These are some of trains they have at the Hesston Steam Museum and they also have things on display read more

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If you are looking for something to do in Northern Indiana, Heston Steam Museum is a great place to go. They introduce you to various historical ways of working with steam machines. They have an assortment of old farm tractors and vehicles. And they have a working sawmill. On occasion, I've seen the blacksmith shop open and hammering away at keepsake souvenirs. The highlight of the trip will be a steam engine train ride through the grounds and woods. Along with a narration by the conductor. This is a fun place to go on the holidays as they theme the train to the holiday. There is a train themed gift shop perfect for souvenirs of your trip. And popcorn to purchase. Occasionally, the soda fountain is open. But, if they are not, Heston Supper club is down the road along with other options in nearby LaPorte, Indiana or New Buffalo, Michigan. read more

IF you or you kids love trains. This is the place to go. Nice outside and inside museum and history. Train rides on different size trains. read more

Best steam museum in northwest Indiana! Free admission. Great for groups, large families. Wheel chair accessible. We paid a visit to the museum on Saturday after Independence Day. Due to the recent extreme heat experienced in the region, the crowds were relatively light. I was with adults in my group and we were able to ask questions with relative ease. The volunteers are very knowledgeable and helpful. From what I gathered, the Shay #7 will not be running until Labor Day weekend this year, due to high potential for grass fires. We enquired about the saw mill and power generation displays and were initially told both would not run during our visit. Apparently a young volunteer arrived shortly thereafter to pour the coal to her and the power plant came alive. Take a train ride or two on their private tracks. You will come to within feet of the Michigan State Line and then venture back to the steam village. Train ride tickets are $5 each, or 4 for $17.00 In addition to the engine storage shed, there are also a couple sheds that house gasoline and diesel powered equipment, mostly farming equipment. Visit their web site for additional details. read more

Hesston Steam Museum - Steam Train Rides!! - Museums Near Me - LaPort, Indiana

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Train rides are so much fun. Not the best train ride we've been on but it absolutely made my sons day :-) Totally worth stopping in and experiencing. We rode 3 trains and repeated the smallest one. It took about 2 hours read more

What is not to love!! We've been coming for 5 years now. We skip the food, but enjoy everything else. Get there 30 minutes before open to avoid lines. The place is already open at that time. The employees are all passionate about trains. We all love the little train best. If you come in late July or August, hit Stateline Blueberries after you ride. :-) Yummmm! It is 10 minutes from the train museum. read more

Hesston Steam Museum - Museums Near Me - LaPort, Indiana

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This is a great train museum. Everything is outside, so you can walk around and look at all of the cool things. They have multiple sizes of trains that you can ride. (This is my favorite part). The trains go through a cool wooded area. They have a lot of space, so the rides are like 10-15 minutes on little trains. The volunteers that work there seem to love being there. They are very knowledgeable and friendly. The food is not too over priced, and the proceeds go to maintaining all of the equipment. This place is good for people of all backgrounds, ages, and groups of any size. Also, if you go here in July, you should see if you can go blueberry picking down the street. There are two different places within about 10 minutes of here: Stateline Blueberries, and another place I don't know the name of. read more

This is a small steam engine amusement park. It's Great! It can get busy and lines can get long but it's fun and it's worth it. There's a lot to see and their set up is very impressive. Prices are fair, the gift shop is alright, and the ice cream shop is cute and fun when it's open. read more

Visit Santa in the winter, Halloween spooky train, or just for fun in the summer. Several trains to ride on! read more

Hesston Steam Museum - Christmas train in December - Museums Near Me - LaPort, Indiana

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If you love trains or history, this is the perfect spot for you. All volunteers are willing to answer your questions regarding the various machines there. The ride on the train is fun. The kids loved it too. Great for all ages. read more

Wonderful local destination. Great for kids of all ages, and adults too. Lots to see and do.

The Steam Museum has a really nice Ice Cream and Soda Bar with real Soda Jerks. The kitchen also prepares a variety of burgers, dogs and sandwiches. The museum is a great family activity. read more

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Such a fun place to visit! My family loves the variety of trains there are to ride, especially the smaller ones. We go every year!

I'm thirty years old but when it comes down to it I'm a five year old at heart. So, when I first heard about the Hesston Steam Museum, I begged everyone around me to go on a choo-choo train ride with me. Of course, when I pictured Hesston in my head, I assumed it would be a quick 5 minute train ride. I figured it would be a big let down and that I would be sad I wasted my $5. I was wrong. I was oh-so-wrong. First of all, there are several kinds of trains. Some are super tiny and some are regular size and some are somewhere in between. The small and big trains have different tracks they follow but all types lead you on a decent 20 minute train ride through the woods of Northern Indiana (and very close to the Michigan State Line). They're open on weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They're also open for a few weekends to celebrate Halloween and Christmas. For the young (and the young at heart), it's worth the $5 investment. All aboard! read more

