About the Museum > Museum History
Museum History
Since 2008, the Transportation Museum has been a unique, one-day event for toddlers, adults, and everyone in between. Each year, visitors are treated to interactive and educational exhibits related to all kinds of transportation, from the Transcontinental Railroad and projects to solve Bay Area traffic to programming miniature robots and solving an Amtrak-themed escape room.
Museum History
As a young child, museum director Andrew Mancini loved transportation of all kinds, especially trains. In fact, at the age of five, he had memorized all of the stations on the CalTrain line and knew all of the train engine numbers.
As a way to share his love for, and knowledge of, transportation with friends, family, and neighbors, Andrew created The Transportation Museum at the age of five. The museum, like those in subsequent years, occurred on a single day during the summer at Andrew's house. Early exhibits included displays of the schedules of every Bay Area transit route, organized on the family sofa; learning about the R.M.S. Titanic by allowing guests to send their own Morse code messages; and slot car racing at the "Grapefruit 500," a track set up on the cover of the hot tub in Andrew's backyard.
In 2013, Andrew wrote hand-written, personalized letters to transit agencies in the 40 largest cities in the U.S. and each transit agency in California and Nevada. Over 75 percent of these organizations wrote back, sending in not just the schedules and maps that were requested, but also fun items — chapstick, Yo-Yo toys, and rain ponchos — branded with their logo, forming the foundation of what is today the museum collection.
About the Museum > Museum History
About the Museum > Frequently Asked Questions
Museum History
Frequently Asked Questions
We'll admit that The Transportation Museum isn't your typical museum! It's a one-day event held annually featuring interactive and educational exhibits related to all kinds of transportation, from historical displays (like the Pony Express or the Transcontinental Railroad) to those looking toward the future (solving Bay Area traffic and traveling to Mars). If it's your first time visiting the museum or you're interested in a refresher on what to expect, read answers to common guest questions.
What are the exhibits like?
Each of the museum exhibits are different, but each year's museum brings between 10 to 12 brand-new exhibits to the public. Each exhibit combines both educational components and interactive activities, so every display can be enjoyed by both kids and adults. For example, in the Float Your Boat exhibit at the museum in 2016, guests learned the science behind how boats float and discovered what buoyancy and water displacement is. Then, guests worked to build a boat out of LEGOs that could carry cargo containers while remaining afloat. In an exhibit at the museum in 2019, visitors programmed miniature robots through a San Francisco-themed obstacle course to learn, hands-on, how self-driving cars function. These two exhibits are just a couple of examples of the educational and interactive combination present at each of the museum's displays.
Since 2008, the Transportation Museum has been a unique, one-day event for toddlers, adults, and everyone in between. Each year, visitors are treated to interactive and educational exhibits related to all kinds of transportation, from the Transcontinental Railroad and projects to solve Bay Area traffic to programming miniature robots and solving an Amtrak-themed escape room.
Museum History
As a young child, museum director Andrew Mancini loved transportation of all kinds, especially trains. In fact, at the age of five, he had memorized all of the stations on the CalTrain line and knew all of the train engine numbers.
As a way to share his love for, and knowledge of, transportation with friends, family, and neighbors, Andrew created The Transportation Museum at the age of five. The museum, like those in subsequent years, occurred on a single day during the summer at Andrew's house. Early exhibits included displays of the schedules of every Bay Area transit route, organized on the family sofa; learning about the R.M.S. Titanic by allowing guests to send their own Morse code messages; and slot car racing at the "Grapefruit 500," a track set up on the cover of the hot tub in Andrew's backyard.
In 2013, Andrew wrote hand-written, personalized letters to transit agencies in the 40 largest cities in the U.S. and each transit agency in California and Nevada. Over 75 percent of these organizations wrote back, sending in not just the schedules and maps that were requested, but also fun items — chapstick, Yo-Yo toys, and rain ponchos — branded with their logo, forming the foundation of what is today the museum collection.
