station Richmond (NASR), the second largest WWII airship base in the United States. With over three miles of tracks, the NASR was an ideal place to build a railroad museum. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum became one of the three official Florida State Railroad Museums in 1984. Besides its rail cars, the museum includes a model railroad room, a Naval Air Station Richmond exhibit, Thomas play tables, and multiple displays of rail equipment. GCRM operates as a non-profit organization, and devotes itself to instilling the rich history of rail in each of its guests. read more

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This was my first visit to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum. In the past I have skipped past it on my way to Zoo Miami. A $5 Groupon brought me in but you don't even have to pay that much. It is free for everyone on the first Saturday of the month. The museum was built on the former Richmond Naval Lighter Than Air Station which was a blimp air base used during WWII. It was their job to patrol for German U boats off the coast of Florida. In 1945 a fire caused by a hurricane destroyed the hangers, blimps, 366 planes, and 150 vehicles. The University of Miami used the decommissioned station for storage and research. There was already three miles of tracks in place which were then used by the railroad museum when they opened in 1956. In 1984 Gold Coast became of the three official state railroad museums in Florida.. The museum contains a collection of 30 historical trains. The most important train car they have is the Presidential Car the Ferdinand Magellan, also called US Car No. 1. It was designed a National Historic Landmark in 1985. It was built in 1929 by the Pullman Company. During WWII the Secret Service had the car armored for the safety of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He used it for a trip to Miami. After the car was decommissioned in 1958 it was offered to the Smithsonian. When they did not take it, the train car was acquired by the Goldcoast Museum. I had hoped to see the inside of the opulent looking car during my visit but it was locked with a sign that said it was only available during tours for an additional fee. The whole place had a neglected air about it. It's clear that they are operating on a shoe string budget. A trip to the bathroom showed me a wall with donation requests for their cat that was found under one of the trains and for a full time employee. Only a few of the trains were open to go on. Out back is a graveyard of old trains. The train that they advertise as allowing you to ride the rails is a rinky dink, tiny train that you can find at any carnival. The museums bread and butter is events like Day Out with Thomas the Train and a Halloween event they will be staging soon. They also started offering ghost tours which I am interested in. The former naval air base is said to be haunted by the ghost of a navy personnel who died in an air ship fire, an injured soldier, and a former museum worker. It already feels creepy back there so I would totally be into that. This is also a great place to stage vintage photo shoots. I saw some engagement pictures where the ladies and gentlemen were dressed up in 40's attire among the historic trains and they were fabulous. I love history so this museum was right up my alley but I could see how the shabbiness of the place might be off putting to some people. It has an aura of where old trains go to die. It would be nice to see what they could do with an infusion of money but sadly a lot of these historical places don't have the operating budget they need. It is worth a visit if you are in the area and even if you come on free day consider a donation, at least for their staff member cat, Ash. read more

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Came here directly after a cruise and they held our luggage for us and everyone there was extremely nice welcoming friendly and all around a great atmosphere read more

I enjoyed the first Saturday free entrance. My twins are 2 years old, so they are free. It's interesting most of the employees working are volunteers and they're all very nice. It's a small museum, but big enough that my twins enjoyed exploring. You're able to go in the old trains, some of them have videos. They have old school suitcases and benches where you can take pictures with. The staff that works there are very knowledgeable and encourages the guest to ask questions. I love that they have a designated area for younger kids to play that my kids went crazy over it. They have a bunch of model trains that they can't play with but look at and then they have like 10 tables of train tables where kids can spend as much time playing. They have chairs in front of the table where parents sit down comfortably watching their kids play. Small kids can do a small train ride for $5 each and then they have the real train rides one for $8 and the other $15 depends on what you're looking for. I did the $8 with my kids and rode on the caboose. We enjoyed it. read more

