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Tweetsie Railroad’s historic steam locomotive decorated with Christmas lights, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
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Ho-Ho-Ho-Holiday Trains
From cocoa and cookies to cabaret-style Polar Express shows, these holiday rail experiences keep the season rolling.
By Amity Moore Joyce
Christmas and trains go together like Santa and his sleigh—each one evoking holiday tradition with a touch of magic. Railroads and railroad museums lean into that spirit, offering festive rides all season long.
A family listening to the reading of “The Polar Express” aboard a train at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
VISIT ROWAN COUNTY, NC
All Aboard The Polar Express
Perhaps the most well-known holiday train is the one author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg created and Hollywood transformed into a film classic. Railroad lines and museums across the country bring The Polar Express to life, with actors portraying the conductor, dancing chefs and, of course, Mr. Claus himself. Hear the original story on the Grand Canyon Railway, departing from Williams, Arizona. Aboard the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville, Indiana, children are encouraged to wear their pajamas. Colorado doubles the immersive options with a cabaret-style experience at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden and a ride on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Durango. Find similar entertainment in Baltimore, Maryland, at the B&O Railroad Museum, and in North Carolina aboard the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City and at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer.
North Pole Express in Parrish Florida Train Ride
Next Stop: The North Pole
Many holiday trains head to the “North Pole,” often with hot chocolate and cookies served enroute. The North Pole Express runs 35-minute rides between the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, Florida, and the “North Pole,” where passengers disembark to see Santa and roast s’mores by a campfire. He’s a busy guy, appearing aboard the Tennessee Valley Railroad from Chattanooga, Tennessee; the Nevada Northern Railway’s Santa’s Reindeer Flyer in Ely, Nevada; and the Verde Canyon Railroad’s Magical Christmas Journey in Clarkdale, Arizona. At the depot here, a story of how an eagle helped Santa unfolds, with activities and an eagle meet-and-greet. In the Black Hills, the 1880 Train Holiday Express, operating from Hill City, South Dakota, offers different service levels, including all-you-can drink cocoa and extra time with the Clauses, and a Spiked! (21 years and older) ride.
Step into a Wild West Christmas town at Tweetsie Railroad
TWEETSIE RAILROAD
Look Out the Window
Not all the holiday action happens inside the railcars. A historic locomotive pulls open-air cars through a decorated landscape of lights at Tweetsie Christmas: A Wild West Holiday Adventure in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The Georgetown Loop Railroad in Georgetown, Colorado, offers a similar journey past illuminated displays and mountain views. Kirby Family Farm in Williston, Florida, runs its narrow-gauge Christmas Train across property bedecked with thousands of lights. On these three rides, as well as the Royal Gorge Route Railroad's Santa Express in Cañon City, Colorado, it’s worth keeping an eye on the scenes beyond the windows.
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Mr. and Mrs. Clause pose for photos on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Holiday Express.
BLUE RIDGE SCENIC RAILWAY
Time for a Story and Santa
Reading “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” is a tradition made even more special when Santa reads it aboard the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Holiday Express, departing from Blue Ridge, Georgia. He also reads it aboard the Colebrookedale Railroad’s Edwardian-era cars as they wind through the scenery around Boyertown, Pennsylvania. In North Freedom, Wisconsin, at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, Santa doesn’t read a story in the decorated, heated coaches of the Santa Express, but he and his elves visit with young passengers and brings them gifts. Meet him in Clewiston and Sebring, Florida, too, where he transforms the Sugar Express into the Santa Express for a two-hour ride through the state’s sugarcane country.
Seminole Gulf Railway’s Murder Myster Dinner Train
One for Grown-Ups
While parents enjoy making holiday train memories with their children, they also like making them with each other. Enter the Seminole Gulf Railway’s Murder Mystery Dinner Train. This year’s Holiday Havoc departs from Fort Myers, Florida, on a three-and-a-half-hour roundtrip theatrical, rail and culinary experience.
Visit AAA.com/TripCanvas to plan your route to one of these holiday trains, make hotel reservations and more.
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