Need an idea for a stocking-stuffer? Try tickets to ride on a "real" Thomas the Tank Engine.
A few weeks back, we gave away tickets to the Day Out With Thomas event at the Strasburg Railroad. I dropped by to check out the event, and I am pleased to report that all of our contest winners had an amazing time.
As soon as Thomas the Tank Engine steamed into the railroad depot, everyone at the railroad stopped dead in their tracks. Little kids, parents: everyone stood still and watched the Really Useful Engine chug past. I heard some cheers. This was the railfan equivalent of a princess-obsessed little girl meeting Cinderella at Disneyworld.
I'm a great fan of the Strasburg Railroad and other tourist railroads, and I was particularly impressed by the way that Strasburg pulled off such a huge, kid-intensive event. The activity tent had live music and various Sodor-related activities: the Babble crew liked the puzzles and the Thomas train table. The giant Sir Topham Hatt was not a hit with some of the smaller kids, who refused to have their pictures taken with him, but the temporary Thomas tattoos were beloved by all. There was also a Thomas gift shop (a permanent fixture at the railroad) and a merch tent (special to the event). Suffice it to say that in all of my years of shopping and writing about kids' products, I never imagined so many Thomas-themed items could exist. The permanent installations at Strasburg are a blast-- a crowd favorite was the 1920 Cagney Train, a miniature amusement park locomotive.
I'd go to Day Out With Thomas again in a heartbeat, especially in the nice weather. The drive through Amish country to Strasburg took us past working farms (cows! pigs! horses! grain silos!) and sights like the Red Caboose Motel, a motel whose rooms are converted Pennsylvania Railroad cabooses.
Dates for Day Out With Thomas 2009 include June 13 - 21, September 12 - 20, and December 4 - 6 in Strasburg, PA, with additional dates at various locations around the country. Prices are $18 and up at Ticketweb.
