Kid-Friendly Train Trips: Best Experiences Across the State
There is something about a train that turns kids into wide-eyed adventurers. The rumble beneath your feet, the whistle echoing through the trees, the world rolling past the window at exactly the right speed to take it all in — train travel is one of those rare experiences that can feel magical at almost any age.
And Wisconsin is surprisingly good for family train adventures.
You can ride historic electric interurban cars through southeastern Wisconsin, climb aboard a miniature steam train in the Wisconsin Dells, explore full-size locomotives at one of the country's best railroad museums or take an actual Amtrak trip across Wisconsin and along the Mississippi River.
Some are easy afternoon outings from Milwaukee. Others are worth building an entire weekend around.
Here are the best kid-friendly train rides and railroad experiences in Wisconsin for 2026.
East Troy Electric Railroad
For Milwaukee-area families, the East Troy Electric Railroad is probably the easiest place to start.
Located about 45 minutes southwest of Milwaukee, this historic electric railroad operates vintage streetcars and interurban railcars between downtown East Troy and The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago.
The regular excursion covers approximately 14 miles round trip, and the cars themselves are a huge part of the fun. Depending on the day, families may ride vintage equipment once used on electric railway systems in Milwaukee, Chicago and elsewhere.
For 2026, regular summer trains run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with additional special-event rides throughout the year. Regular tickets are day passes, so you aren't necessarily limited to one ride. Kids ages 3–14 are $11 during the regular summer season, while children 2 and younger ride free.
One of the best family strategies is to ride from East Troy to The Elegant Farmer, get off for food, shopping or seasonal activities and then catch a later train back.
Fall may be the most fun time to visit because trains connect directly with The Elegant Farmer's Harvest Fest. East Troy also offers special seasonal excursions including Easter Bunny trains and holiday rides.
Best for: Toddlers through elementary-age kids, train enthusiasts and families looking for an easy Milwaukee day trip.
Location: 2002 Church Street, East Troy
NSFA tip: Don't treat this simply as a one-hour train ride. Because regular tickets are generally valid all day, build a bigger East Troy/Elegant Farmer adventure around it.
Special Fall Event: Play Date Adventure Train & Pumpkin Day
Families looking for an extra-special way to experience the East Troy Electric Railroad this fall can join Play Date: Adventure Train & Pumpkin Day on Saturday, October 10, 2026.
The hosted family outing begins at the East Troy Railroad Museum and combines a Harvest Fest train ride, a visit to The Elegant Farmer, an orchard hayride to the pumpkin patch and playful activities designed to help local families connect along the way.
The adventure runs from 9:30 a.m. to about 1 p.m., with families riding together from East Troy to The Elegant Farmer before returning by train.
Tickets include the round-trip train ride, The Elegant Farmer hayride and Play Date hosting. Pumpkins, food and optional farm activities are purchased separately. A parent or caregiver must remain with each child throughout the event.
Tickets range from $24.75 to $36.40 depending on age, while children ages 0–2 are free. Eventbrite fees may apply.
Get tickets for Play Date: Adventure Train & Pumpkin Day
If your family is planning even more fall adventures, check out our Milwaukee Pumpkin Paradise 2026 guide, our roundup of Milwaukee-area pumpkin festivals and our Halloween Guide for Milwaukee Families.
For families who love trains, pumpkin patches and classic Wisconsin fall outings, this is one of the most fun ways to combine all three in a single morning.
Riverside & Great Northern Railway — Wisconsin Dells
This should absolutely be on a Wisconsin family train list.
The Riverside & Great Northern Railway is a 15-inch-gauge miniature railroad just outside downtown Wisconsin Dells. Unlike an amusement-park kiddie train, this is a real operating railway with authentic steam locomotives and serious railroad history behind it.
Families board at Hyde Park Station for a roughly two-mile ride through woods, rock cuts and scenery near the Wisconsin River. Wildlife sightings can include deer, turkeys and foxes. (Wisconsin Dells)
The scale is especially fun for young kids: the locomotive looks and sounds like a classic steam engine, but everything is smaller and more approachable.
Before or after the ride, families can use the picnic pavilion, browse the train-themed gift shop and play outdoor yard games.
