Salem Station

Get behind the wheel and under the hood at our immersive automotive discovery zone! Salem Station invites young mechanics and future drivers to explore the world of transportation through realistic tools, working parts, and hands-on roleplay. From navigating city streets to diagnosing mechanical issues, this exhibit makes careers in transportation tangible and exciting. 

Hop into the driver's seat of a realistic Cherriots bus complete with passenger seats and a functional steering wheel, watching the journey unfold through an interactive video windshield that creates the sensation of traveling through local streets. Then shift gears to the mechanical garage where a car sits jacked up and ready for service - change tires, check the oil, and inspect the engine using authentic-looking tools and manipulatives. 

Whether practicing turn signals and safe driving or learning the basics of vehicle maintenance, Salem Station builds practical life skills, career awareness, and an understanding of how simple machines power our daily transportation. 

    • Cherriots Bus: A realistic bus with passenger seats and a steering wheel 

    • Interactive Windshield: A moving video display that creates a sense of travel through Salem 

    • Mechanical Garage: A car jacked up and ready for service 

    • Service Station Tools: Manipulatives for changing tires, checking oil, and inspecting the engine 

    • Society: Conversing, negotiating, and exploring career paths in transportation 

    • Science & Tech: Understanding the simple machines and systems that make a vehicle run 

    • Practical Life Skills: Learning the basics of car maintenance and safety 

    • STEAM Skills: Focuses on Science and Technology 

    • Dramatic Play: Roleplaying as drivers, passengers, and mechanics to develop a story 

    • Tangible World: Manipulating or rearranging objects and using fine motor skills with tools 

    • Creative: Repurposing items and developing unique stories around travel 

Explore More 

This exhibit is located in Rockenfield House. Also explore: Airflow Alley | Forest Friends 

  • Young girl sitting in a bus driver's seat holding the steering wheel, smiling. Behind her are colorful posters of houses on the wall.
  • Young boy playing with wooden toy trucks and a basket of toy cars in a carpeted room.
  • Two boys playing a vintage arcade game, one leaning over and pointing at the screen, the other standing behind them, both focused on the game.
  • Children observe a parking lot and sidewalk on a large screen, with one child wearing a white hoodie in the foreground and a control panel on the left side.
  • Children playing with a car-shaped interactive exhibit at Gilbert House Children's Museum, featuring a cartoon character in the driver's seat and a blue and green design.
  • A young girl in a red shirt with gold hearts and denim shorts stands on a wooden ride-on toy truck, leaning forward with her hands on the truck, looking intently at something ahead. An adult is partially visible beside her, holding her from behind. The setting appears to be indoors, with a carpeted floor and colorful walls.