Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Truckee Railroad Museum

    4.7 (3 reviews)

    Truckee Railroad Museum Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Truckee Railroad Museum

    Recommended Reviews - Truckee Railroad Museum

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ivy S.
    140
    2169
    6181

    7 years ago

    Helpful 20
    Thanks 0
    Love this 22
    Oh no 0
    Photo of K M.
    5
    240
    63

    16 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Museums 127 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Emigrant Trail Museum & Bookstore

    Emigrant Trail Museum & Bookstore

    4.5
    (22 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $

    Great museum. Lots of information, tons of history in the area. Decorated very well with loads of…read morehistoric artifacts. I don't really want to spoil it. Go and check it out. Great value.

    The story of the Donner Party (1846-1847) [Truckee CA]…read more The Visitor Center isn't very big but nice... it features exhibits highlighting the Emigrant Experience, the Donner Party, the Land of the Washoe, Chinese construction of the railroad, and early motoring adventures over Donner Pass. The park rangers are informative and helpful. I was able to stamp my travel book with the name of the park and image of a prairie wagon. Clean bathrooms. Everything we've wanted to learn about the Donner Party were explained to us by the park volunteer who gave us a free one-hour tour. Historical tours are offered at 11:00a and 1:00p. Thanks, Ron! Very informative! Included with the tour is a short walk to the Murphy Cabin. The inscription on the rock read "The face of this rock formed the north end and the fireplace of the Murphy Cabin." It also listed the names of the members of the Donner Party, those who perished and survived (see photo). Donner Pass is now fairly easily traversed, but the Donner Party were up against feet of heavy snow, and the wagons they were traveling in were no match for a modern four wheel drive. The terrain is famously rugged, so imagine passing over it with no road. Review #3556

    Photos
    10.06.24 1-hr historical tour by park volunteer, Ron
    10.06.24 1-hr historical tour by park volunteer, Ron
    10.06.24
    10.06.24
    10.06.24 The freedom to travel

    See all

    10.06.24 The freedom to travel
    Truckee-Donner Historical Society and Old Jail

    Truckee-Donner Historical Society and Old Jail

    4.0
    (7 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Open house today at the old Truckee jail museum. This is located in one of many original Chinatowns…read morein the Truckee area. I was made aware from one of the historians that there was as many as six or more Chinatowns in the Truckee area from the Chinese laborers that built the transcontinental railway. The jail itself was originally a one story building with two cells for law breakers housing two persons per cell. The constable had the office outside of the cells in a separate room. Heating was made available by holes through the walls above where the constables office was. They found out the need for additional cells for women and children offenders were needed and added an addition upstairs, so there were two additional cells added to a upper level. The historical group is in the process of getting a landmark designation for this site. Quite a bit of relics is being housed and displayed here. Worth a visit to see a bit of Truckee's past

    During our visit to Truckee, we were winging a lot of it. We didn't really research the place and…read morewhat it had to offer. We saw the signs pointing to the jail on our way to lunch and decided we would check it out afterwards. I'm glad we did. In short, it ended up being the highlight of our visit. It's a small, cramp building on the ground level with a slightly larger upstairs. I cannot remember his name, but there was a volunteer there (docent, I believe they're called) and he happily walked my Wife and I around and told us all about the history and even a few stories about some of the "inmates" and how their stays went. I highly recommend you check this out and take the time to speak to the volunteers. They all seem happy and eager to tell you everything you'll ever want to know about it. If you can, drop a few bucks in the donation box. It helps keep the place going.

    Photos
    Interior of the upstairs cell
    Interior of the upstairs cell
    Relics
    Relics
    Entrance

    See all

    Entrance
    Wilbur D May Center

    Wilbur D May Center

    4.7
    (35 reviews)
    24.5 mi

    This museum is a hidden gem. They're constantly bringing new and exciting exhibitions to our…read morecommunity, specifically those that are geared towards our elementary aged kiddos, which I sincerely appreciate. Most recently we visited Toytopia. This exhibit offers the chance to explore a hands-on history of toys from the past and into the future. My kids loved the oversized robotic claw, reminiscent of an amped up arcade machine. It was a blast trying to get the individually articulating fingers to close around the ball in order to lift it into the basket for the big reward. We also enjoyed the oversized battleship game. So fun to play and we spent 20-30 min there. Mr Potato Head was old school fun too. We made a competition out of it to see who could make the wackiest example. I think I won... or maybe my kids let me win. But the favorite had to be the mini arcade they had setup with some of the best old school cabinets. Donkey Kong, DK Jr., Dig Dug and so many more are all here as part of the exhibit and you could spend a long time here without realizing it! Oh and there's even a Zoltar fortune teller too! When you're done at toytopia you can go learn the history of Wilbur D May on the other side of the museum. I personally love exploring the artifacts and treasures he collected from his travels, especially the hunting and fishing trophies! All in all, a great little place to spend a

    Wonderful experience for my family. Roaming around the gardens and taking a tour of the museum…read more Plenty of places for a picnic on the grounds. Just understand that May was a "big game" hunter when that was not frowned upon as it is now. Many of his "trophies" are found throughout the museum.

    Photos
    The gallery at the Wilbur D May museum. A lovely show out in by the Sierra Watercolor Society. So many incredible paintings. Julie A
    The gallery at the Wilbur D May museum. A lovely show out in by the Sierra Watercolor Society. So many incredible paintings. Julie A
    The gift shop full of beautiful and amazing items from around the country. Julie A
    The gift shop full of beautiful and amazing items from around the country. Julie A
    Wilbur D May Center

    See all

    Truckee Railroad Museum - museums - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...