Please Note New Guest Requirements and Operating Hours
May 30, 2020 – Golden, Colorado
After temporarily closing its doors in March 2020 to protect the health and safety of visitors along with paid and volunteer staff, the Colorado Railroad Museum is pleased to announce that we are open to the public! Regular Admission prices will once again apply, and train rides will be available for an additional fee on select days (Thursdays-Sundays, through August).
While we’re excited to once again share Colorado’s rich heritage with guests, as an educational institution we also must affirm that that “safety remains our first priority.” Thus, as of June 2 we are implementing new procedures and operating hours, along with new requirements for our guests. These join even more stringent requirements for our paid and volunteer staff team which have been implemented during the closure period.
NEW TO THE MUSEUM
Required for Everyone: Mask
We’re Now Closed on Mondays
Please Purchase Train Ride Tickets Online, In Advance
Mask Requirement: All guests and staff must have a mask in order to be granted entry into the Museum. If you do not have one with you, we will have limited quantities of masks available for sale. This requirement applies to ALL persons ages 2 and older, and is in place because adequate social distancing may not be possible within certain Museum facilities and programs (specifically restrooms and indoor exhibit galleries, and train rides). We ask for your understanding and observance of this policy, which is in accordance with national and statewide health recommendations and helps to ensure everyone’s safety.
Closed on Mondays: To allow for additional, regular cleaning plus help us to adequately staff the Museum as we reopen, we will now be CLOSED on Mondays (we previously were open daily). But don’t worry, we’ll still be open six days each week: Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And starting Thursday, June 4, we’ll once again be offering Train Rides every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday – through August! Train rides will depart every 30 minutes between 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on these days (note: there will not be a 12:30 p.m. train ride, so our railroad operations crew can take a lunch break).
Learn more about Museum Admission, click here.
Purchase Train Ride Tickets in Advance: To help ensure public safety and avoid crowds, we have reduced the capacity aboard our open-air gondolas and coaches. Timed Train Ride ticket purchases will be required. It is strongly recommended that visitors pre-purchase Train Ride tickets online, in advance. Museum members, your train ride tickets are now FREE except during special events and specially ticketed themed events—however, we encourage you to reserve Timed Tickets online in advance, too. ALL train rides will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. There are currently no additional costs or convenience fees associated with purchase of standard admission tickets and weekend train ride tickets.
Tickets are available online for reservation, click here for availability!
While we are grateful to be reopening, our priority is the health and safety of our visitors, local community members and our entire Museum family. Over the past eight weeks, we’ve carefully developed reopening guidelines with the help of peer institutions in the Metro Denver region as well as institutions across the state and country, and recommendations from state and local health experts. Our staff team has also worked hard to gather and deploy necessary safety supplies, including masks, plexiglass sneeze guards, sanitizing stations and directional signage. These new procedures will help to ensure we’re meeting public health standards, while still maintaining a quality visitor experience.
Cleaning will be enhanced throughout the Museum, including increased frequency of disinfecting high-traffic surfaces. Hand sanitizer stations will also be available across the Museum’s campus. In accordance with national and statewide health recommendations, the Museum’s staff and volunteers, as well as all visitors, will be required to wear face coverings during the initial reopening phase. Masks will be available for purchase at our Admissions Counter. As recommended by health officials, seniors and people with serious medical conditions should delay their visit until a safer time.
Train Rides will operate utilizing open-air excursion cars and enclosed coaches, rather than our customary “Galloping Goose” rail motorcar. This will allow us to welcome a larger yet appropriately limited number of guest groups aboard for each departure, via Timed Ticketing, so as to help in maintaining proper social distancing during the train ride. Boarding areas will be spacious, with signage to help guests remain a safe distance from each other while waiting to board their train.
The Museum will continue to offer free regular admission to members, as well as to active-duty military personnel and their families, including the National Guard and Reserves. Free military admission runs from reopening through Labor Day (Monday, September 7, 2020). Restrictions apply for free member admission during Special Events and ticketed Theme Train events, including Day Out With Thomas and The Polar Express Train Ride.
Thank You!
Questions or concerns? Contact us at (303) 279-4591 during business hours, or email us at info@crrm.org. We want to thank everyone for their understanding and support over the past couple of months. We also look forward to welcoming you back in the coming weeks and months. Here at the Colorado Railroad Museum, it’s great to be “Still On Track!”
Sincerely,
Paul Hammond
Executive Director
