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You are here: Home / Blog / A Day Out with Thomas the Train Review

A Day Out with Thomas the Train Review

June 15, 2016 By Shann 12 Comments

Thomas the Train

As you know, my boys are a little obsessed with Thomas the Train. They play with trains all day long, they sleep with a container of them in their cribs at night, and they even like to watch him on TV. They also make anything and everything into trains. For example, the sidewalk chalk morphed into a long train riding along our driveway, and those crayons you get at the restaurant? Yep. You guessed it. They lined them up on the table as the different train cars and make them chug and chuff.

Last year, instead of a birthday party, we headed a couple of hours north to meet Thomas the Train at A Day Out with Thomas. It’s an annual event where you can see all things Thomas the Train, including taking a ride on him, meeting Sir Thopham Hat, and tons of other train activities. They often take place at railroad museums, as our event did.

Since the events are coming up across the Nation, I thought I would share my review from our experience last year. This is NOT a sponsored post, and all opinions are my own. I just wanted to let you know what to expect if you planned on going, and tips to make it fun.

Thomas the train

What to Expect

I purchased our tickets for A Day Out with Thomas well ahead of time, however, seating was still limited.  When you buy tickets, you need to choose both a time, and the type of Train you want to ride in.  The Train closest to Thomas was sold out, so I chose the 9:15 am Train that was a single-level.  There is also a double-level car, and an open air car.

The tickets for the event advised you to arrive an hour prior to Train boarding time.  I didn’t really understand why, until we went to find parking.

At our Event, which took place at the Green Bay Railroad Museum, you parked in a lot, then took a bus to the Event area.  My kids were thrilled!  An actual School Bus! Seriously, they loved it. Plus, it made it super easy because there was plenty of free parking.  We also brought our wagon, which folds up nicely and fit in the bus perfectly.

When arrived at the Event, there was a TON of stuff for the kids to do.  You can get a map, and event time information when you go through the gates. You also get a card to collect stamps for every activity you visit. You then get a souvenir at the end.

First, we stopped for free souvenir conductor hats and key chains, then got some cute pictures in Thomas/Percy cutouts.

Day out with thomas

We then headed to where they had a bunch of train tables set up for play, a motorized train set to watch, a few people applying temporary tattoos, and a few crafts to make. The boys weren’t really into the crafts, but they all loved the tattoos, and the train tables were one of their favorite parts of the day.  What was not a favorite?  Leaving all the trains at the table.  One of the twins tried to pile them all in the wagon when we had to leave.  He was NOT happy when I put them back.

thomas the train activities

Before a major meltdown occurred, we headed out to board our train.  As I mentioned earlier, we were in the single-level car.  Since we were the first train of the day and the windows were open, it wasn’t too warm.  I would imagine as the day went on, it would get pretty hot, so I would suggest the open air car if you’re going in the afternoon.

While on the train, they play the famous Thomas the Train music, and the conductor makes periodic announcements.  You do two loops around for about a half hour ride.  Also, the train conductors come to punch your ticket, and then give you a souvenir certificate.

thomas the train

After the train ride, the kids got to get their picture in front of Thomas the Train.  It was pretty hard to get them all to look, since they were so busy looking at Thomas, as you can see.

With Thomas the Train

We then got a little snack, and went back in for more play time.  The twins were happy to go back to the train table, and they had a singer/entertainer that my oldest really enjoyed.  He got a train whistle and got to go on stage and perform too.

After that finished, we were ready to head out. The kids were happy to get one more bus ride!