Definitely a place to check out during the free first Saturdays. They charge for the train ride on a real train engine. It's neat to see them hook up the cars together and pull out of the station. They also charge for a look at the presidential car which is fancy and kept up. But there's a few other cars to look at. The army medical train had a couple cots and a back kitchen which is neat to peer in. There's a passenger train that has the old seats and wash room and the front part is a museum. The California Zephyr isn't open but you can see the skylights from the outside and imagine it was a fun train to watch the terrain change from Chicago, Il to Oakland, Ca. At the museum store, which is quite small, they sell tickets for the trains and in the back have a museum dedicated to the war. There's an adorable museum cat that guards the area. As far as covid, you can wear a mask but there wasn't anyone enforcing anything and people weren't great at social distancing or following the one directional arrows. Luckily it's pretty much all open inside a hanger so only the trains and the war museum are enclosed areas. read more

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A cute thing to do for families with kids! The museum is located in the same area as Zoo Miami. You get to enter a few old school classic trains and take a ride on a link train (for an extra charge). Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month so you should take advantage of that. My son loves the model train room where he gets to walk from table to table and play with different trains. They are currently remodeling the room. They sometimes have a market there on weekends with different vendors and special events throughout the year such as a ride to North Pole or Thomas the Train. read more

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Wonderful, quiet spot with some very interesting history. My kindergarten aged son enjoyed getting into some trains and commenting on all of the different kinds. there was plenty to see and a fun area in the back with model trains and tables with wooden track kits for kids to play with. read more

I'm a history buff so this place really hits all the targets for me. The trains are very well maintained and they explain the history of each car very well. Great place for families. Hi it's in the daughter of the person rating and I'm just nine and I barely like trains but the railroad museum made me loveeeeeeeeee trains!!!!!!!!!! read more

This is a great trip back in time. Capturrs when the passenger trains were the kings of travel, carrying presidents and prime ministers. As you go inside the cars you sense what it would have been like to have been in one. Ultimately, the vastness of this country and the dispersal of its population caused these trains to be displaced by the airplane. End of an era but a great place to recapture it and teach children about life in those times. read more

So this was an OK outing. I took my son here for the Day Out With Thomas Event. I believe this was an OK outing to me because of the venue. In the marketing and website videos, I was expecting a different experience. In those photos a lot of the activities are outside and seemed to have more to offer. The train itself looked more updated. This venue is very old and the Day Out With Thomas and the Polar Express event is probably their money making events. With that in mind they should look into having trains updated and providing a better experience for everyone involved. For $20, I expected a more updated train; not a train that is rusted and have various pieces of tape throughout. I think with some updates, I can get past the fact that the "train ride" is simply the train going back and forth twice; really? Outside of the 20 minute "train ride" there really isn't anything to do. You can really be out of there within an hour. Then they have a mini train ride that actually goes "leaves" and come back but it's an additional $5 per person. I think with some added exhibits and activities this could be a nice family outing. Especially for someone that comes from far north. I do not see myself bringing my son back. read more

So much fun! Loved how immersive it was, we paid extra for the private tour of the Ferdinand Magellan and it was so worth it (we had the guid with aqua colored hair - i forgot their name, and the volunteer Rayan) they were so informative and both genuinely enthusiastic and passionate which made it even better! The collection of model trains and dioramas was supper fun to look at (so cute and detailed) Would definitely go again and will be telling everyone to check it out! :) read more

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My son loves this place, his favorite things to do there are ride the trains and play with the train tables. Elizabeth is so caring and will help you book your train rides. I found her to be super friendly. This place did raise its prices and it caught me with extreme shock. Not sure if we will be able to ride the trains like we used to but it's still a nice place to see. read more

Nice place to spend half hour to may be an hour if you like taking pictures. But it's a bit rundown, smelly inside the trains, and in some very charged energy. Very weird feeling. Again not bad to get a couple of nice shots. read more

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Call for the actual days and hours. Yelp times are not accurate. Fine for true train buffs and young children, otherwise not so impressive.

