For the model railroad enthusiast, both young and old, Northlandz is something to behold. Room, after room of connected layouts with miles of tracks, amazing bridges and spectacular scenery. There's also an impressive doll museum and outside there's a scale steam train that takes you for a ride.
This place is a work of love by a train enthusiast. Some of the criticisms in the below reviews are valid but if you want a place where you can tell someone's heart went into making this museum, put Northlandz on your list. These train experiences are the most immersive I have ever seen. The amount of work that must have gone in to creating this place is astounding. We enjoyed it immensely. I brought my 3 and 4 year old with me and while some of the exhibits are a little tall, every exhibit has a place where little ones can stand to see the trains. If you are bring someone under the age of 2, you may want to consider a baby carrier. This is not like going to a museum with just a big trainset but peaking into a whole world of trains.
The model railway is awesome for both children and train lovers. If you have friends with model railways they will really enjoy a visit.
My son is a big train fan. The dustiness of this place is not worth it. The "doll museum" was a creepy collection of someone's obsession of every kind of doll. Do the Black River train ride instead & spend your afternoon on a real train.
The scope of this place is impressive. The attention to detail is amazing. While it could use some refreshing, it's still pretty amazing. The kids get wowed by it every time we go. We go once per year with the kids. If you get the chance, ask the owner when he's going to play the organs or pianos. That's a pretty cool experience.
This is not your ritzy museum, supported by fundraisers and huge allotments up public money. Instead this is quite an incredible display of what a persons enthusiasm for a "hobby" can lead to. You are walking through two interconnected floors of a person's life work. 8 miles of tracks surrounded by room after room of miniature landscapes. The amount of detail and creativity is astounding. We took our kids (5 and 2) on a cold afternoon and they loved it. To be honest I loved it. We spent north of an hour walking through the museum admiring the display. Yes, some reviewers correctly point out that the facilities are not top notch or that there is definitely a feeling of homemade in places but this adds to the charm. We will take our kids back.
If you like trains this is a wonderful place to go. So much to see. Very enjoyable. Great place for young and old
This attraction is like a Smithsonian museum with huge Minature train configurations. It is very underrated. We went the day after a snowstorm so they clearing the parking lot of snow and getting the all the dioramas set up. The heating was slow but we kept our winter coats on. They literally have miles of tracks with some landscapes over 20 feet tall. Well worth the admission price and kept our 2 year old grandson entertained for almost 3 hours.
I had a great time taking my son here. It's a huge working model train museum with some other collectors items in there. Basically trains as far as the eye can see and pretty neat landscapes & cityscapes. Reasonable price all things considered. Friendly staff too. I would go again in the summer. The only two concerns I had - It was very chilly inside the exhibit...I would suggest dressing warm if you go in the winter or fall. My other thought....nothing is interactive. Lets face it, half the fun of the toy/model train is being able to control the speed and direction yourself. It would be great if they turned some of the exhibits into an interactive area, allowing the visitors to control trains, cars or ships (or something to hold peoples interest a little more).
My two-year-old grandson was beside himself with excitement at seeing all the trains, and tunnels, and bridges. I thought he was going to explode. I enjoyed it mostly because I loved the wonder in my grandson's voice.