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.
Exhibits > Featured Exhibits > Around the World with Trip Planning
Around the World with Trip Planning—Transportation Museum 2015
Tips on everything you've ever wanted to know about traveling planning, and more. Busting travel myths. Packing tips. Comparing Airbnb, TripAdvisor, and VRBO. The scoop on travel agents.
Which websites are the best when you're trying to book a hotel? Flight? How about when you need travel advice?
Acquired by TripAdvisor in 2007, SmarterTravel is a website with information on destinations around the world. There are also travel tips and interesting travel-related stories.
Compare the pros and cons of Airbnb, TripAdvisor, and VRBO vacation rentals and TripAdvisor hotels. Using San Francisco as an example, compare prices, too.
Kelly Rubingh, of Family Travel, taught us information about travel agents and how they can help you save money on your next trip.
Here's some handy travel tips that will save you time and money on your next trip. For more tips, search "Travel Tips" on Google.
Do you struggle with fitting everything you want into your suitcase? Learn some packing tips to help you save time and money on your next vacation.
The World's Scariest Airports
Touching down without a paved strip may seem like a crash landing for unsuspecting passengers, but in Barra, Scotland, it's a normal experience. When the airport isn't in service, the beach is a popular spot for locals to hunt for cockles, but when the wind sock is flying, you'll do well to observe from afar. On Flybe, the only airline that flies there, passengers can expect to arrive safely on one of the three runways (marked by concrete poles) formed when the tide goes out.
It's time to bust some travel myths. Learn the truth behind these myths to help you save on your next vacation.
Guest Tips
We asked museum guests to share their own travel tips, and here's what they said. If you have your own tips, share it with us.
"Good night sleep before trip."
"Keep a toiletries bag packed with items ready to go. When you come home, refill/restock what you need. It saves time and space!"
"Keep a small travel bag with the essentials—bandaids, sunscreen stick, lip balm, etc..."
"If you check-in other bags, pack an extra set of clothes, toothbrush, and any other immediate necessities in your carry-on bag."