Day Out with Thomas!

Last weekend, we headed out to Edaville Railroad for Day Out with Thomas with my brother Jon, my sister-in-law Jean, Jean's mom Mary, my nephew Kevin and my brother Josh! Kevin is smack dab in the middle of Jacob and Grace age wise so it is great to have a cousin so close in age to hang out with.

My kids don't watch Thomas, but Jacob has a few Thomas train sets and they have a couple of books including a Thomas the Train Look and Find book which they love. Even though Thomas isn't a staple in our house like Woody and Buzz he is a recognized face and I knew the kids would be ecstatic to see him in person.

First of all, let me say that the people who run this event should be ashamed at how much they charge! Kids under 2 were free so we didn't have to pay for Eli, but the tickets for the four of us cost $21.65 EACH. It cost us $87 for the four of us to go see Thomas. Let me also say that many people who go to this event throughout the country don't have Edaville which is also a small amusement park in addition to the train. In other states, you simply get a 20 minute train ride and they have Thomas themed booths set up with story time, mega block playing stations, face painting, etc. Nationally, everyone pays the same price to get in to Day Out with Thomas regardless of the amenities. Needless to say, if we didn't have Edaville this would not be an event worth going to, but the kids had a blast on the rides and attractions at the park and I got fried dough so all was right with the world!


The day we went was a warm 75 degree day which is pretty unusual for the first weekend in October. The train was 800 billion degrees and we were literally all dripping sweat. The cars are heated in the Winter, but unfortunately they are not air conditioned in the Summer. There were a few windows at the front and back of the car so when we went around a bend we would get an occasional breeze that would pass through, but it was sweet relief to step off of that train when the ride was over!

The first amusement ride we attempted were those little two seater airplanes where you pull the lever and go up. We thought this was an adult friendly ride (most are), but unfortunately as we were loading the kids in we were told this was for kids only. In a split second decision, we decided to let the kids go on by themselves. There is a lap belt on the ride, but anyone who knows Jacob knows this could be a disaster, however, they both did great and stayed seated the entire time (phew!). Jacob finally caught on after we yelled to him the 100th time to "PULL!!" and he pulled the lever and they rode up in the air the entire ride! My heart was beating out of my chest the whole time they were up there and I decided that they would only be going on rides with us the rest of the day. :)

Next was a stop at the carousel! A family favorite. The last time we went to a local carousel Grace cried for 45 minutes after we left because she wanted to go back. This time they took their ride and climbed down with no temper tantrums!

We rode on the flying elephants, had our picture taken with Thomas and then the park was scheduled to close in about 30 minutes so we took a short walk down to the little kiddie train and let the kids ride that one. At this point, Ian somehow convinced me that it would be a good idea to take our kids on the Tilt-A-Whirl. Yes. The Tilt-A-Whirl. Bad, bad idea. Grace had that look plastered on her face when the g forces are too much for your little face to handle and Jacob instantly brought his knees to his chest and clutched Ian the entire time. I think we scarred them for life. There were no tears just looks of horror. Meanwhile you can hear Kevin (who was in the next car over) going WHEEEEEEEEE! Apparently, he enjoyed the ride and was not as terrified as my own two!

We stopped for a snack/dinner at the cafe and ate outside on picnic tables while the kids ran around and burned off some energy.


Overall, it was a great day with family and the kids had a blast. I would be very hesitant to take my kids to Day Out with Thomas if it was just at a railway, but since we had the amusement park to play on all day it was well worth the money! Just beware if you plan on attending this event locally that you may be in for a world of surprise when you find out just what is included with the ticket price.