Transportation Museum to offer train rides with Santa

By: Special to the R&L | Statesville Record & Landmark
Published: November 20, 2010

The N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer invites visitors to celebrate the holidays with two train rides with Santa Claus.
On the “Santa Train,” Kris Kringle himself will be your fellow passenger as you roll down the tracks. On the “Cookies and Cocoa with Santa” rides, visitors can enjoy a nighttime train trip to visit the Jolly Old Elf in the Bob Julian Roundhouse.
The Santa Train rolls out of the station each weekend in December before Christmas. The annual event sees Santa Claus trading his reindeer and sleigh for a shiny red fire engine before boarding the N.C. Transportation Museum’s on-site train for a 25-minute trip around the museum grounds.
During the ride, Santa will hand out oranges, a Southern railway tradition that dates back to the 1930s. During the Depression, children would gather alongside the railroad line, where engineers and employees of the Southern Railway would hand out oranges for Christmas. For some of these children, it was the only gift they received.
The N.C. Transportation Museum honors that tradition, while celebrating the holidays with a fun and festive train ride.
Santa Train tickets are $7 per person or $6 per person with the donation of an unwrapped gift for children in need. Members receive a discount. Children younger 2 and younger who can sit on a guardian’s lap for the length of the ride do not need a ticket.
Santa Train rides take place Dec. 4-5, 11-12 and 18-19. Train rides take place every 45 minutes between 10 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. each Saturday of the event. Rides take place every 45 minutes between 1:30 and 3:45 p.m. each Sunday of the event.
For the first time, Santa Train tickets are being sold in advance. You can purchase those tickets online at www.nctrans.org or by calling (704) 636-2889 ext. 232. Tickets will also be available on the day of the event.
The museum’s Cookies and Cocoa with Santa event allows visitors to take a rare evening train ride at the N.C. Transportation Museum. The train stops at the Bob Julian Roundhouse for a special visit with Santa. Kids can tell Santa what they want for Christmas, hear stories read by one of Santa’s helpers and enjoy a tasty treat.
The museum’s Cookies and Cocoa with Santa event happens Dec. 4, 11, 17 and 18, with rides taking place at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. each evening.
Cookies and Cocoa with Santa train rides are $10 per person. Children 2 and younger may sit on a guardian’s lap and do not need a ticket. Tickets for this program are sold only in advance. You can purchase online at www.nctrans.org or by calling (704) 636-2889 ext. 232.

Transportation Museum to offer train rides with Santa

Share This:

More from this channel:

Reader Comments

Deal of the Day

Most Popular

More Ways to Connect