By Kristen Berthiaume:
If you’re considering a Day out with Thomas this weekend, here’s why you should go ahead and get those tickets!
On Sunday, my husband and I took our three kids, ages 8, 5, and almost 2 to Day Out with Thomas at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera. If you’ve never been there, the beautiful old trains alone are reason enough to visit! But the chance to ride an actual train with Thomas at the helm – who could pass that up? Ticket pick-up is in the Calera Depot, which houses a wonderful museum filled with train and railroad memorabilia. Of course, there was nothing Thomas-related in there so we didn’t stay nearly as long as the adults would have liked. When it was time to board the train, the kids loved handing their tickets to the “conductor” and stepping on to the double-decker train car. As you might expect, we had to proceed immediately to the upper deck! The train ride itself was a good 20 minutes – long enough to see some sites but not so long that children got bored and started dangling themselves off of luggage racks. After we disembarked, we were able to see the Thomas engine up close and take pictures. There was much debate about whether he was “the real” Thomas or not and whether Calera was, in fact, Sodor.
The fun didn’t stop after the train ride – Day Out with Thomas was filled with activities, games, and food options! The kids took pictures with Sir Toppham Hat (forgive me if you’re not Thomas-literate – Sir Toppham Hat is the head of the railway), listened to fun live music, and played mini golf (very, very badly). Of course, we had to stop for Thomas tattoos and make visits to the jumpy house and train tables!
The event was well organized and efficient, and the activities were laid out so that parents could watch their older kids go from station to station without having to stay right with them. After all, sometimes parents need a Thomas break! Day Out with Thomas was so much fun for us all and a great excuse to visit the Railroad Museum. This will definitely have to be a family tradition!
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Heart of Dixie Railroad website.
(Photo Credit: Scott Butler)