The railroad operates from spring into December, and its 2026 schedule includes Pumpkin Trains every Saturday and Sunday in October. Children 12 and younger receive a pumpkin with their Pumpkin Train ride. (Wisconsin Dells)
If you're already headed to the Dells, this is one of the easiest attractions to pair with our guide to 35+ hidden gems and things to do in Wisconsin Dells.
Best for: Ages 2–10, miniature-train fans and families visiting Wisconsin Dells.
Location: N115 County Road N, Wisconsin Dells
NSFA tip: This is one of our favorite alternatives when you want a memorable Dells activity that isn't another water park.
Mid-Continent Railway Museum — North Freedom
If you have a serious train fan in the family, Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom belongs near the top of the list.
The living-history museum is about 20 minutes south of Wisconsin Dells and recreates the atmosphere of small-town railroading during America's "Golden Age of Railroading."
Its centerpiece is a seven-mile, approximately 55-minute round-trip train ride through the countryside between the Baraboo Hills. Passengers ride inside restored steel coaches roughly a century old. (Mid-Continent Railway Museum)
One important 2026 update: Mid-Continent's trains are currently diesel-powered while restoration work continues on its steam locomotive. So don't promise the kids a steam engine before you arrive. (Mid-Continent Railway Museum)
The museum itself makes this much more than a train ride. More than 40 locomotives and railroad cars are on display, along with restoration projects, railroad artifacts and historic buildings.
The 2026 regular operating season runs from May into October, followed by Santa Express weekends in late November and early December. Special events include autumn-color weekends, a Harvest Flyer, Halloween Flyer and Pumpkin Special. (Mid-Continent Railway Museum)
This is easy to pair with Devil's Lake State Park, Baraboo or a Wisconsin Dells weekend.
Best for: Elementary-age kids, grandparents and serious railroad enthusiasts.
Location: E8948 Museum Road, North Freedom
NSFA tip: Give yourself time for the museum grounds instead of showing up only for your train departure. The historic rolling stock is a major part of the experience.
Whiskey River Railway at Little Amerricka — Marshall
One of the most overlooked family train rides in southern Wisconsin is hiding inside an old-fashioned amusement park.
Little Amerricka in Marshall is packed with classic rides, including the Meteor wooden roller coaster, Ferris wheel, kiddie rides and the Whiskey River Railway. (Little Amerricka)
The train loops around the park and has enough railroad personality that Little Amerricka holds an entire Whiskey River Railway Day each summer. In 2026, Train Day was held July 18 alongside a model railroad show. The park also operates Pumpkin Train events on weekends in October. (Little Amerricka)
This one works especially well for younger families because you can combine the train with an entire day of appropriately sized amusement rides without paying a giant theme-park admission price.
Best for: Preschool and elementary-age children.
Location: 700 East Main Street, Marshall
NSFA tip: If your child loves both trains and old-school amusement rides, this may offer the most entertainment for a full day.
National Railroad Museum — Green Bay
The National Railroad Museum in Green Bay deserves a spot on any Wisconsin train bucket list.
The museum is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2026 and houses more than 70 pieces of rolling stock plus a huge collection of railroad artifacts. Its most famous locomotive is Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4017.
Families can climb aboard and explore historic trains, visit indoor exhibits and then take a real train ride around the museum grounds.
Regular train rides operate daily from May through September 30 and on weekends in October. The approximately 25-minute ride covers two miles through wooded sections of the property and along the Fox River. Train rides are currently $6 per person in addition to museum admission.
Fall is particularly fun for younger families. The Great Pumpkin Train runs October 10–11, 2026 and includes a train ride to the pumpkin patch, a pumpkin to take home, crafts, trick-or-treating, children's entertainment, games and a kid-friendly haunted house.
And then there's the museum's enormously popular Polar Express Train Ride. For context on how quickly that fills: 2026 tickets sold out after going on sale in July, so put this one on your calendar early if you're planning ahead for 2027.
Best for: All ages, but especially kids who want to see enormous real trains up close.
Location: 2285 South Broadway, Green Bay
NSFA tip: If your child is truly train obsessed, this is probably the most complete railroad attraction in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad — Trego
Head far enough north and the scenery becomes part of the attraction.
The Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad operates from Trego in northwestern Wisconsin, between Spooner and Hayward.
For families, the two standout experiences are the Sightseeing Train and Family Pizza Train.
The sightseeing excursion is a roughly two-hour ride through the Northwoods, including forests and views along the Namekagon River. Regular family sightseeing fares start around $22 in 2026.
