If students are looking for something to do over break that is not watching movies, going to a tree farm, or baking cookies, visiting a train garden is a great way to get out of the house.

There are many train gardens in Maryland, like in Jarrettsville, Glen Burnie, Queen Anne’s, Towson, St. Clement’s, Lutherville, and Homestead Gardens.

A train garden is a very delicately built miniature world created by model train enthusiasts around the holidays. Electric trains follow through model cities, zoos, amusement parks and various hills of snow and ice.

Train gardens can be whatever the designer wants them to look like. Most have a city type of feeling with miniature houses, tunnels and mountains. All of them are equipped with many bright lights and colors. Some may have sound effects and other moving parts that are not trains.

Looking at them is amazing and a great experience, but it takes so much work and preparation to make sure everything is working smoothly. The average train garden costs between $2,000 and $2,500 to create.

The first train gardens were believed to be set up by German immigrants according to the Lutherville-based Fire Museum of Maryland.

In the 1800s, people started having small wooden trains outside for children to play with.

If you’ve never been to a train garden, here are some tips for your first trip. If you want to get up and close to see the train displays, go on off-hours/less busy hours. This will allow you to see better and have no need to rush.

Several of our train gardens in MD are in volunteer fire departments. There are many train museums in Maryland that also have Christmas train displays such as B&O Railroad Museum.

The B&O is a Smithsonian Institution and is the birthplace of American Railroading. It is also home to the oldest railroad car.