Florida Railroad Museum

The Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, Florida, is the only all-volunteer heritage excursion railroad in Florida, operating vintage steam and diesel trains through the rural landscapes of Manatee County on a historic Seaboard Air Line Railway branch corridor. The museum’s 11-mile round-trip excursion between Parrish and Willow departs from a beautifully restored depot and winds through cattle ranches, citrus groves, and wetland landscapes representative of old Florida’s agricultural heartland. The railroad’s steam locomotive, a rare and beautifully maintained example, operates on select weekends throughout the season, while diesel power provides motive power on regular excursion days. The Florida Railroad Museum maintains a growing collection of historic rolling stock, including passenger coaches, freight cars, and cabooses from the railroads that shaped Florida’s development. Special event trains include the Ghostly Express Halloween excursion, the popular Santa’s Express holiday train, and spring wildflower excursions that coincide with the blooming of Florida’s native vegetation along the right-of-way. The museum is entirely volunteer-operated, making it one of the most remarkable grassroots railroad preservation success stories in the American Southeast.