Golden State Model Railroad Museum
A visit to our 10,000 square foot Museum of operating model trains provides an inexpensive, fun-filled outing for young and old, with plenty of room for youngsters to stretch their legs and expend energy as they follow trains along the 200+ feet of public walkway. The Museum is located at 900-A Dornan Drive in the community of Point Richmond, CA 94801 (San Francisco Bay Area). Our highly-detailed model train layouts represent prototypical scenery in Northern and Central California. We run both freight and passenger trains typical of the steam era through modern day diesels. Our three main modeling scales are O scale (1:48), HO scale (1:87) and N scale (1:160).
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Adventure Playground vs Train Museum for 7yo's birthday
Sept 2014
We're considering either Berkeley's Adventure Playground (AP) or Richmond's Golden State Railroad Museum (GSRM) for our son's 7th birthday. I've checked the archives, but don't find answers to the questions we have.
We'd love to hear from anyone who has held birthdays at either location. In particular, we'd find it helpful to know: -Was there enough to do/see at the GSRM for a birthday party? -If not, what other activity(ies) did you add to make it a well-rounded party? (A pinata outside perhaps?) -Where did you set up your meal/snacks/cake? -We've not visited it yet, and are wondering: will it hold the attention of 6 & 7 year olds, or is GSRM better suited for younger kids?
For a party at AP, did you ask (some) parents to stay to help supervise? -What ratio of kids/adults did you find helpful? -If you brought in lunch and used a restaurant for the meal, who did you use?
Any other advice or tips you can suggest for a party at either place would be great, too! Thanks. Caryn
We've done a birthday party at both locations. Adventure Playground is so much fun, but not appropriate for younger siblings and you will want significant help overseeing the kiddos. There are plenty of places to picnic in the adjacent park. It can, of course, be freezing and blowing fog!
Golden Gate Railroad Museum is a look-not touch hobbyist's association. My train crazy son loved to go there, but it won't occupy much time. We combined it with a traditional party by renting PRAM's fieldhouse, which is across the street and is extremely affordable. It is a parent group that has a club house with a kitchen, toys, and an outside area. See http://www.pram.net/. Birthday vet
I say Adventure Playground would probably be more fun for a group of 7 year olds. The Golden State Railroad Museum is really cool and worth a visit (even if you're not a train enthusiast). The intricate layouts are really amazing and it's fun to watch the trains running BUT the kids would probably be ready to move on after 30 minutes. There isn't anything else to do in the museum aside from observing the trains running behind the glass windows. If you go you'd probably want to plan to spend much of the party time exploring Miller Knox Regional Park (GSRM is in Miller Knox). There's a nice little beach, trails, barbeque pits and picnic tables. Kites are great there.
Adventure Playground on the other hand will definitely keep them entertained for hours. No, parents don't need to stay. The park is staffed by the City of Berkeley so some supervision is provided. Make sure you reserve spot for your group in advance and everyone needs a waiver. FYI kids 7 and older can be dropped off at the park for up to 3 hours if you register! There is a picnic table right outside the park and many other tables/barbeques close by. I recommend having pizza delivered and bring a cake. Keep it simple, the kids will just want to play in the park and hunt for sand crabs on the beach. Have fun
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