Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the Polar Express train rides popping up all around the country around Christmas. There are a couple around here, but the one we’ve personally heard the one about most is the Great Smoky Railroad’s Polar Express in Bryson City North Carolina.
We’ve had several friends go and really enjoy it, so we were eager to take our two girls once the youngest was older (she’s now three). We did however, balk slightly at the price.
For our family of four, tickets alone were a bit over $200. That didn’t include the fact that we’d need to get a hotel, as the train station was over 4 hours away, and not an easy day trip with two kids.
But…as I’ve mentioned before I’m a former elementary school teacher. Chris Van Allsburg just happens to be my favorite children’s author and Polar Express one of my favorite books of his. I also enjoyed the movie and watch it every year with my girls, usually several times. So this was high on my list of things to experience with my family.
I managed to convince my husband it was worth the price and we booked our tickets in October. Despite my excitement over our adventure it remained to be seen if this pricey investment was truly worth the money.
Our visit to the Great Smoky Mountain’s Polar Express in Bryson City.
When booking tickets you have several choices. There were several options, basically, first class, crown, and coach. We had hoped to get First class, as we’d heard it was worth the extra money, but I waited too long to book and it was all booked up (more on that later). We were able to get tickets in the crown class, which was the sort of middle package.
Since it was a bit of a drive, we decided to turn the trip into a long weekend. We booked a hotel in Asheville, which was only about an hour from Bryson City and had tons of things to do with the kids.
Our tickets were for Sunday night (again, because I waited too long), so we left Friday and spent the weekend in Asheville. We visited the A..M.O.S museum, Western NC nature center and spent a lot of time in the hotel pool! If you’ve never been to Asheville, I recommend it, especially with kids, because there is so much to do! We could’ve easily extended our trip with other activities but had to return to work and school, so we made due with a weekend.
We were all most excited for the Polar Express though. So Sunday afternoon we dressed the girls in their adorable Christmas jammies (loveeee some Matilda Jane), and headed up the mountain to the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.
We got there slightly early, but in hindsight would’ve gotten there much sooner.
It turns out the town of Bryson City is adorable at Christmas. We’re talking Hallmark movie level cute! All the local shops are decorated and there are Christmas lights everywhere. There were tons of stores and restaurants to check out. I wish we had planned to spend the afternoon there before the ride because I would’ve loved to explore!
It was recommended to get there a little early so we did arrive about an hour before. Finding where to park,and where to pick up tickets was slightly confusing and we drove in circles for awhile. It was a little hard to find at night as was parking. But we finally succeeded, grabbed our Golden Tickets, and set out to explore!
Despite our delay, we did get there early enough to take advantage of some of the other things they had set up for Polar Express visitors.
There was a musician playing banjo behind the train depot, ever so reminiscent of the scene in the Polar Express movie with the hobo.
Photo opps were set up all around the town!
There was a tent in right before the train museum that was playing the Polar Express on a projector screen. There were nice warm heaters inside that were a welcome break from the cold.
There were also some vendors with delicious foods set up near-by. We got some delicious cinnamon roll flavored popcorn that we were able to take on the train. It was so good!!
When we heard the train start to roll up we headed out to find our stop. It was a bit of a trek back to where our train car was, but it was fun to look at the decorated cars and listen music and to the jingling of bells as the groups before us unloaded.
We were seated the back of the train and had plenty of room. The seats were cozy and a little Polar Express napkin sat atop each one. The energy on the train was palpable. All the kids were so excited! There were more than a few super excited adults too.
As soon as the train took off our adventure began with song and dance and hot chocolate! Each train car had a conductor and chef on board, and they danced in the aisles and sang along to the famous hot chocolate song from the movie.
As they started to pass out the hot chocolate another conductor came around and punched holes in the girls tickets. He did not punch a word into the tickets like in the movie, rather a straight line. Still the girls loved that their tickets had been punched!
Our hot chocolate was delicious but slightly warm for the girls. We instantly wished we had a table as my husband and I ended up with our hands full the moment the cups arrived. But, y’all…. I’m not sure if it was being on the Polar Express and getting swept up in the Christmas cheer, but that hot chocolate was the best hot chocolate I’ve had in my life!
It came in a cute souvenir cup with a lid. We were thankful for that lid, because without it we surely would’ve been covered in hot chocolate. The cups are kind of awesome and have become our staple hot chocolate cups at home.