I'm sad we are just now discovering this little gem right outside of New Buffalo, MI. I went here with husband, toddler, and mother-in-law during Labor Day weekend. They were having a special festival for the weekend, so admission was $5 per person. Kids under 12 were free. We got there a few minutes after the 10am opening (this place runs on central time, so take that into account) and there were already quite a few people mulling about. Decided to ride the medium sized train with a purchase price of $5/ride (toddler was free). It was enjoyable for all of us. There were 3 different trains running the day we were there, as well as the saw mill and steam engines. There was also a flea market with garage sale type items as well as additional vendors (per the website) brought in for the weekend. I stopped and bought some kettle corn and immediately regretted not buying the bigger bag. We did not eat at the restaurant but did buy a few things at the gift shop. As this is a non-profit place everything was reasonably priced. Looking forward to going back again to ride the special themed ghost train in October. read more

First trip to Hesston Steam Museum was for father's day. I took my two boys (3.5 year old and 21month old) and my bride. We had a fantastic time. They loved riding the trains. Narrow gauge, 1/4 scale, and our favorite the 1/8 scale. Each train ride is for about 20 minutes and takes you over a few miles through the woods. The volunteers running the place go out of their way to make sure that you're enjoying yourself. We'll be back for sure! read more

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The Hesston Steam Mueseum is an ode to all thing steam powered. The full size steam engine locomotives are a sight to see. The belch forth steam and smoke as the sit idle ready to make another run around the two and a half mile run. They chug their way through a beautiful Indiana forest, slowly up some gentle grades and around a few ponds laden with duck weed. The medium size trains are restored trains saved from zoos and amusement parks. The steam slips from the metal fittings as the engineers grease joints and invite a few lucky kids over to peer into the fire box and get and up close look at the controls. The kids were memorized and excited to take trip after trip, the adults couldn't help be be in awe by the raw power of the century old technology on display. The museum has a county fair like atmosphere, plenty of food stands. Lots of old train gear to climb on and anything and everything powered by steam. Steam engine popcorn on up to an active steam engine saw mill. We had a great time and will be going many times in the future. read more

I feel bad giving this local favorite that rating. But, our recent visit to the museum's Candy Cane Express holiday event was in all ways a so-so experience. During our entire visit I just couldn't escape the impression of being underwhelmed. First off, it felt as if someone simply decided to take an old junk yard of rusted-out hulks and build a museum around them. Even the title museum is a misnomer for "museum" implies that care is given to preserve and restore your subject in its historic condition. It would have exponentially more interesting if they attempted to maintain their collection--not simply left them out as gutted skeletons/tetanus vectors. I'll admit that the various working trains they had were fun particularly for our kids. So, it's certainly worth a visit if you want to get your little ones a train fix. But, if you come on the weekends or during one of their special events, figure on waiting in line for a while (we queued for more than 90 minutes to ride one of the trains). The lengthy wait times definitely dampened what excitement there was for the train rides. The lack of investment in the steam exhibits did show up though in some of the museum's facilities. The newly constructed restaurant and pavilion show that they are at least attempting to improve the guest experience a bit. But, on the whole the concept of a steam museum could have been implement so much better. So, in general the Hesston Steam Museum decidedly falls short of its potential. read more

Take a trip back in time from the train rides to the soda shop we had a great time and everyone that was working/volunteering was extremely nice. I was scared about the tiny train until we rode it and that might be my favorite one! For a family with younger children this was a fun excursion! read more

This a wonderful place for an outdoor family outing. So many things to see and lots of fun train rides. Prices are reasonable and they also have food and drinks. As well as a nice gift shop. Highly recommended for an afternoon out with the family. read more

A hidden gem! Check the calendar for day and time, but plan to arrive a bit early to look over the static exhibits - all "hands on!" The running trains are real trains- just small! Children immediately relate to them. Nice gift shop; clean and pleasant snack shop/ice cream bar. Good restrooms too! A beautiful drive through the country takes you there. read more

Great place if you love trains. Went with my family and had a wonderful time!! There are three steam trains to ride. Had a blast!! Will be back again read more

What a wonderful place. I love machines of all kinds so I came to Hesston Steam Museum to learn what I could. Ten years later I am still learning. It is a great kid friendly place to visit or participate. I became a volunteer and we all enjoy keeping the past history of steam power alive. Ask any volunteer a question and they will be glad to share all they know. Hope to see you there. read more

This is a hidden jewel near New Buffalo, MI. It was our first visit after getting a recommendation from the old train station in Buffalo and touring their museum. Our 6 and 3 year old would have spent many more hours. Even though it was a rainy day, we rode the trains (one with an umbrella open over my head). Each train route seems to be about 3/4 to 1 mile long through the forest and fields. My favorite was talking to the "engineers" enthusiasts, who spend all their time restoring and maintaining the trains and love what they do. read more

