Fodor's Expert Review Charlemagne's Kingdom

This child-friendly museum recreates sections of Germany, from the North Sea to the Alps, all in HO model-train scale (1/87th of the actual size). The Autobahn is depicted, as is the entire walled town of Rothenburg (there are 350 building replicas) and moving hot-air balloons. There are six running trains, thousands of hand-painted figurines, and sound effects including the ocean, a carnival, and German music. The shop sells Lionel trains, Thomas the Tank Engines, and John Deere toys. Willi Lindhorst, a native of Oldenburg, Germany, created the train layout and its trappings and owns the shop with his wife, Judi.