This Free Historic Train Museum Was Just Named One Of The Best In America — And It’s Only 2 Hours From NYC

All aboard! 🚂 With all of the train talk going on in New York City right now, one history-packed museum near NYC has been mastering the locomotive game for decades. Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA (just a couple hours from NYC), was just named one of the best train museums in the country by Travel + Leisure—and it deserves a spot on your fall bucket list! Managed by the National Park Service this living railroad museum brings the golden age of steam to life with train rides, hands-on exhibits, immersive tours , and even special fall foliage train excursions . Housed in a former rail yard, Steamtown showcases an impressive collection of historic locomotives and cars—one of the oldest in the collection built back in 1903 . Best of all? It’s completely free to visit . Guests can watch demonstrations of railroad technology, wander through a working roundhouse, and even peek inside the Locomotive Repair Shop on guided tours . Yes, you can actually ride the trains ----------------------------------------- The highlight, though, is stepping aboard the historic trains themselves. Steamtown offers 30- to 45-minute rides in restored passenger cars , giving visitors the chance to experience the rhythm of steam travel while learning about Scranton’s rich railroad history . The “Scranton Limited” yard shuttle , as it’s called, operates from May through November, offering a 30-minute journey across the Lackawanna River and past the University of Scranton. Tickets cost just $6 for adults and $1 for kids under 6 , with departures happening daily at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:15 pm, and 2:30 pm. For a bigger adventure, Steamtown also runs full-day excursions through the Poconos and Lackawanna Valley —think fall foliage rides, ice cream trains, wine trains, and even holiday express trips . Advance tickets are available on recreation.gov. Soak in stunning fall foliage by train ------------------------------------------ One of Steamtown’s biggest draws is its seasonal fall foliage excursions —and 2025 is shaping up to be especially colorful. Every autumn, the historic trains rumble through the Poconos and Lackawanna Valley , offering passengers unbeatable views of rolling hills painted in fiery reds, oranges, and golds. This year’s lineup includes favorites like the Tobyhanna Fall Foliage & Blueberries excursion (October 18) and the Delaware Water Gap Fall Foliage train (October 25) . These all-day trips combine the nostalgia of rail travel with Pennsylvania’s most spectacular autumn scenery, making them some of the most popular excursions of the year . Advance tickets are required (via recreation.gov), and they tend to sell out quickly—so if you’re planning a fall getaway from NYC, you’ll want to snag your spot early. Plan your visit to Steamtown National Historic Site ------------------------------------------------------- * 🎟 Admission: Free to enter the site and exhibits; tickets required for train rides * ⏰ Hours: Daily, 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (last entry around 4:45 p.m.) * 🚂 Train Rides: May–Nov, weekends (Fridays added in summer/fall) * 📍 Location: 350 Cliff St, Scranton, PA — about 2 – 2.5 hours from NYC by car Source: https://secretnyc.co/top-train-museum-in-us-2025-steamtown-national-historic-site-pa/