This weekend we made another of our semi-regular pilgrimages to the New York Museum of Transportation and the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. This was Christopher's first visit and probably number four or five for Ben.

As the names suggest, kids (especially boys) love this place. There are buses and fire trucks and horse carriages and railcars and trolleys and trains and even more trains. Included in admission is a two-mile track car ride on a short rail line that links the two museums.

In addition to the multitude of climbing and exploring opportunities these museums provide for kids, there is plenty of railroad and transportation geekery to interest the older “kids,” supplied by the dedicated volunteer railroad geeks who staff the museum. These guys, mostly retirees, spend their free weekends lovingly crafting detailed model railways, maintaining the machinery, painstakingly restoring donated engines and railcars, as well as ushering museum visitors and answering countless questions. It's on about the opposite side of the spectrum from the Strong Museum, but the kids seem to have just as much fun.