Natalia has loved trains and specifically Thomas the Tank Engine for awhile now.
I've had a few friends share that when Thomas comes to visit Strasburg Railroad, they simply pack some snacks, walk around and enjoy the little rides, and watch Thomas come in and out of the station instead of purchasing a coach ticket to ride behind him. (They can't even see him when they're riding.) This rationale of course works better on younger children who are just thrilled to see the trains.
I thought it to be a great idea, especially since we will visit Strasburg later this summer as a family and will cash in some free coach ride passes thanks to our local Library Summer Reading Program, and an Educator's Day event. (And the coach ride price is hiked up when Thomas is in town.)
Since my mom is now retired, she joined us. The weather was looking really overcast and they were predicting thundershowers for the afternoon, but we thought we'd be okay going in the morning. We pulled into the parking lot at 9:30, just as the heavens opened with a downpour. FUN FUN!
Thankfully, it was over within 20 minutes, and we used that time to fortify ourselves with some snacks in the car before joining the accumulating crowd by the station.
You should have heard Natalia's squeals! Oh my word. To say she was excited would be an understatement. She was especially delighted that Thomas had his face on. (See last year's post.)
She got to ride the two little rides for $1 each, while Adam was wide-eyed and content to sit in his stroller and say "choo choo!"
We were in and out in 1 1/2 hour...and that was enough. :-)
Natalia is tickled pink with her Thomas puzzle and Pez dispenser. Thank you Grandma! (Thanks for helping me brave the madness, Mom!)
4 comments:
Duncan saw the pic of Thomas and squealed: "MY Choo Choo! Hoo hoo!!" :) I guess you can tell we like trains here too!
Were you there Wednesday? That was when we went and had the downpour. We actually did do the whole ride the train thing (a late birthday gift for Trey). You are right about ticket prices. At the end Joe and I said next time we are just going to visit without riding the train, like you did:)
Courtney,
Yup, we were there Wednesday! Too bad we missed each other.
Love your idea of frugal living - we'll have to give it a try in the fall. Looks like a great day was had by all!
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