Transcontinental Railroad

This unique event was actually really cool! It is completely free and open to the public. This exhibit is only available from February to march and mostly on weekends. There are some times that you can go during the week, but it is mostly available on weekends. The Transcontinental Railroad is found at the Utah State Capital building! This is in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Since this event is free and is at the capital, a lot of people come and go and it can get pretty crowded. I went opening day, and it was super busy! There is a lot of parking, but just in case you get there at a time of high traffic and volume, be prepared to walk a lot just to get to the capital. If you have never been to the capital before, you are in for a treat! The capital is amazing and a super cool place to host an exhibit like this.

This was actually my first time at the Utah State Capital and it took my awhile to find the exhibit.

When you first walk in, you will be greeted by a giant table that has all of Utah displayed climatically. This is pretty cool and it opens your eyes to how big and diverse Utah really is. There may be meetings and other events going on inside the capital, so be sure not to get lost! An old fashioned elevator is on the left side after walking down about three quarters of the capital main floor. Make sure to go all the way up to the fourth or fifth floor. Both floors have parts of the exhibit. The exhibit is super big and requires lots of space and walking areas.

When I went, there were people setting up for a wedding as well as photographers taking wedding photos on the main floor. The fourth and fifth floor overlook onto the main floor so not only do you see the exhibit, but you also see the beautiful architecture and building techniques of the capital. There isn’t a specific starting point to the exhibit, but once you step out of the elevator, you are there!

The exhibit is mostly glass cages of old antiques, stories of ancestors before us who worked on the railroad, the history of the railroad, and many photographs of the railroad. It is truly unique and amazing to see how far technology has come since then, as well as how Utah came to be with the workings of the railroad. It took me about an hour to walk through the entire exhibit and I was mostly skimming everything because there was so much to see and read about.

As you go around both floors, parts of the exhibit can be hidden along other hall ways leading to conference rooms and bathrooms. I didn’t realize this until the very end of the exhibit. I highly recommend this event to anyone. It is entirely free and indoors. Even if you aren’t a history fan, the capital is amazing to walk through!