Boulder City Historic Railway Ride & Winter Old Town Family Stroll

About this adventure

Located 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas in historic Boulder City—the green, master-planned town created in the 1930s to house workers constructing Hoover Dam—the Nevada State Railroad Museum offers a nostalgic winter journey into Nevada's transportation past. Families can climb aboard the Nevada Southern Railway, which runs on the original construction track built by the Union Pacific Railroad. Pulled by a vintage diesel-electric locomotive, the 45-minute, 7-mile round-trip excursion travels through Eldorado Valley, offering panoramic desert mountain vistas with choices of enclosed Pullman coaches or open-air platform cars. After the scenic train ride, families can explore historic steam locomotives and cabooses on the museum platform, then stroll through adjacent Boulder City Old Town's shaded parks, stopping at family-friendly diners, ice cream parlors, and antique toy shops. Family Experience & Accessibility: • Stroller Accessibility: Boarding platform and historic depot grounds are paved with wheelchair and stroller lifts for train access; historic passenger cars feature wide central aisles. • Nursing & Rest Spots: Cushioned bench seating inside enclosed passenger train cars; depot waiting room features comfortable rest areas, drinking fountains, and clean family restrooms. • Age Suitability: A beloved multi-generational family experience, perfectly paced for toddlers fascinated by locomotives up through railway-enthusiast grandparents. • Sensory Tips: Authentic train sounds including rhythmic click-clack of steel rails and occasional locomotive air horns; gentle desert breezes in the open-air observation cars.