The Family Pizza Train adds something almost universally appealing to children: fresh pizza made onboard while the train rolls through northern Wisconsin. Tickets start around $34 per person and the trip lasts approximately two hours.
The railroad also operates a family-friendly Santa Train during the holiday season.
There are adult-oriented dinner, wine and overnight trains too, so check which experience you're booking before purchasing tickets.
And train enthusiasts have something major to watch: the railroad is restoring the historic Mark Twain Zephyr, with passenger operations planned for 2027.
Best for: Families vacationing around Spooner, Hayward and northwest Wisconsin.
Location: N6639 Dilly Lake Road, Trego
NSFA tip: Make this part of a Northwoods weekend rather than driving from Milwaukee solely for the train.
Milwaukee County Zoo Safari Train
Sometimes the best first train ride is five minutes long and comes with giraffes afterward.
The Milwaukee County Zoo Safari Train remains one of Milwaukee's classic childhood experiences.
The miniature railroad travels through the zoo grounds and is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers who aren't ready for a two-hour excursion.
In 2026, rides cost $5 per person plus tax and operate daily from March through November, with weather-dependent operation during winter.
There's also something new for train fans: the zoo added Engine No. 2025, its first new Safari Train locomotive in more than three decades. The diesel-hydraulic locomotive makes its inaugural public run on September 13, 2026.
Best for: Toddlers, preschoolers and first-time train riders.
Location: 10001 W. Bluemound Road, Milwaukee
NSFA tip: Ride earlier in the day rather than waiting until everyone is exhausted at the end of a long zoo visit.
Take a Real Train: Milwaukee to Wisconsin Dells on Amtrak
For some kids, a miniature railway is fun.
For others, nothing beats walking into a real train station with a suitcase and realizing you're actually going somewhere.
Milwaukee families now have two daily Amtrak options traveling west across Wisconsin: the long-distance Empire Builder and the newer Borealis.
Both serve Milwaukee, Columbus, Portage, Wisconsin Dells, Tomah and La Crosse before continuing toward Minnesota. The Borealis continues through Winona and Red Wing to St. Paul. (Wisconsin DOT)
That makes Milwaukee to Wisconsin Dells one of our favorite first real train trips with kids.
The Borealis trip is about two hours from downtown Milwaukee to the Dells, and once aboard you get wide reclining seats, no middle seat, Wi-Fi, power outlets and a café car. (Amtrak)
Even better for families: Amtrak children ages 2–12 receive 50% off the adult rail fare when traveling with an adult, while one infant under age 2 can ride free on an adult's lap. (Amtrak)
Once you arrive, use our Wisconsin Dells family guide to build the rest of your trip.
One caveat: don't assume a same-day round trip will work perfectly. Check both outbound and return schedules before booking because the timetable may leave you with either a very short or very long day in your destination.
Best for: Kids who have never taken intercity rail and families looking for an adventure rather than merely transportation.
La Crosse to Winona or St. Paul on the Borealis
Western Wisconsin families have an even better opportunity.
Board Amtrak at La Crosse and you're almost immediately into some of the most beautiful scenery on the route.
A short trip takes you west across the Mississippi River to Winona, Minnesota, making it manageable even with younger children.
For a bigger adventure, stay onboard through Red Wing to St. Paul Union Depot.
This section of the Borealis route follows the Mississippi River corridor, with bluff and river views that turn the train ride itself into part of the vacation. Amtrak specifically highlights the Mississippi views between La Crosse and St. Paul. (Amtrak Media)
One correction from older versions of this guide: Amtrak doesn't drop you in downtown Minneapolis. The rail station is St. Paul Union Depot, so families headed to Minneapolis attractions should plan a second transportation step.
Best for: Western Wisconsin families and kids ready for a longer train trip.
Amtrak Hiawatha — Milwaukee to Chicago
For Milwaukee families, this may still be the easiest "real train" adventure of all.
The Amtrak Hiawatha runs multiple times daily between Milwaukee and Chicago.
Most trips take about 1 hour 29 minutes from Milwaukee Intermodal Station to Chicago Union Station, with stops at the Milwaukee Airport Rail Station, Sturtevant and Glenview along the way. (Amtrak Content)
Instead of dealing with Chicago traffic and downtown parking, you arrive beneath the city at Union Station and can turn the train ride into part of the experience.
