Mid-Continent takes trips back in time

A ride down the rails at Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a trip back in time.

The North Freedom attraction re-creates the golden age of railroading. For starters, visitors can examine the engines and cars volunteers have been tirelessly restoring for 60-plus years. Then you can take a 7-mile, 55-minute round trip down a former branch line of the Chicago & North Western Railway, through a valley nestled below the Baraboo Hills. Passengers ride in steel century-old coaches. Costumed conductors bellow “All aboard” before the train departs a wooden depot built in 1894.

This indoor-outdoor museum features award-winning restorations and engaging exhibits. Forty train cars and locomotives are on display.

Train rides are of course the main attraction. They begin each May with weekend rides before daily rides start in June. After Labor Day, rides are held only on weekends. Many of these are specially themed excursions, from fall color rides to the Santa Express.

There’s only one way to travel back in time: Full steam ahead! For information, visit midcontinent.org