Excelsior Streetcar Line

Operated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum, the Excelsior Streetcar Line offers a nostalgic trip back to the early 1900s, anchoring itself deeply in the region’s transit history. In 1905, the Twin City Rapid Transit Company (TCRT) expanded its vast electric railway system 12 miles west of Minneapolis to the community of Excelsior, allowing city dwellers to escape the summer heat for the cool shores of Lake Minnetonka. This line eventually linked commuters to TCRT’s famous fleet of “streetcar boats”—steamboats styled exactly like trolleys that ferried passengers to various lake destinations and the Big Island Amusement Park. Though the original streetcar system was abandoned in 1954 in favor of buses, the museum revived a piece of this legacy in 1999. Today, passengers board a meticulously restored historic streetcar, such as the 1893 Duluth Street Railway No. 78 or the 1907 TCRT No. 1239, for a scenic half-mile ride along the former right-of-way of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway through downtown Excelsior. The excursion includes a stop at the line’s carbarn, where riders can view a historic photo gallery of Lake Minnetonka’s past and peek at vintage streetcar restoration work in progress. Passengers board at the Water Street Ticket Booth and Platform, right next to the local library and just a short walk from the old rail station that houses the Lake Minnetonka Historical Society displays.