Guide to St. Louis for Kids: the Best Places to Take a Train Lover

Kids love trains. They're big, they're noisy and they move. Since the introduction of the Thomas the Train series children have become even more enthralled with trains. Young train lovers will find some great places to visit in the St. Louis area.

The first stop for train lovers of all ages should be the Museum of Transportation operated by the St. Louis County Parks Department. The museum is located in west St. Louis County. Museum exhibits include streetcars, automobiles, a tug boat and an airplane. Far and away the most impressive exhibit is the train collection. Visitors can play engineer in locomotive, see the inside of a sleeping car and climb inside a dairy tank car. Climbing over tracks and between rail cars is the best part of this ultimate playground for train lovers.

The Museum of Transportation houses a variety of locomotives including examples of internal combustion, electric and gas-turbine train engines. The collection of 33 steam locomotives makes the Museum of Transportation's collection the largest in North American. The train collection also contains an assortment of freight and passenger train cars. Turntables and other train related equipment round out the exhibits.

Boys and girls love to ride the Museum Line Railroad. This 24-inch scale replica steam locomotive takes up to 42 passengers for a one-mile ride within the museum grounds. This miniature train and the on-site trolley operate daily during summer months and on weekends during the rest of the year, weather permitting.

There is a small admission fee for the Museum of Transportation and an additional charge for unlimited train and trolley rides.

Traveling a bit further west to Wildwood will take you to the home of the Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Steam Railway. The Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Steam Railway is a 12-inch gauge steam railroad that transports 13,000 riders each year. The train operates on Sundays from April through October. Cost was $3 per person with no charge for children under three.

Train rides on the Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Steam Railway are a relaxing two-mile round trip. The track takes riders through the natural beauty surrounding the Meramec River bluffs and passes through a secluded portion of Castlewood State Park. The end of the line features a turntable that turns the train around for the return trip to the station. The Railway has a total of 13 locomotives and 37 passenger cars.

Another fun train ride for kids is at the St. Louis Zoo. The Zooline Railroad is a small steam engine train with open air passenger cars. Passengers on the Zooline Railroad learn about the zoo animals and exhibits during a narrated tour. The entire mile and a half mile trip takes about twenty minutes. Riders are free to get exit the train and then re-board at each station.

A new offering at the St. Louis Zoo is a program that allows anyone over 7 years old to be a Zooline Train engineer for a day. The lucky engineer of the day works alongside the train engineer and ticket agent to get a behind the scenes perspective of how the railroad operates. The cost for this ultimate train day starts at $125.

If your child loves looking at animals, Grant's Farm in south St. Louis County is another great place to visit. Grant's Farm, operated by Anheuser-Busch, provides riders with an open air tram tour through the 281 acre wildlife preserve. Everyone in the family will enjoy the visit to Grant's Farm. Grant's Farm has been ranked by Zagat as one of the top attractions in the country.

The final stop on a train tour for kids in St. Louis is perfect for any weather. Whittle Shortline Railroad in Valley Park stocks the full line of America's number one wooden trains. The Whittle Shortline Railroad store welcomes kids by offering train tables and plenty of train cars for interactive play. The store features one 14-foot train table and several smaller train tables for smaller fans. Freight trains pass by on tracks across the street from the store and often the kids will stop playing to watch the passing train.

St. Louis has many great places for young train lovers to visit and many of them combine a train ride with a view of nature or exotic animals. No matter which place you choose your child will have a great time.