From there, Chicago offers enough family attractions for dozens of different day trips: Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Millennium Park, Maggie Daley Park, Navy Pier and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
Our complete Chicago with kids guide can help you plan the rest of the day.
The same Amtrak family discount applies: kids ages 2–12 generally ride for half the adult fare when traveling with an adult. (Amtrak)
Best for: Milwaukee-area families who want their first true intercity rail trip.
NSFA tip: Don't over-plan Chicago. Pick one major attraction plus somewhere fun to eat and let the train ride be part of the day.
Which Wisconsin Train Trip Is Best for Your Family?
If you're trying to choose just one, here's the quick version.
Best train ride near Milwaukee: East Troy Electric Railroad
Best for toddlers: Milwaukee County Zoo Safari Train
Best miniature steam train: Riverside & Great Northern Railway
Best train museum: National Railroad Museum
Best combination of museum + excursion: Mid-Continent Railway Museum
Best train plus amusement park: Whiskey River Railway at Little Amerricka
Best Northwoods train experience: Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad
Best first real train trip: Milwaukee to Wisconsin Dells on the Borealis
Best easy big-city trip: Hiawatha to Chicago
Best scenic Amtrak ride: La Crosse to Winona, Red Wing or St. Paul
Best Fall Train Rides in Wisconsin
Wisconsin train season gets even better once leaves begin changing.
East Troy's trains connect directly with The Elegant Farmer during fall Harvest Fest.
Riverside & Great Northern runs Pumpkin Trains through October.
Mid-Continent hosts Autumn Color weekends, a Harvest Flyer, Halloween Flyer and Pumpkin Special.
The National Railroad Museum's Great Pumpkin Train combines a train ride with a pumpkin patch and fall activities.
And Little Amerricka operates Pumpkin Train weekends in October.
These are some of the most popular train events of the year, so advance tickets are worth considering — especially if you have a specific weekend in mind.
Best Christmas and Holiday Train Rides
Wisconsin's train season doesn't end when snow arrives.
East Troy typically transitions into holiday-themed excursions after its fall season.
Mid-Continent offers its Santa Express.
Wisconsin Great Northern operates its Santa Train.
And the National Railroad Museum hosts the elaborate Polar Express Train Ride in Green Bay.
The biggest lesson with holiday trains is simple: don't wait until December to buy tickets.
The National Railroad Museum's 2026 Polar Express performances sold out months before the holidays. (National Railroad Museum)
Tips for Taking Kids on a Train
For heritage railroads, arrive earlier than you think you need to. Kids inevitably want to look at the locomotive, use the restroom, visit the gift shop or ask 14 questions about how the train works before boarding.
For Amtrak, bring snacks, headphones, a deck of cards or small activity books — but don't feel obligated to provide nonstop entertainment. Watching towns, farms, bridges and rivers roll past the window is a surprisingly effective activity.
With younger kids, trips of roughly 30 minutes to two hours are a good starting point.
Check accessibility details before booking if you're bringing a stroller or wheelchair. Historic railcars weren't designed around modern accessibility standards, and accommodations vary significantly among railroads and individual cars.
Finally, always check the railroad's schedule immediately before your trip. Heritage railroads rely on vintage equipment, volunteers and seasonal operations, so schedules and locomotives can change.
Plan Your Wisconsin Train Adventure
Wisconsin has far more train experiences than most families realize.
For a simple Milwaukee-area day trip, start with East Troy. If you're going to Wisconsin Dells, don't miss Riverside & Great Northern or Mid-Continent. Heading north? Wisconsin Great Northern turns a Northwoods vacation into something completely different.
And if your kids have never traveled somewhere aboard an actual passenger train, consider skipping the car entirely and boarding the Borealis or Hiawatha.
Because sometimes the destination isn't the adventure.
The train is.
I’d also add a separate Leaflet map beneath this article with all eight Wisconsin train attractions plus Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells, La Crosse and the Amtrak routes as reference points. That would make this guide substantially more useful than the original without mixing the map code into the Squarespace article text.
This guide includes dedicated bakeries, bakery cafés and farm markets with their own baked goods, from Sturgeon Bay to Gills Rock. You’ll find Honey Bee Door County and Klaud’s Kitchen alongside places for sourdough, Scandinavian pastries and small pies worth sharing.