We then had a visit from the self proclaimed “proud owner of the train,” who I presume to be the hobo from the movie. He shared a brief speech reminding us that sometimes the most real things in this world are the things we can’t see.
Afterwards we arrived at the North Pole and the conductor pointed out important sites as we rode by. There was the stable with reindeer in their stalls, Mr. & Mrs. Claus’ house, the church were they were married, the elf shop and more.
Truth be told, I don’t think my eldest bought any of this part for a second. While they had strewn up Christmas lights, it was clearly just an area of the town and some of the buildings just decorated. This part was unfortunately a bit under-whelming.
On the way back, they read us the story of the Polar Express and the chef walked up and down the isles with a large picture book. Afterwards, we sang Christmas carols until the true magic of the night happened and Santa appeared.
I must admit, this is one of the more convincing Santa’s I’ve ever seen. He stopped to chat with each child, posed for a picture and gave them each a silver bell from “his reindeer harness.” My girls were elated and pretty convinced he was the “real one.”
Then the train owner stopped by for a chat once more and stopped to pose for pictures. We had a rousing round of “Jingle Bells” which our new sleigh bells and just like that, the ride was over.
After the train ride, we popped in the train museum and admired the hundreds of toy trains and model train cars they had. The trains they had set up on display were so realistic. It appeared great care had gone into setting up the scenes around the trains.
The train shop ended in a gift museum which was a little daunting with small kids. I’d have preferred to skip it, but did find some cute ornaments that made great keepsakes for the Christmas tree.
By the time this was all done it was pushing 9 and the shops were mostly closed. We walked around a bit and took advantage of some of the other photo ops.
However, the excitement of the day was wearing down and we had two tired little girls so we headed back to the hotel. We did however, find ourselves still feeling quite festive and we sang Christmas carols the whole way home. It was truly an enjoyable evening where we made lots of sweet holiday memories.
But… Was it worth it?
Pros:
The Santa is amazing.
I mean, this guy even had me convinced. He was really the most authentic Santa I’ve seen. He was also really sweet with the kids and even though I know he was super rushed, took the time to ask them each what they wanted.
You get an instant Christmas cheer boost.
Like I said, we literally left still singing Christmas carols. Something about being surrounded by that much Christmas wonder and joy could bring Christmas cheer to even the biggest of Grinches!
The hot chocolate is delicious!
Legit – Uh-mazing I mean for all I know it was good old Swiss Miss but if so, the spirit of Christmas must have been the magic ingredient! I wish I had a cup just thinking about it!
You get cute souvenirs.
The cups and bells are just extra perks to the ride. They get to go home with you. Like I said, we use the cups still. My girls were actually playing with the bells this morning.
You have the option to buy pictures with Santa, but you’re also allowed to take your own. I did ours and they turned out super cute.
Cons:
You need to book FAR in advance if you want a weekend night.
We had originally planned on this being a one night excursion. I booked our trip in October and thought that would be plenty of time in advance.
Nope!!
All the weekend night tickets had been sold, and the best I could get was Sunday night, which meant my kids would have to miss a day of school. Not ideal, but not a deal breaker. I’m okay with an occasional skip day if there’s family bonding involved.
Still, I now know. If you want to get a weekend evening, plan on booking far in advance.
Ticket Price
Again, this was pretty pricey. I believe children’s tickets start somewhere around $30 each and adults $45(ticket info is not currently available on the website). This is for the lowest “class” travel as well.
Like I’d mentioned before, we got the middle of the road class and paid $43 per kid and $58 per adult. Opting for First Class raises that price quite a bit again.
The prices are comparable for a day at Carowinds or Tweetsie, but, it’s a one hour experience versus a whole day. Looking at it that way, the price is a bit daunting.
Not quite as elaborate as I’d imagined.
I’ll be honest, I had high expectations based on the theatrics in the Polar Express movie. But I wasn’t expecting back flips in the aisle.
The cast members we encountered were all super nice, but there were clearly some more into their roles than others. I suspect this may have been a different experience in First Class.
Other things which I expected to have more flair included the conductor punching the tickets. I know he’s got like a million to punch a night, but couldn’t there be a little fun involved with that?
These are sort of silly details, but at premium prices I expect a premium experience.
