The Grand Canyon Railway
There is just something about the combination of Christmas and trains that speaks to my nostalgic side. When I was little my grandmother had a really old, really authentic train set that was made out of, like, iron or something. She’d set it up under the Christmas tree every year and it would weave its way around the stacks of presents (I was spoiled), making its distinctive “clack clack clack” sound that became the background sound of just about every Christmas of my childhood.
Years (ahem, an undisclosed number of them) passed.
Then, the movie “The Polar Express” came out back in 2004, and revitalized the obsession with Christmas trains in small children everywhere. To the excitement and joy of Arizona children, the Grand Canyon Railway established their own Christmas tradition with their version of The Polar Express.
The steam engine used for the Polar Express.
You have GOT to check this out, especially if you have small children. And even if you don’t, grown-ups will LOVE the opportunity to re-live the wonder of Christmas that we used to have as kids, that somehow leaves us when we attain adulthood. A train, all decked out for the holidays, departs from the station in Williams, Arizona every day from November 13th through January 9th (excluding December 25th and 31st, and January 4th through 7th), and heads on up to the “North Pole” (which would be the Grand Canyon, naturally!). Enjoy cookies and hot chocolate as the train chugs down the track, and listen to a Christmas story. The children will be thrilled to be greeted by Santa and his reindeer upon reaching the North Pole! Then Santa will board the train and give each child their very own special gift.
There is a 6:30 p.m. train and an 8:00 p.m. train. Adults tickets are $29 each, and children ages 2 – 15 are $14 Sunday through Thursday in November and all of January, and $19 weekends in November and all of December. “The Christmas Eve Limited”, an extra special occasion for all that includes food, beverages and presents, is $58 for adults and $38 for children.
Make it your own Christmas tradition to ride the Polar Express every year!
Photo Credits (in order of appearance):
- “Grand Canyon train arriving at Williams” by Cloud Soup on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “Steam Train” by Sheila Ellen on Flickr Creative Commons.