Very disappointed, $20 per person including my 3 year old nephew, they have a bouncy house and a couple of more basic games, a very overpriced little store, and nothing else to do. The train ride after you wait to go on just goes backwards for 10 minutes, stops and goes back into the station for another 10 minutes. We came here expecting to go on a nice train ride. The train itself is very old and not taken care of, it's very deteriorated. Very frustrating to spend this money and feel cheated. This should not be more than maybe $8 per person. My nephew has a fascination with trains and we thought this would be an amazing experience for him and it wasn't. Don't waste your time or money. read more

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Gold Coast RailRoad is a perfect field trip spot for a camp in South Miami. It is not a Stand lone field trip... it is an extension to the zoo or another field trip. The field trip is extremely quick it takes about one hour. It's really fun and interesting. Campers get to learn interesting facts about the train system. It is also interactive students get a chance to walk through the different trains and learn the ins and out of the railroad system. They also have a room filled with model trains that the campers can play with while they wait to ride on the train cars. read more

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The me sum was the espícula Brian jake and Jason an the details I 100% recommen this mesum This read more

On several trips to the zoo, we always said - "hey, we need to come and see what this place is all about". When we saw the sign for a Free day - I couldn't resist free. Now this is a place for a train lover, historian, or kids. On this particular day - it was about the kids. We didn't even get to go into the museum. So - normally - the have link rides (a small kiddie) which on a normal day will cost you $2.50 p/person over 2 y.o. and then they have the bigger train rides that range from $6 - $12 p/person. These are the real trains. The route for the 15 - 20 minute ride takes you through the back of the property which is lush with an old FL feel. They have a slew of old trains from many different eras that you can walk through... be weary if you are claustrophobic!! And even the Ferdinand Magellan history Presidential car is there - which I think was the one FDR spoke his 'four score and seven years ago' speak from - I think - don't quote me on that one. That day there were food trucks there - amidst a sprawling lawn decorated with picnic blankets. On a hot day - you can even eat inside one of the trains - just next to the small field. It's equipped with AC, tables, and chairs, and windows to look out. This is really someplace you can go for a different experience. Even on not free days - the admission price is very low - $6 for adults?? Something like that. :) Chooo choo! read more

Gold Coast Railroad Museum - The Link Ride (Kid's Train) - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Do NOT book a photo shoot with these people. They WONT SHOW UP and will LAUGH at you saying somebody must have forgotten. 2 months ago, I booked the date of June 14, 2016 for my engagement photo shoot. I also booked my hair, makeup, and photographer. Since I booked so far in advance, I made sure to confirm not one, not two, but THREE times. Each time I called to confirm, I spoke to the same young man on the phone who sounded less than excited to be working extra hours and could not "sigh" louder or more obviously if he tried. The last time I called to confirm was three days before my photo shoot. I had scheduled for 5:45-6:45 at a rate of $100. On that day, I asked if it was possible to move the shoot an hour later as the sun seemed to set at a later time than expected. The boy very rudely told us "nah, we can't do that, the zoo closes the doors at 7:00pm on the dot so that won't happen." However, on their website it clearly states that if you need to shoot past 7:00pm there would just be an additional $50 fee to keep zoo security on staff for that time, which we were obviously willing to pay. I didn't want to get on the nasty kid's bad side since he already seemed annoyed we would be there at all so I told him it was fine, we will keep our normal time. Day of our shoot, I spent 4 hours in hair and makeup and it cost me $280. We also paid our photographer $500 for a one hour long shoot, for a total of $780. We arrive at the Gold Coast Museum at 5:30. NOBODY IS THERE. We knock, call, leave messages... Nothing. At this point I am crying because it seems like me $780 engagement shoot is ruined. I notice they just posted a photo to instagram so I start commenting on the photos, telling them "PLEASE PLEASE I AM HERE FOR MY ENGAGEMENT SHOOT, nobody is here!!!" The social media rep proceeds to contact the owner/management for us and tell us to go to the fence to look for an emergency number. We finally get through to the woman that runs the place at around 6:30. When we tell her nobody is there and we had a shoot scheduled, her response was: "YOU KNOW ITS $100 RIGHT?" HELLO?!?!!!! YES, obviously I know!! What the actual HECK?! How unbelievably rude, unprofessional, and downright NASTY this woman was!! She then says she will call us back when she figures out what to do. We ask if there's a chance at all we will be able to shoot today because otherwise we will need to leave... Our photographer was only scheduled for an hour. She doesn't give us a clear answer and just tells us to wait. Until 7:00 when we CALL HER back and she just laughs saying that "if it makes you feel better I have to deal with whoever didn't show up for your shoot!" WHAT ON EARTH?! YES, I feel so much better that I am out $780 with no freaking photos thanks to your incompetent, nasty, unprofessional, loathsome business skills and attitude! YOU BETTER BELIEVE I WILL BE SENDING THIS PLACE A BILL FOR OUR LOSSES. Absolute scum!!!!!!!! read more

