Holi-Day Out With Thomas is Back at the Boardwalk!

It's that time of year again!  Kids are anxiously awaiting the arrival of one of their most beloved friends.   No, I'm not talking about Santa Claus, I'm talking about Thomas the Tank!  He's chugging into the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the Holi-Day Out with Thomas event:

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The Holiday Out With Thomas event includes a 25 minute train ride led by a life-sized Thomas decorated for the holidays and ready to greet his friends in Santa Cruz. Festivities also include a spin on the Boardwalk’s 101-year old Looff Carousel, face painting, a choice of arcade games, miniature golf or laser tag; a “make and take” Thomas ornament, and photo opportunities with Holiday Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway. Thomas & Friends™ merchandise will also be available.

When: December 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, and 23
Train Hours: 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm
400 Beach Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Holiday Out With Thomas tickets are $24.00 per person. Ticket price includes a 25 minute round-trip Thomas train ride departing from the Boardwalk featuring interactions with Santa and his elves, candy canes, holiday carols and a souvenir song book, face painting, a “make and take” Thomas ornament, a Carousel ride, plus a choice of arcade tokens, laser tag, or mini-golf on the Boardwalk.

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We attended last year's Holi-Day Out With Thomas and had a blast, but unfortunately we're not going to get a chance to ride Thomas this year, so I'm sharing some photos from last year's event below (I'll take any opportunity to show off photos of my kids :)    Here's a sampling of the delights in store for you:

Kids will love seeing Thomas at the front end of the train.  They'll be so excited to know that they're riding on a train pulled by their favorite Tank Engine!

(But shhhhh, don't tell the kids, the real work is done by this bad boy on the other end of the train!)

Each of the train cars is decorated with holiday greenery and lights.  

You can book a seat in a covered car or an outside car.  Don't worry, the outside cars have canopy roofs so you're still protected from the elements.  

The covered cars are as beautifully decorated on the inside as they are on the outside.  Throughout the 25-minute train ride, holiday helpers dressed in Victorian-era costumes or dressed as elves will be walking up and down the aisles, ringing bells and singing carols.  They'll hand out lyric sheets so everyone can sing along, and there's a karaoke station on one train car so your kid can sing in front of the mike!  Santa Claus will also be making the rounds, so be prepared with your camera.  Everything is so festive, your family is guaranteed to get in the holiday mood!  

Once the train ride is over (or before it begins), don't miss the other activities included in the price of your ticket: have your photo taken with Sir Topham Hatt, ride the Boardwalk Carousel, make a paper Thomas ornament, play with trains on the Thomas train tables, and enjoy a game of mini golf, laser tag or arcade games.  Plan to spend an hour or two on these activities before or after your train ride.  

If you want to get an even better idea of what you'll see and do at Holi-Day Out With Thomas, you can  check out my Holi-Day Out With Thomas post from last year for more photos and a description!  You can also visit the Holi-Day Out With Thomas website for more photos, the complete schedule, FAQs and to buy tickets (definitely buy in advance!)

I'm recommending it as a must-do holiday event if you have young kids, whether or not they are big Thomas fans (and if they are Thomas fans, it's a Double Triple Must-Do!).

Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post.  I just think it's a cool event!  The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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