Day Out with Thomas
This is it – the social event of the year for toddler boys! Many girls love it, too, but we all know Thomas holds a special place in the heart of boys. We took our son in June and it was an unforgettable day for all. Day Out with Thomas is held at Edaville USA in Carver, MA. It isn’t a short car trip, but it’s worth it if your kid loves trains. Don’t worry – there’s something to do for kids of every age, so you can bring the older siblings, too.
Edaville USA is a Massachusetts landmark that has been around for decades, though they are under new ownership since 2003. Your ticket into the park covers everything except for food, souvenirs, and photos. This was a surprise to us as we kept expecting additional fees for everything we wanted to do. The park is surrounded by a huge train track, and the entry is right over part of the tracks. If you wait around long enough you can see the train go by on one of its many journeys throughout the day. The train station to embark/disembark is on the opposite side of the park, so plan your train ride to allow enough time to get there. On the way you will encounter several other rides, such as a plane ride, ferris wheel, and antique carousel. Some of the lines seemed a little long, but they appeared to move rather quickly.
You can purchase your train ticket two different ways – via the internet or when you arrive. We went on a Friday, so we bought our tickets when we arrived as we figured there wouldn’t be much of a crowd. Our train ride was about an hour later, though we could have chosen a different time. Since you can see the train approaching the station, people were lining up without being called. There really weren’t any good or bad seats on the train, though you may want to think about pictures. While the train is unloading and loading, there is a separate line with a photographer taking pictures of families with Thomas. If you pick a seat that is easy to get on and off the train, you can get off the train quickly and get your picture with Thomas. The train runs every 40 minutes, so you have plenty of opportunities throughout the day to get this done. Also look out for photo opportunities with Sir Topham Hatt. Pictures by the photographer are for purchase, of course, but you can also use your own camera on both occasions.
If it is a hot day you will want a break from the outdoor attractions as there is not a lot of shade. In the main building you will find the Edaville souvenir shop as well as a Thomas souvenir area. In the Thomas area there were several train tables set up for the kids to play with and benches for the parents to sit at, which was a great reprieve for everyone. The restrooms are nearby as well as a private nursing area.
Upstairs was an additional activity area, but we were too hot to even venture up there to see it. There were two large tents set up in the park – one near the entrance and the other near the train station. The one near the entrance was HUGE and full of picnic tables, allowing you to bring your own food and sit here and eat in the shade. Here you can watch the train go by and there is a lot of grassy area for the kids to run around. The tent by the train station also had many picnic tables, but you wouldn’t be able to bring a cooler that far into the park, so the guests here were eating food that was purchased. This tent also had temporary Thomas tattoos and entertainment throughout the day. When we were there a man was reading a Thomas story, and there were instruments for the kids to play with, which we thought was a cute idea.
Although this day was a dream-come-true for our toddler, the fact that the park could benefit from some TLC did not go unnoticed to us. The ride on Thomas is the highlight of the day, though there isn’t much to see as the train goes through pine groves and cranberry bogs. These and other things were bothersome to me, but I know that my son had the time of his life, and that’s what makes it worthwhile.
Tickets to Day Out with Thomas are $18 per person, children under 2 are free. Group sales of 20 or more tickets are $14 per person. If you purchase your tickets via the web there is an extra charge, whereas that is avoided at the park entrance. Thomas will be at Edaville August 28-29, and September 3-6, 2010. Edaville has many other events, so be sure to check out their website.
