The old Goleta Railroad Depot, a yellow Victorian building built in 1901, was moved from its former site and now sits amongst gorgeous eucalyptus trees at the South Coast Railroad Museum. The funnest time to come here is on family days when many train enthusiasts happily show you their displays. There is a model railroad with beautiful intricate detail, including a model of the Santa Barbara Railroad Depot, in all its Spanish glory. The train goes around and has real smoke. In another room, a painting of Santa Barbara's mountains, State St, the coast up to Gaviota Beach, and the lemon orchards of Goleta surrounds model trains and buildings that represent the late steam era days. You can learn a lot about Goleta and Santa Barbara's history by asking about the buildings in the exhibit.
Older kids can work the hand caboose. Young kids will enjoy a ride on the circus train, a small diesel train that you can sit on. Skip the steam-engine rides unless you don't mind a lot of fumes. At different times of year there are special rides, such as the Bunny Express at Easter, The Spooky Train at Halloween, and the Candy Cane Train at Christmastime.
After your visit, walk next door to the pretty Stow House, the Victorian home with stunning gardens. In the summer there are concerts here on Tuesday nights and it's a pleasant time for a picnic. If it's not a hot day, walk over to Lake Los Carneros where you can feed the ducks and enjoy the mountain views.
A fun place to visit after is Captain Fatty's Brewery, which has a large open-air interior with modern decor. They have delicious brews- I liked their sour beer. People gather here in the afternoon to chat at the abundant tables inside. There is a couch and table with games kids can play such as dominoes.
South Coast Railroad Museum is located at 300 N Los Carneros Rd, Goleta CA 93117, call (805) 964-3540.
Exit Highway 101 at Los Carneros Rd and head toward the mountains. You will see the museum on your right. There is a large parking lot.
The museum is open Sat-Sun from noon-4pm. It is closed on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving (4th Thurs in Nov), Dec 25, and Dec 28-Jan 3. There are special family days the museum hosts and you can have your birthday party there.
Admission is free but donations are welcome. Train rides cost $2.50 per person.
Rich
Wed, 04 Jul 2018
Great fun for the young ones. Train rides are now $2.50 and hours are 1-4 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There's also a real caboose to explore and a toy train table for kids to build their own train lines.
Lisa
Tue, 06 Oct 2009
Thanks for sharing this piece of Santa Barbara history,
Last Updated: Sat, 19 Aug 2023 16:23:15 GMT
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