Gold Coast Railroad Museum - Can't get it. - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Um this place is awesome! When you enter you go through the tiny store they have but immediately to your left are bits of history hung on the walls. Now the reason we went here was for a daddy and son photo shoot. Warning they do charge for professional photography, $75.00 to be exact! We have used CaryDiazPhotography for a while now and love her style so when she mentioned this place it was a no brainer, however the charge wasn't fun, but we stated that we were family and it was only to take a few pictures... The lady asked if there was going to be any outfit changes or anything like that and we said no which was true, so we just had to pay admission! Boy we lucked out. ***The first Saturday of every month is free admission*** You walk outside and they have railroad tracks with a kiddie train. Super cute. Underneath the shelter (perfect for when it rains which it did!) are the huge trains I guess they're called carts? Well there's plenty and and different types too. You can go inside and all. They have staged oldie carts with vintage luggage on top. So cool! Okay so they actually have moving trains and you can hop on a train for a little ride. Overall it's a great place to walk around explore and capture great photos even if you're not a pro. The bathrooms are clean they have vending machines as well... And if you're to do some activities the zoo is right next door! read more

Gold Coast Railroad Museum - Great space - trains on left side - Museums Near Me - Miami, Florida

Donot buy tickets for holiday express train. This is in no way close to a Christmas themed event. In addition, they over sell tickets so you may have to take a later train. Then you are left to be given an excuse from the only worker who is 12 yo. Zero stars. read more

Lovely little place needs people to contribute and donate money to them. Very knowledgeable. Staff enjoyed walking around getting a visit the trains and very cool model building with toy trains. read more

Totally worth the price. Now, that depends on what you paid. Admission is only $8, but you can be even cheaper than that. With AAA, there is BOGO. With zoo membership, there is 20% off. And... Every 1st Saturday of the month is free admission. So to the people who said it wasn't worth the price... you're stupid. Now, this place is underfunded and ran by volunteers and not everything is open/available/running every day so you need to call/plan ahead. Even if you don't ride on a train, it is still totally cool to explore the trains for yourself. And if you have little ones, they are going to love playing on all those Thomas the Train sets. And my little ones were thrilled with the kiddie $5 train ride. I wish I could have gone in the president's car, but wasn't available when we were there. The best place to get the scope of how big the navy hanger used to be, is to go to the end of the trains, turn around, and look at the tower. There is a curved line on the tower. Complete that rainbow in your mind. That was the hanger door. That tower is the only one left standing. Make sure you look at the pictures in the side room of the gift shop. They used to park 3 blimps side by side in there. How many aircrafts went up in smoke in that fire? read more

