If you're looking for something fun to do with your kids this summer Tweetsie Railroad is the perfect place! It's only about 2 hours away so you can easily make a day trip out of it (or if you choose to stay there are great places in the Blowing Rock/Boone area with lots of other attractions as well). Tweetsie Railroad is a Wild West theme park with two vintage steam locomotives for a thrilling Wild West adventure including cowboys, indians and bandits! There are plenty of rides (3 separate sections for different ages), live entertainment (magic shows, clogging, and musical shows for kids), and places to eat and shop. It has a great family-friendly atmosphere with lots and lots to do amid the beautiful backdrop of the Blue Ridge mountains.
We took our 3 kids, ages 7, 4 and 10 months, packed up our gear (snacks, drinks and sunscreen) and headed out for our adventure. We also brought cap pistols and cowboy hats for the train ride (the kids loved getting involved in the live action drama) but you can also purchase these items at the Tweetsie General Store as soon as you enter the park (we bought these items at the park on our first visit and paid a slight premium as a result, however the quality was better than what we could purchase locally). The first thing we did was ride the train, of course, it's whistle and puffing steam engine is the first thing you see and hear upon entering the park and it is so exciting! The train ride only lasts about 30 minutes and stops along the way as the cowboys and bandits entertain you and the kids (I recommend sitting on the far side of the train when you enter the car as that's where the action will take place). Once we returned back to the platform we were ready for some more fun (but you can take as many trips on the train as you would like during your visit)! The kids wanted to ride the rides and run wild! Since we got caught in traffic on the way (there is lots of construction as they widen 321, especially right at Blowing Rock) we headed for lunch first. You can bring a cooler with snacks and lunch (although I wouldn't recommend carrying your cooler around with you, there's a lot of walking) but we opted for eating at the Feed & Seed. It's just past the train up on the hill and it has the widest selection of food at the park. The kids each got a kid's meal in a souvenir Tweetsie Railroad lunch box and drink. The adult menu has various things like chicken fingers, BBQ and pizza but they do have a salad! Once our tummies were full we headed up the Chair Lift to Miner's Mountain which gives you a great view of the whole park. It's slow and easy to get on and off but if heights isn't your thing or you have a stroller I would recommend using the walking trail (up and to the right) or ride the Tweetsie bus (up and off to the left). As my husband took the big kids up the chair lift I opted to ride the bus up with the baby but took the walking trail back down as we toured other areas of the park. There are 5 distinct areas of the park. The Main Street with shops, snacks and train platform. Next level is the Tweetsie Junction with the Pavilion Theater, more shops and places to eat, and the Tweetsie Palace Saloon. Then over to the right is the County Fair area with arcade, rides for younger children including the ferris wheel, carousel and tilt-a-whirl. And just above that are rides for older children including the free fall. After taking the chair lift (or walking or riding the bus) you will be at the top of the park at Miner's Mountain which has the Deer Park, Gold Panning and Gem Mining and rides for younger kids (boat, plane and twister rides). There are also snacks, a playground and small train called the Mouse Mine. You can also see magic and music shows for kids at the Miner's Mt. Theater. Please note that the Deer Park, Gold Panning and Gem Mining cost extra. My seven year old really surprised me he rode just about everything! He rode the Free Fall, the Tornado, the Ferris Wheel and the Twister but the Tilt-A-Whirl was his favorite and rode it over and over again! My 4 year old even loved it! We rode all of the rides, multiple times, and it was easy to get around.
Needless to say the kids had a great time and we loved watching them enjoy themselves in a great, positive, family-friendly environment. Everyone at the park was friendly and helpful and we had a wonderful, memory-filled time at Tweetsie Railroad.
The park is not open year round so please check their website for hours. They are open 7 days a week during the summer months (while school is out) but only on the weekend in the spring a fall. They also have great special events like A Day Out with Thomas the Train, Meet Dora the Explorer & Diego, July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza, Meet Spongebob Squarepants & Patrick, Riders in the Sky, Railroad Heritage Weekend and the Ghost Train Halloween Festival in the fall.
You can find Tweetsie on Facebook, Twittter, You Tube and sign up for their email so you have the inside scoop on up coming events! We are so thrilled to have 4 tickets to give away to one lucky family for a fun day at Tweetsie.
Winners must be SCMK subscribers and will be selected at random, winner will be notified via email and will have a limited amount of time to claim the prize. For full rules check out this link.
