By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

You don’t need to reserve a seat or pack a suitcase to board the Boca Express. Just bring your love of history and your imagination. 

At the Boca Express Train Museum, you start your 30-minute tour in the original station built for the Florida East Coast Railroad. It was built in the Mediterranean Revival style during the 1930s. 

“This building is a real survivor,” says Susan Gillis, curator of the Boca Raton Historical Society, who oversees the museum.

Follow the docent and you’ll discover two refurbished Seaboard Air Line Railroad cars. These streamlined beauties built by Budd Co. went into service in 1946. They were part of the Silver Meteor that whisked travelers over almost 1,400 miles from New York to Miami in 25 hours. 

Of course, today you’ll never leave the station. But you can still journey through history with this and other tours made available through the BRHS. Here are some options:

Boca Express Train Museum

Where: FEC Railway Station, Count de Hoernle Pavilion, 747 S. Dixie Highway, Boca Raton

When:  1 to 4 p.m. April 20 

Admission: $5 adults; $2 students; free for children under 6 years and BRHS members

The Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum

Where:  Boca Raton Town Hall, 71 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton

When:  10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday

 Admission:  $5 adults, $2 students, under 5 and BRHS members free

 What: The current exhibits include “Sentimental Journey: Boca Raton During WW II” and “Mizner Industries/Mizner Style.” 

Trolley Tour of Historic and Contemporary Boca Raton

Where: The tour leaves from Boca Raton Town Hall, 71 N. Federal Highway.

When: 10 a.m. April 12 

Admission: $20 per person; $15 for BRHS members

Reservations required

What: This 90-minute tour on a little red trolley begins with a short video on Boca Raton’s history and a tour of the BRHS current exhibit.  Docents share information on both historic and contemporary Boca Raton. 

n History Tour of the Boca Raton Resort & Club

Where:  501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton 

When:  2 p.m. April 17 

Admission: $15 per person; $12 for BRHS members; there is a $10-per-car valet fee at the hotel 

Reservations required

What: Learn about Addison Mizner’s Cloister Inn, Boca Raton’s most historic building and the original portion of the Boca Raton Resort & Club. This 90-minute walking tour takes you through the resort’s past. Not recommended for children under 12. For information about or reservations to any event, call 396-6766, Ext. 100.               Ú


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