What child doesn't like the idea of a train - either in real life or the toy train variety? There are some fun places that you can go to on your whistle stop adventure!
For the adult train enthusiast, visit:
The Greater Cincinnati Garden Railway Society.
The Cincinnati Railroad Club
(open to the public at Cincinnati Museum Terminal,
see their website for dates/times)
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MasonMetu Mom Tip - Donna P., a MasonMetu viewer, recommends visiting the Hallmark store in Sharonville (off of I-275, North on Rt. 42 in the north-west shopping plaza). Here you can see a FREE small train display but it has "lots of visual stimulation" and will entertain a 3-4 year old. There is also a train table for play at the Barnes and Noble on Fields Ertel. Thanks for the tip, Donna!
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens - www.cincinnatizoo.org. 3540 Beldare Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45220 (513-961-1870). If you spend the day at the zoo, for an extra charge, you can hop aboard their cute train. It's nice to take a ride after doing all that walking!
Cincinnati History Museum - www.cincymuseum.org. Visitors can see a model of the city of Cincinnati from the 1900s to 1940s with working trains and inclines. It's an S-scale model and it is one of the largest in the country.
Don’t miss Tower A!
"The Cincinnati Railroad Club has restored and now maintains Tower A, which was the main control tower for Cincinnati Union Terminal. It is free and open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Hours may be extended during holiday periods" Please note that the only access requires the use of stairs." per Cincinnati Museum Center's website.
Latest club information is available at (513) 651-RAIL (7245) and www.cincinnatirrclub.org.
Highfield Discovery Garden - www.discoverygarden.org. 10397 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, Ohio 45215. There is an adorable train garden with toy trains running throughout and the kids can go in the "station" and press some buttons to make them go.
Kings Island - www.visitkingsisland.com. They have a real train you can ride to get from the main park to Boomerang Bay and back again. Ride is included with park admission.
EnterTRAINment Junction - www.entertrainmentjunction.com. 7379 Squire Court, West, Chester, Ohio 45069 (513-898-8000). We haven't been here but would like to go. Here is a snippet from their website to let you know what they are all about. "At EnterTRAINment Junction, you can Marvel at the world’s largest (25,000 sq. ft.) indoor train display, bounce, climb and crawl in a spectacular children’s play area, discover at an imaginative railroading museum, engineer your own locomotive around a track in a hand-cranked railroad car, thrill to themed walk-thru mazes you won’t believe, and much more." - EnterTRAINment Juction. In addition to their regular attractions, they sometimes have seasonal attractions (you may have to pay an extra charge for these so always check the website for more info).
Parking is Free. Kids under 3 are free.
Feb. 1-28 - Everything Thomas
Lebanon Mason & Monroe Railroad - www.lebanonrr.com. 127 S. Mechanic, Lebanon, OH 45036 - TOLL FREE 866-934-9464 or 513-933-8022. This is a real working railroad that does wonderful one-hour nostalgic train rides. They've had fun train rides in the past such as the Easter Bunny Express, the North Pole Express, Day Out with Thomas, Curious George, Pumpkin Patch Express and many others!
North Pole Express Train Ride - Nov. 28-29, Dec.5-6, 12-13, 19-20 - $20/general admission, $15/2-12 years, Free/1 and under. 127 S. Mechanic St., Lebanon, Ohio. Includes taking a picture with Santa, hot chocolate, elves to entertain you and a fun train ride.
Railway Musuem of Greater Cincinnati - www.cincirailmuseum.org - 315 W. Southern Ave., Covington, KY. See website for admission times in case they change but now they are open Wed. & Sat. from 12:30-4:30pm and the 4th Sunday of the month. $4/adults, $2/10 and under.
Totter's Otterville - www.johnnystoys.com/tottermain.html. 4314 Boron Dr. Covington, KY 41015 (859)261-6962. This technically isn't a museum but I wanted to include it since it's an educational entertainment center for children 10 and under. It really is adorable and has plenty of fun areas your kids will love such as a mini grocery store, jump and climbing ball pit area, veterinary clinic, puppet theatre and so much more. If you go during the warmer months, check out the outside play features and they can even ride a mini train. There's a kid friendly cafe on site. Totter's is located in the back of Johnny's Toys so make a bee line for Totter's otherwise your kids may get caught up in all the toy hoopla.
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Holiday Junction at Union Terminal - Dec. 2009
Seasonal Train Displays
There's no better seasonal train displays then the ones that occur during the Christmas season.
Christmas at the Junction - Nov. 21 through Jan. 3 (closed on Dec. 24 & 25). Click on the link for a $3 off printable coupon. Enjoy two great displays, "A Christmas Carol" and "Journey to the North Pole".
Holiday Junction at Cincinnati Museum Center -www.cincymuseum.org. This is a great train display and it is very festive since it is all about the holiday season. We go every year. In addition to the train displays, they usually have Santa Claus on hand to meet and greet the kids. There is also a hands-on mini-train play area and an actual mini-train the kids can ride (no parents allowed). Opens Nov. 21 through Jan. 3, 2010.
Holiday Toy Trains - Behringer-Crawford Museum - Open through Jan. 17. See their 18th annual train display. $7/adults, $6/seniors, $4/ages 3-17. 859-491-4003. 1600 Montague Road, Covington. Closed on Mondays except for Dec. 21 and 28 and closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
Duke Energy Train Display - 139 E. 4th Street Cincinnati, Ohio. www.duke-energy.com. This is another great holiday tradition that you might want to start. Duke Energy has been putting this on for over 63 years now and it is something to see and it's FREE!
Open the Friday after Thanksgiving through Dec. 31
