They’re two, they’re four, they’re six, they’re eight…you started singing the theme song of Thomas the Tank Engine right? My apologies if the song is now stuck in your head. After this weekend those lyrics have me thinking how they apply to how my boys are growing up faster than a speeding train.
This weekend we ventured over to the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville, Indiana for A Day Out With Thomas. This was our second time taking the train ride with Thomas, and it was just as spectacular as we remembered. I’m happy to report two years later, now eight and five, the boys enjoyed A Day Out With Thomas just as much. Jax even woke up the next morning and said, “I had such a wonderful Thomas trip!” We all had an absolute blast! A Day Out With Thomas truly is full of fun for all ages. Also, I personally don’t think that you have to have a Thomas obsessed child on your hands as motivation to attend. My boys no longer watch the show, but still enjoyed themselves and had the best time.
A Day Out With Thomas is an annual event that offers children and their families the unique opportunity to take a train ride with Thomas. You arrive to the Railroad and it’s like there’s a huge Thomas the Train themed fair full of fun filled Thomas & Friends activities. Meet Sir Topham Hatt, enjoy crafts, story telling, videos, magic shows, train play tables, coloring, temporary tattoos, vintage pedal trains, model trains and much more! Once you check in at the information booth, they give you a United Kingdom of Sodor passport. You get to go around the fair and get stamps at each checkpoint. They suggest you arrive one hour before the train departure time on your ticket to complete your passport and play. Once you complete the passport the kids receive a special surprise.
Then it’s ALL ABOARD – the moment we’ve all been waiting for. You get to board the train and take a ride with Thomas! It’s not assigned seats. You can pick a train car and pick a seat wherever you’d like. The boys absolutely loved getting to meet the conductor and engineer! The train ride is about 25-30 minutes and travels about 11 mph. My only tip for this trip is to possibly bring a mini, handheld fan for the train ride. Summer heat + old train cars = hot, hot, hot. This year wasn’t as hot as it was previously, but still hot enough to make you sweat. I think you would be okay without fans, but if you’re bringing babies on board or kids who do not fair well in the heat – it would be nice to have.
You still have next weekend to enjoy the train ride at Whitewater Valley Railroad. June 28,29, 30th. For more info go to https://whitewatervalleyrr.org/dowt/.