It was enjoyed walking thru the trains. You can pretty much do whatever you'd like to do when you are there and the littles can run around. It's very impressive. We went on a free day. It's free every first Saturday of the month so take advantage of that if you plan on going because I'm not sure it's worth the entrance fee. Don't want you to be disappointed after forking over some cash for the entrance to this attraction. You can walk the entire museum within two hours You can smell the age of the trains. I almost wish I had a mask covering my mouth and nose going into the trains and the play area. Looking thru the pictures posted by other yelpers, it looks like they have a great polar express exhibit during the holiday and a fun Thomas the Train event. Plan on going around that time to maximize your experience. Tip: the yelp app navigated you to a random spot. Note that the entrance to to museum is they the Miami Zoo entrance. As far as food, I noticed vending machines, a snow cone cart and the Boy Scouts were also set up there selling hamburgers and hot dogs for a very reasonable price. Parking is easy and steps away from the entrance. So easy. It's all outdoors and under a covered area with no A.c. so be prepared for that. Walking through the cars may get kinda muggy in the miami weather. read more

What what what!? First Saturday of every month (except March and December I think) is free to visit!? Yes, it is. The railroad museum was smaller than I thought it was going to be but when your getting in for free and the Good Humor Ice Cream Truck is giving out unlimited supplies of free ice cream on a hot day you are pleasantly surprised. They have a small indoor section where parents let their kids roam and play with small toy trains while surrounded by live moving models as well. It's a small area but it's fun for the kids. Most parents I notice zone out and don't even watch their kids. I'm used to this when I see parents nowadays so be careful not to step on any of them while their running a muck! The small models are nice to see but again not too much in the space. The outside though! Basically it's kind of like a train graveyard but truthfully not huge but a good size and amount of train cars. Your able to walk through them and see the way we used to travel basically. There's some history behind them and for $12 I believe you can enter the presidential one that was once used by 4 presidents of the United States like Harry Truman! For $6 you can take a short train ride which never really leaves the grounds but is long enough to be worth it to feel what it's like on a train if you've never been. They don't have the Good Humor truck all the time from what I understand but they do have a food truck and a small food stand if your hungry with some vending machines. Most of the cars are underneath a roof but some aren't and you get to walk along them on the tracks. I'll only go on Saturdays when it's free. Lol. It's right next to Zoo Miami by the way! And check out what they do during Halloween and Christmas. The reason for the 3 stars by the way is because I have to admit the people who work there are a little absent minded. I've heard bad things about the customer service before going but didn't have a problem of my own. Truthfully I'm big on customer service and pay close attention, and the reason for this location having this issue may be the fact they seem to have a handful of "volunteers" assisting them. Obviously they have no training as I saw some kids come in, get a shirt, and within the next 10 minutes start giving out information without supervision. The people working there don't seem to be too concerned with what your doing and do seem annoyed. But well you get the good and the bad everywhere. There were some really nice guys working near the train ride that were really informative and you could tell enjoyed being there. read more

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I just paid $85 for 3adults and a two-year-old to visit this "museum's" Thomas the Train weekend. For that price, you get to take a ride in a filthy, moldy train where the windows are so old and frosted that you can't even see anything. There was visible mold all over the ceiling and I actually got a headache during the ride. This whole place is pathetic. There was nothing to do other than spend even more money on overpriced Thomas trinkets and food. "Story time" was one teenager sitting in a dank, dark train car with a book. The "imaginarium" was a few toy traincar stations like what you see at public libraries. Shame on the people who are taking money from hard-working parents and serving up this slop. My kid was sooo disappointed. read more

Went here Sunday afternoon, want to see museum. Museum is free for military, plenty of train cart to explore with family, cart do get hot. Lot of history in the available cart, small train to ride the museum good for the kids. read more

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Worth a visit. The presidential train and the zephyr are the best ones. Cool to see the curved front and dome ceiling on the zephyr. Other trains historic as well. Staff very nice too. Some good train artifacts around the museum. Plus an exhibit on the air station and blimps that were there on the site years ago read more