Which brings me to my next point
Christmas lights on the train ride are pretty sparse
We live near a huge light Festival at a park called Tanglewood. So this may have made my expectations a bit high, but I’d expected to see lights all along the ride. This doesn’t exactly truly represent the book though, so I may be a little of here. But I’d expected something to sort of jazz up the dark night outside. There were probably more lights around the town of Bryson City than on the entirety of the trip.
The Take-away:
Was it expensive? Yes. Over-priced? Maybe. Worth it? Absolutely.
Would we visit the Polar Express in Bryson City again? Maybe.
I would like to check out the other Polar Express options close to me. Though we enjoyed it, and the smiles on my girls faces were worth every penny, I’m not convinced we got the most bang for our buck. When you drop $200 for a little over an hour long experience you should have high expectations. While a lot of those were met, some were lacking. I do believe that had we gotten in first class, our experience may have been a little different.
That being said, the experience through the eyes of my girls was PRICELESS. They smiled and squealed with joy and sang their little hearts out. It truly did bring out the magic of the season. I do feel like we’ll be visiting the Polar Express again, but not sure how soon we’ll make it back to Bryson City. When we do though, there are a few things I’d do differently this time. Here are a few things I learned that may help you if you’re planning your own trip.
Tips for visiting the Polar Express in Bryson City
1.Buy your tickets EARLY!
I’m not sure when they start taking reservations but I know you call now and get placed on a wait list for your preferred visit date. The number is 800-872-4681.
2. Get to town early
Like I mentioned earlier. Bryson City is such a cute town! I would recommend getting there early just to shop and eat! I’m sure there is so much we didn’t even get a chance to see because we didn’t arrive early enough.
3. Book First Class
To the best of my memory it is about a $15 increase per ticket from Crown Class. However, I think it might be a better experience. It says on the site there are several perks but I alsoI feel like this is where they are going to assign their best actors, and have the nicest accommodations. While we were certainly comfortable and the train car was cute, we weren’t sitting in the lap of luxury.
4. At the very least get tables!
The class we booked did not have tables. Big Mistake!! For most of the ride my husband and I had to hold 2 hot chocolates, at least one cookie, and sometimes a kid. A table to set stuff on sure would’ve been nice.
5. Possibly book during the day?
My husband and I are divided on this. He was disappointed not to be able to see much outside the train windows. However, part of the appeal of the ride was the Christmas lights. While I was disappointed because I expected there to be more lights, but I had only pictured the ride at night.
He wants to do the next one during the day so you can see everything outside as well.
6. Eat before
Our ride time easily accommodated dinner before, but I noticed there were some that were mid-meal times or later at night.
There are alot of vendors around the train and you are allowed to bring their products on the train. They are a bit pricey though and if you come hungry you’re likely to over do it.
Plus, if you’re traveling with small kids like us, you know that even the sweetest of kids can easily morph into MONSTERS when they are hungry.
So prepare in advance!
7. Use the bathroom before.
Thankfully, we also remembered this one. It’s a good thing too because the bathrooms on the train looked TINY. I’m not sure there was room for me to accompany my toddler who was in the throes of potty training at the time. I am so glad no one had to potty on the train!
8. Bring the Polar Express book
This is one I actually remembered and then forgot. I brought the book with us on the trip but then left it in the hotel when we took off for the actual train ride.
They do show the pictures as they read in a rather large picture book, but it’s still hard for everyone to see. Even though we’ve read it many times, it would still be nice to follow along as they read.
9. Wear the dang pajamas, Mama!
I was worried my husband and I would be the only adults wearing pajamas, so we both wore regular clothes.
First of all, it was stupid of me to care. Second of all, pratically all the adults were wearing pajamas.
Next time, I’m buying matching family pjs, not just for my girls!
10. Bring the big camera!
I have a nice DSLR, but I didn’t want to lug it around. My camera phone is pretty good, but I wish so badly I’d just gone to the trouble of bringing my bigger camera. I think I could have captured some amazing shots with it.
Camera phones auto focus is the pits!
Other than that my only advice is soak it up! They are only this little once, and it’s memories like these that mean the most. The magic of childhood is a beautiful thing, both experiencing it, and reliving it through your own child.
For more travel tips and ideas for places to vacation with kids, be sure to check out my travel page. And don’t forget to Pin this for later!
