Founded in 1956 by rail enthusiast William J. Godfrey, who noticed the several miles of unused railroad tracks that were available and begging to be used at the University of Miami’s Southern Campus, the Gold Coast Railroad Museum is one of three Official State Railroad Museums in Florida. More than 30 historic trains, numerous artifacts, memorabilia, movies and interactive displays make for an engaging exhibition that will leave you with a head full of train related knowledge and enthusiasm.

Get on board vintage trains and even go for a ride on the standard gauge railway cars or the cab of the locomotive. The Museums highlights include the Pullman car Ferdinand Magellen, or U.S. Number 1, the very first passenger railcar built to serve the President. The likes of Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and Reagan all enjoyed the two suits, bathroom with a bathtub, a dining room, a pantry, a galley, two steward quarters and additional storage space from 1943 to 1958. Enforced with 15 mm armour plating on all sides and 3 inch thick bullet proof glass, the railcar was an indestructible feat of engineering that kept the most powerful men in America safe.

Other prominent railcars are the Florida East Coast no. 153 that pulled a train carrying President Calvin Coolidge, and the classic Western Pacific Silver Crescent. Gain a new appreciation for the mode of transport that made America what it is today, and the existence of which is deeply embedded in the history of the United States.