Sonoma TrainTown Railroad, California with kids
The miniature train ride which your child will love!
Would you like to see a beautiful garden with a big pond which is at the same time a small amusement park and does not look like other places? I guarantee your kids will love it, and you will enjoy spending time there. You don’t need to plan your trip ahead of time. Just jump into a car and go to Sonoma TrainTown Railroad.
About Sonoma TrainTown Railroad
Sonoma TrainTown Railroad opened in 1968. This ten-acre garden-based amusement park is located 60 miles north of San Francisco, close to Napa. It is open throughout the year, but all attractions are only operated on Saturdays and Sundays. Parking is available in front of the entrance and is free of charge, as is admission.
Sonoma TrainTown main attraction is a 20-minutes ride by a quarter-scale steam train on a 4-mile track with tunnels, waterfalls, bridges, and hidden miniature decorations. The ride includes a short stop at a miniature town with a petting zoo. To enjoy the rides, visitors pay separately for the train ride and other rides like the carousel, a plane ride, a mini roller coaster, and a Ferris wheel.
Our experience
Just after getting to the TrainTown, we saw a roundhouse with a few quarter-scale miniature trains. Unfortunately, you can’t get next to them or touch them, but they are close enough to watch. Miniature trains are located next to the train ride loading zone, so that’s nice to do while waiting for a ride.
The train ride was fun, and we enjoyed it more than we expected. Our two-year-old daughter loved it! At the same time, I am not sure if that will also be the case for kids ten years and older. The place is dedicated mainly to families with younger kids. There is a lot of fun looking at many decorations placed next to the rail track. Another exciting part of the train ride is going on the bridges and inside tunnels.
During the short stop at the miniature town, we were able to get inside different houses (shop, school, jail, etc.). There was a petting zoo with goats and alpacas. A vending machine provides animal food next to the petting zoo. In case you didn’t bring coins, the train driver will have change, but credit cards are not accepted. The petting zoo is accessible just for train passengers, and there is no other option to get there than by train ride.
There is a Ferris wheel and carousel that parents can enjoy with their kids, no matter their height. To enjoy other rides, kids have to be 33 inches tall for a mini roller coaster or 34 inches tall for both plane rides. There is also a gift shop and cafe. The Sonoma TrainTown Railroad website information about minimum heights for the rides does not match the informational signs inside the amusement park.
All of the TrainTown rides can be done within around two hours. We paid a total of $52 for two adults and child, which included three tickets for train rides and ten coupons for other attractions. We went one time on the carousel, one time on the Ferris wheel with all three of us, and each of us went with our daughter on a roller coaster. You must use two coupons for rides where you child cannot ride alone.
More about this report
The Sonoma TrainTown Railroad was one of the places which inspired me to visit all of the miniature train rides in Northen California. Basing on these visits, I prepared the list of Northen California historical and miniature trains which can be used by either local or traveling parents.
The visit to the Sonoma TrainTown Railroad was done without prior announcement. The article was prepared without The Sonoma TrainTown Railroad cooperation and contains my objective opinion.
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