thomas the train stuff

Tips for your Trip

  • Plan Early – Tickets for front seats sell out quickly. Also, the earlier arrival time you can get the better. Fewer lines for all the activities and cooler weather in the train car make for happier kids. Our 9:15 am arrival was one of the earliest, and we didn’t have to wait in line at all.
  • Arrive Early – Plan for time to get to your event. For us, since we lived a couple of hours away, this meant staying at a hotel the night before. Also, we then had to board the bus to get to the museum. When they say arrive an hour early, do it.
  • Bring Plenty of Extra money – While they give you a couple freebies (the cardboard conductor hat, train whistle, key chain,) other souvenirs are really expensive. I only bought a small Thomas flag for $5, and then went shopping in the museum gift shop, where I scored some great clearance t-shirts.
  • Check about Food/Drinks – It can be a long day, so you will want drinks and snacks. It depends on your location if you can bring food or drinks in with you, so check ahead of time.
  • Bring Toys – If your boys are like mine, they will want to take the trains off the tables with them. If you have a few in your purse, you can avoid the separation anxiety.
  • Bring Camera – These days everyone has one on their phone, but I brought my regular one because there were tons of photo opps
  • Bring Stroller/Wagon – Our event was pretty spread out, so it was nice to be able to load the kids into the wagon, and then move to the next spot. Just make sure you can fold it, if you have to take a bus to the event, like we did. Our fold-up wagon is seriously the best purchase I’ve ever made. We’ve had it almost three years, and still fit all three boys.
  • Wear your best Thomas the Train Swag – All the little ones were sporting at least one Thomas piece. That way you won’t have to buy a t-shirt or hat while you’re there.

Click on any of the pictures to purchase the items through my Amazon Affiliate link. There is no cost to you, and it helps me run my site…or buy my boys one more train.

Overall, we had a great day at A Day Out with Thomas. The tickets are a little pricey, but they are worth it if you have big Thomas the Train fans in your house. You can find event locations and buy tickets HERE. 

Will you be heading to A Day Out with Thomas this summer? What other fun summer activities do you have planned?

If you like what you just read please click to send a quick vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs- The best mommy blog directory featuring top mom bloggers

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: camera, chuff, chug, Day Out with Thomas, event, fold up wagon, green bay railroad museum, operation summer fun, percy, Sir Topham Hat, stroller, summer fun, thomas the train, train cars, trains, wagon

Comments

  1. Cori says

    June 15, 2016 at 8:05 am

    My friend’s sons are obsessed with trains. I don’t know how much Thomas the Train they do, but I’m going to pass this along to her. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Rebekah Anne says

    June 15, 2016 at 8:39 am

    Those hats are so cute! My son isn’t into Thomas yet, but I’m sure it’s coming! I’ll have to see if they have this in my area when he’s older!

    Reply
  3. Becky @Disney in your Day says

    June 15, 2016 at 9:29 am

    This looks like heaven for a Thomas fan! My brother would have loved this as a kid. His name is Thomas so he was a big fan of the train growing up 🙂

    Reply
  4. Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says

    June 15, 2016 at 10:31 am

    This looks SO fun!! Everyone tells me it will be soon that my son gets in to trains (he is 21 months). But not yet! Such a fun day with your family!

    Reply
  5. Justine Y says

    June 15, 2016 at 11:20 am

    Looks like a lot of fun! My kids love trains and would really enjoy this I think. We have the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento and it’s amazing! Two years ago for their birthdays we bought family passes and the kids loved going.

    Reply
  6. Taylor Bobo Weir says

    June 15, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    My oldest LOVES Thomas! We have a train track near us and he always loves to yell “Choo-Choo Train!!!!” every time we pass one! I was thinking about doing one of these trips for his birthday but wasn’t sure if he would really enjoy it! Thank you for writing this I just might have to plan this trip now and I know what to expect now!

    Reply
  7. Theresa says

    June 15, 2016 at 6:19 pm

    How adorable! It looks like he had the best time ever. That’s so nice you were able to visit as a family! What a fun trip you will always remember.

    Reply
  8. Amber says

    June 15, 2016 at 7:58 pm

    This looks like a lot of fun!

    Reply
  9. Nique85 says

    June 15, 2016 at 8:18 pm

    This looks so fun!

    Reply
  10. modernchicmag says

    June 16, 2016 at 1:34 am

    Oh this just brings memories for when I was a kid and use to watch Thomas the Train. Looks like you and your lovely family had a blast.

    Reply
  11. Rosalyn O. says

    June 16, 2016 at 8:10 am

    How fun! I have considered taking my daughter since she likes Thomas but I have never taken her. Now I think we will go next time :))

    Reply
  12. Mistle says

    June 16, 2016 at 10:48 am

    It looks like the boys had a blast! I have so many friends who’s kids watch Thomas the Train, so this would be perfect if it came to our area. I’ll def have to pass this on!

    Reply

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Meet Shann

Shann Hi! I'm a mom, writer, and dancer. I love sharing my parenting experiences, my healthy living tips, my money saving ideas, and our travel plans. My passion to help other women inspired this blog. I hope you'll stay a while and come back often.

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