Awesome place to bring little kids! My family has been going here for over thirty years and it really hasnt changed allot except now there are noce restrooms and and food options. My little boys love it as much as we did as kids. Tip: Go at last hour and a half for events like Candy Cane Express for very short wait times for trian rides.. read more

I couldn't help but laugh out loud over Noel's comment of there being "nothing to do" at the Hesston Steam Museum. There is TONS of stuff "to do" at Hesston. If you enjoy trains, history, steam power, mechanics or more importantly, have kids, you need to go visit the Hesston Steam Museum, AKA, the Steam Yard. This place has an amazing collection of working steam locomotives (including the best example of a Shay Locomotive in the country), minature trains you can ride on, traction engines and even a steam powered saw mill. The entire museum is run by volunteers and it's really a labor of love. The museum is pretty hands on, there are lots of displays that kids can climb and explore on and some they can't due to the nature of the machinery. There are three different sets of tracks (I think) that add up to a couple of miles through the woods and all the trains are a lot of fun in different ways, my favorite is the Shay. This is a destination spot that is easily worth a couple hundred mile drive to check out. The best weekends to visit are Memorial Day, Labor Day and American Family Day because a lot of the volunteers come out and nearly all of the machinery will be up and running. read more

Our children thoroughly enjoyed riding the trains! Very nice volunteer-run, growing attraction. Beautiful area.

If you have young kids who love trains, this place is fabulous. Our two year old twins enjoyed every second of our trip. We were staying for a week at the beach in Michigan City and went here over a gloomy day---it was a great idea. read more

This is one of those places that needs more publicity! Wonderful collection of steam driven engines (tractors, trains etc), with such a comfortable feel. All the volunteers LOVE to talk about trains, and the train rides through the property are lovely. My grandson loves to ride all the trains and could probably stay here all day if we let him. Best entertainment bang for the buck! read more

The volunteers were fantastic! Took time to talk to our child and show him everything he would ever want to know about trains. Great train rides and ice cream shop. So glad we stopped here. And admission was free! We will definitely be back! read more

This place is a gem! I enjoy the raw natural feel and outdoor environment. It is nicely tucked away but not hard to find or get to. The staff makes me feel like they just stepped out of a story book. They are fully apart of the experience. The amazing thing is the amount of time you can spend here. There are a lot of trains in all sizes for all ages. My 4 year old loves it! Oh and I have to say I enjoy it a lot too! My favorites are the littlest trains. I think the railroad going through the woods, around the pond, over bridges and under bridges makes the ride even more amazing. The ice cream parlor is done well with servers dressed up playing there part in the story book day as well. You have gotta go! read more

Hesston steam trains is a great place to spend a few hours. The have a nice little cafe with pretty good good. The kids loved to ride the trains. Tip!!! Go here and Stateline stables for a trail or pony ride on the same day. The stables is 3 minutes away from the train museum read more

This place is adorable! It's volunteer run and everybody seems enthusiastic and engaged in what they're doing. Fun exhibits and three trains (small, medium, and large) trains that you can ride. Enjoyable even if you don't have a little train fanatic with you. read more

We came here for one of the special Christmas weekends. It was absolutely perfect. We bought our tickets and got in line to see Santa, but then saw a train drive off. I said I bet that's the last train. So when we saw a train come back we hurried to get in line as well as a bunch of other people. The engineer was shaking his head no when the conductor asked if he was going out again. Then some loud mouth behind us started yelling "one more time, one more time". I figured that really put the nail in the coffin, but thankfully they obliged! So that one simple act of begrudgingly taking us out, when all he probably wanted to do was to go home and eat dinner!, really endeared me to this place. This was our first time so I'm not sure if there is a way to let passengers know when the last train is, but no one said anything to us, not at the ticket booth or even the conductor walking the platform. We would have been pretty upset if we missed the train and not a single person there informed us that was the last ride of the day. We took a ride on the steam engine which was so very cool, and I'm not really into trains, and then saw Santa in his caboose. I kind of felt like I was meeting Santa! Whoever they have playing Santa is amazing. He took so much time talking to my child and really listened as he rambled on and on. Very appreciated and we will definitely be back next Christmastime and in the warmer months to check out this charming place again. Everyone who works there is a volunteer. read more

A big hit for the young and not so young train enthusiasts. There are 3 different trains to ride, different sizes, through a wooded area. The entire place is run by volunteers who are very knowledgeable about the trains and go out o their way to ensure you enjoy yourself. There is a gift shop too. Not very far away from New Buffalo, MI. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon. They are open weekends 12-5pm. read more

Was a great place to see a bunch of amazing machinery from the past!! And be able to ride along in the trains was also nice. The little dinner they had on site had real nice food and wasn't super overpriced about the same you'd pay at McDonald's but the quality was defiantly there. I do wish however that they had more information on all of the pieces of equipment so you could learn more about where they came from and what they were generally used for. I thought it was a great deal to go to, and was a good deal of fun!! read more