Visit: The 10th Annual Transportation Museum
Come along for the ride...
For 9 years, the Transportation Museum has educated guests about all types of transportation through interesting, engaging exhibits. Coming this fall is the 10th Annual Transportation Museum, and you're invited! Whether you're a seasoned visitor or a first-timer, you'll be sure to have a good time visiting. This page lists all the details on this year's museum, so be sure to scroll down.
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Brittan Acres Elementary School
Invite your family and friends
to this exciting event.
It's going to be great!
Sunday, October 15
What is the Museum?
The Transportation Museum is a one-day event each year, created by Andrew Mancini, with different transportation-related exhibits that are interactive and educational. The exhibits are laid out around the Multi-Use Room at Brittan Acres, sort of like a collection of science fair exhibits. All ages are invited and will enjoy the museum! Visitors can read about transit, watch videos, and participate in hands-on activities. Last year's exhibits ranged from the history of space travel to transit-related movies. In the space exhibit, visitors learned about different aspects of space travel, including what astronauts eat in space. They also tried "astronaut" ice cream and learned why that phrase is a myth!
The Space: 66 Years and Counting exhibit educated visitors about many aspects of space travel, from what astronauts eat to the history of rockets.
In the Flight Simulation and Aeronautics exhibit, hosted by 13-year-old pilot Brandon D. (left), visitors could fly a plane on what Brandon calls "a very realistic simulator."
Guests build a boat out of Legos in the Float Your Boat exhibit.
Where is the Museum?
For the first 7 years, the museum was located at Andrew Mancini's house. After the museum outgrew his house, it expanded to the Multi-Use Room at Brittan Acres Elementary School, where it has been located ever since.
The school's address is 2000 Belle Avenue, San Carlos.
Enter on Tamarack Avenue, through the teachers' parking lot.
Parking is available on Tamarack Avenue. Tamarack is a one-way street.
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Check out a sneak peek of this year's exhibits here.
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Museum admission is, as always, free.
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Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
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The last entrance into the museum will be at 2:40 p.m.
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The museum will be on Sunday, October 15!
Who Can I Bring?
Bring everyone! There's plenty to do at the museum for all ages of visitors. The combination of interactive elements and things to read make the museum a great place for people of all ages.
What are the exhibits?
In the past, we've had cool exhibits ranging from a LEGO zipline to learning about the history of travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
To check out a sneak peek of this year's exhibits, click here.
What if I've been before?
Don't worry—each year's exhibits are different! If you've been before, you'll know what to expect, but you don't have to worry about being bored by repeat exhibits.
What if I don't like transportation?
You'll still enjoy the museum! Our interactive components help make any guest like it. Last year, visitors had the chance to build a boat out of Legos, play transit-themed computer games, taste "astronaut" ice cream, and more.
Still have questions? See more answers.
Two visitors watch a scene from the Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, which was a part of the museum's Lights, Camera, Action: Transit in Movies exhibit.
The SF → LA exhibit displayed the past, present, and future of between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Here, a guest reads about progress on the Hyperloop, High-Speed Rail, and Caltrain Modernization.
Two museum visitors play race each other in the Slot Car Racing: Bruins 500 exhibit.
How did the museum start?
At a young age, Andrew was so fascinated with transportation that he started his own Transportation Museum. It began as a one-day event for his friends and family with exhibits and games. Later, the quality of the exhibits increased, the number of exhibits increased, and the location changed to Brittan Acres. In 2016, there was an interactive component in each exhibit. In January 2017, Andrew visited museums along the Peninsula that were transit- or history-themed, learned how they designed exhibits and marketed themselves, and then created a five-year plan for the future of the museum. The website was also re-designed in January.
Now that you've read all about the museum, you're probably excited. We are too, and we're counting down the days until this year's museum!
You're Invited!
Sunday, Oct. 15
If you have more questions, don't hesitate to contact the museum.