A Day Out with Thomas the Train at The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum [Calera, AL]

We recently traveled just south of Birmingham, Alabama to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum and spent the day with Thomas the Train.  Read on to find out more about this fun activity filled train ride!

Two weeks ago, we spent the weekend in one of our favorite nearby cities, Birmingham, Alabama -- just a short 3 1/2 hour drive from our home in Mississippi and one of our favorite food cities.

About 30 minutes south of Birmingham is The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum that was hosting a Day Out With Thomas the Train event.  This was the reason for our trip, and to celebrate Simon's birthday.  Our neighbor invited us to go with her family and I can't be more thrilled that she introduced us to this fun activity!

Even though we could've made a day trip out of it, we arrived in Birmingham the day before our train ride so that we could enjoy the city.  We spent the night in a hotel near The Summit, ate our way through Birmingham, and then headed to Calera the next morning.

We purchased our tickets in advance on the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum's website, and then bought matching shirts and train hats for the boys.  Aren't they so cute?? 😉 When we arrived the railroad museum, the boys were so excited to see a real life Thomas the Train!  They also met Sir Topham Hatt!

The main event for a Day out with Thomas is the train ride, of course.  It's about a 20 minute train ride and you pick which car you want to ride when you purchase your tickets.  We rode the Long Island which was super spacious and comfortable.  The inside was decorated with bright colored ribbons and Thomas banners.  As an adult, it is just a basic ride up and down the track, but to the kids it's the most exciting thing ever!  Nothing else happens during the ride, but the kids really enjoyed bouncing around their seats and watching out the windows.

Before and after the train ride, you can line up to get your picture with Thomas.  There are plenty of other activities to keep the kiddos busy for a while, along with concessions for lunch or dinner.  We started at the bubble blowing station and spent a good 10 minutes there before doing anything else!

Judah loved playing mini golf with his friends.  He played at least three rounds that day before we insisted he stop! Ha!

The last area we visited was the "Tattoo Parlor" and play area.  I didn't realize they had numerous train tables set up with full tracks and trains to play with!  This was Simon's favorite.

Thomas the Train travels the country, so you should check to see if he'll be in your area!  I highly recommend this fun-filled adventure for you and your kids!