Are you looking for something to do as you pass through the Scranton, Pennsylvania area? Got kids with you? I have two suggestions to help break up your road trip, Steamtown National Historic Site and the Anthracite Heritage Museum.
Steamtown National Historic Site
Steamtown National Historic Site is a free railroad history museum located in the heart of Scranton, Pennsylvania. It is open most days from 9am to 5pm. Check their website for exact hours.
The historic site consists of a Visitor’s Center, Technology Museum, 1902 & 1937 Roundhouse, History Museum, Turntable, a theater, and a bookstore. Your kids will not be bored. There are plenty of hands-on things to explore. They can even climb aboard a couple cars.
Families can explore the history of railroading and experience the sounds of passenger stations. You can also walk through a roundhouse, where steam locomotive maintenance is performed even today.
The theater shows an 18-minute film every half hour. We weren’t able to see the film, but it would be a nice break from the walking if you need it.
Steamtown does offer short train rides and excursions seasonally. You can check their website for all available rides and admission fees.
There is no food available at Steamtown, but there are picnic tables near the parking lot. Next door to the historic site is The Marketplace at Steamtown, where you can find restaurants and shopping. Also, next door is the Electric City Trolley Museum. We weren’t able to visit this museum, but it did look interesting.
Anthracite Heritage Museum
The Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum is about 15 minutes west of Steamtown. It is open on certain days from 9am to 5pm. Check their website for exact days and hours, they do vary. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for youth, and free for the military and their immediate family. We did receive an AAA discount, so be sure to ask.
The Anthracite Heritage Museum consists of one large room full of exhibits guiding you through coal country. You will see a mine tunnel, a shifting shanty, a mining family’s home, the town saloon, the church, and more. The exhibits are not hands-on or very interesting for children. Our kids walked through everything and were bored for the most part. Too much reading for them!
This museum is small and dated. It won’t take more than an hour or two to explore. I highly suggest also visiting the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour at the bottom of the hill. You can ride a car 300 feet below the surface and explore an actual mine. Just make sure to check their hours. We arrived at 2:45pm and were told there were no more tours that day. We had a van full of disappointed kids and adults.
Both the Anthracite Museum and the Coal Mine Tour are located in McDade Park. If you have more time to explore, the park has trails, a playground, a pool, and picnic tables.
Steamtown and the Anthracite Museum by themselves will take a family a good part of a day. Throw in a train ride or a coal mine tour and you have a completely filled day. If you just have a few hours, I would pick Steamtown, as it has more for kids to explore.
Further reading
If you are headed north into New York, check out my post New York State Museum with Kids. Or going south, 4 Days with Kids in Washington DC.
- 2 Days in Philadelphia with Kids
- Valley Forge NHP with Kids
- Gettysburg with Kids
- 2 Days in Strasburg with Kids
- Indian Echo Caverns with Kids
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own. I did not receive compensation for this post.
We will be passing through Scranton on our road trip this summer and Steamtown is on my list! Glad to know about PA Anthracite Heritage Museum. How disappointing about the coal tour for you all, but hopefully another time! I look forward to reading about the rest of your travels. Best, Gwen
Have fun in Scranton! Wish we would have had more time there, but we were just passing through.