Oddities Museum Near Me in Miami: Gold Coast Railroad Museum's Presidential Car

Harry Truman stood on the back platform of the Ferdinand Magellan when he was photographed holding the Chicago paper that wrongly declared Dewey the winner, and that armored Pullman car now sits at 12450 SW 152nd Street in south Miami-Dade. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum charges adults $12, adds a $10 tour of the Magellan, and opens Wednesday through Sunday. As an oddities museum near me, it trades skulls and curios for a president's bedroom on wheels.

The museum shares a road with Zoo Miami but is completely separate from it. Its own directions say to take the second entrance on your right as you approach the zoo. Tickets for one do not cover the other, so families who plan to do both should budget for two admissions. The two sites sit on the grounds of the former Naval Air Station Richmond.

The museum says it was founded in 1957 on the former Naval Air Station Richmond, the second largest World War II airship base in the United States. The idea came in 1956 from William J. Godfrey, then a University of Miami student. Florida East Coast Locomotive No. 153 arrived on Friday, April 12, 1957, and became the first piece of the collection.

The collection left for Fort Lauderdale in 1966 and returned to the Richmond site in 1984, the same year it became one of the three official Florida State Railroad Museums. On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck the site; the museum's history page says one of the building's overhead beams pierced the roof of the Ferdinand Magellan. The car was repaired and remains the centerpiece.

Pullman built the Magellan in 1928, and it later became U.S. Car No. 1, used by Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. The famous Dewey Defeats Truman photograph was taken while Truman stood on its platform. Entry to the car is by the separate $10 tour, which is worth adding: the inside is where the armor plating and the presidential lounge make sense.

The museum counts more than 40 historic rail cars on the property. Its FAQ says twelve are under the train shed and ten of those can be entered, so a visit is a mix of climbing aboard and looking at rolling stock outdoors. Locomotive No. 153 is the other headline piece. Inside, there is a model railroad room, Thomas play tables and an exhibit on the naval air station.

Rides cost extra and depend on volunteers. The Link, a two-foot narrow gauge train, is $10 for about 10 minutes. The standard gauge ride runs about 25 minutes for $15 and operates only on the first Saturday of the month. A cab ride is $20 and a speeder ride is $10. The museum notes that rides depend on volunteer staff and on which equipment is running, so call ahead before promising a child a ride.

Adults pay $12, children ages 3 to 12 pay $10, seniors 65 and up pay $8, and children two and under enter free. Military visitors enter free, AAA members get buy one, get one free, and Museums for All visitors with EBT or WIC pay $3 for up to four people. Only one promotion applies per transaction. Admission is free on the first Saturday of every month.

The fall calendar includes a Halloween event on October 23 and 24, 2026, billed as monsters taking over the rails, with trunk-or-treat, a DJ and train rides every 45 minutes. The museum's two event pages disagree on the closing time, one listing 6pm to 10pm and the other 6pm to 9pm, and those tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Miami Railfest follows on November 21 and 22.

Casual photos are fine, but wedding, quinceañera and other photo shoots with outfit changes require a paid permit. Pets are not allowed, although trained service animals are welcome. Picnic tables are on site and visitors may bring their own lunch, which helps because there is no restaurant inside the museum. Shade matters too: much of the collection sits outdoors or under the open shed, so bring water and a hat.

Young train fans are the obvious audience, and the Thomas play tables and the model railroad room are built for them. Older visitors tend to come for the Magellan and the naval air station story. First Saturdays are the busiest days, since admission is free, the standard gauge train runs and the October 3 edition was paired with a market. Rides and tours rely on volunteer staff, so even on quiet weekdays the ride schedule depends on who is working.

Skip the full-price visit if your group only wants a train ride, because the longer standard gauge ride runs only on first Saturdays and every ride depends on volunteers. Come on a first Saturday instead and pay nothing for admission. If you care about presidential history more than trains, budget for the Magellan tour; without it you will see the car only from outside.

Zoo Miami at 12400 SW 152nd Street is open every day from 10am to 5pm, with the last ticket sold at 4pm. Adults 13 and up pay $30 and children 3 to 12 pay $26, tax included, and parking is free. The zoo closes early at 4pm on October 17 for a night event, so plan the railroad museum first that day.

The Miami-Dade Military Museum next door at 12460 SW 152nd Street opened on Veterans Day 2023 on the Naval Air Station Richmond grounds. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm. It is a natural follow-up for visitors who came for the base history behind the railroad museum's setting.

Address: 12450 SW 152nd Street, Miami, FL 33177. Hours: Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm; closed Monday, Tuesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission: $12 adults, $10 ages 3 to 12, $8 seniors 65 and up. Magellan tour: $10. Transit: Zoo Miami says bus route 152 runs into the zoo hourly on weekends.