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Planting Fields Arboretum - 10:00 AM Pick
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Virtual - various times
Showplace at Bellmore Movies - various times Pick
Bayard Cutting Arboretum - 9:30 AM
Hofstra University Museum - 11:00 AM
Nassau County Museum of Art - 1:00 PM
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Holiday Train Shows on Long Island for Families
If watching a model train making its way around a tiny Christmas village isn’t on your family’s list of Long Island holiday fun, why not add it this year?
We guarantee children and adults alike will gaze with wide-eyed wonder at the sights and sounds of these model train shows. Below, we’ve put together a list of some of the best train shows that are sure to delight the entire family.
If all this train watching makes your family eager to climb aboard a real caboose, check out our roundup of Polar Express and other Santa trains near Long Island and NYC, and find many more ways to enjoy the season in our Guide to Holiday Fun on Long Island.
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Christmas Train Shows on Long Island
1. Long Island Garden Railway Society Holiday Shows – Sayville and Garden City
Dates and times vary by location. Check here for schedules.
This Massapequa-based organization promotes the hobby of model railroading. The holiday-themed exhibit will be at three locations this year. Trains will run at the Bayport-Blue Point Historical Association in Sayville and the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City.
2. Holiday Model Train Exhibit at Town of Babylon History Museum – Babylon
Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from December 1-31, 2023, from 12-3pm. Closed Christmas Day.
The exhibit features a 240-square-foot model train display. The display highlights historic landmarks around the Town of Babylon.
3. West Island Model Railroad Club Open Houses – Hicksville
Select Days from Friday, November 24-Sunday, December 10, 2023
This railroad features 5,600 square feet of fun. The club has an 11-mile, double-track mainline and a recently completed upper level. Visitors can run the trains and chat with other enthusiasts at winter open houses. Check the site for exact showtimes each day.
RELATED: Where Kids Can Dine with Santa on Long Island
Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers' open houses are only running the first weekend of December. Photo courtesy of the organization
4. Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers Open Houses – Levittown
Select days from Friday, December 1-Sunday, December 3, 2023
Bring the whole family to see Long Island’s largest operating O-gauge exhibit during the organization’s holiday open houses, which is only running one weekend this December. (O-guage is a popular model train scale.) Multiple trains take you on a journey through a miniature village that is decked out for the holidays.
5. Holiday Train Display at Longwood Estate - Ridge
December 2, 16,17 and 26-31, 2023
Find all of the hidden items in the holiday train display. Santa visits the estate on Saturday, December 2, 2023. Train viewing is free, but there is an additional cost of $5 per child for the Santa visit.
6. Central Operating Lines Model Train Show - Bohemia
December 16-17, 2023
The Central Operating Lines Holiday Train show and open house boasts a huge layout, spread across 23 scale miles. Catch this 40 x 35-ft. layout, 1,600-sq. ft. of track, over 23 scale miles. Santa will be on hand too!
7. Railroad Museum of Long Island Holiday Open Houses – Riverhead and Greenport
This post was updated for 2023.
Places featured in this article:
Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers
West Island Model Railroad Club
Railroad Museum of Long Island
Railroad Museum of Long Island
Bayport-Blue Point Historical Association
Central Operating Lines
