Last weekend, my husband and I took our boys to Edaville Railroad, located in Carver, Massachusetts. We had never been before but judging from their website, we knew our boys would love it. From trains to dinosaurs, Edaville Railroad has it all!
SEE ALSO: The Dinosaur Place – CT and Biomes Marine Biology Center – RI
Edaville Railroad
When we first arrived at Edaville Railroad, we were greeted at the entrance by a friendly employee who directed us to the correct booth to purchase our tickets. You can purchase tickets ahead of time through their website but with little ones, you never know what’s going to happen, so I chose to purchase our tickets at the door. I was happy to see that there was absolutely no line to get in. That weekend, Edaville was running a special where they gave you $4 off each ticket for every used costume you brought in. We brought three costumes with us. For our fourth ticket, we used our AAA card to receive a $2 discount. You can visit the Edaville Railroad Facebook page for up-to-date information on any deals they are having.
Thomas the Tank Engine
As soon as we walked passed the ticket booth, we heard the sounds of a train. We all looked up and there was Thomas the Tank Engine! My boys’ eyes lit up at the sight. They had never been on a real train before and being able to ride the real Thomas was so exciting for them. At Edaville Railroad, every ticket allows you one train ride around the entire park and through the cranberry bogs. Of course, that was the first thing my boys wanted to do. The train ride was lots of fun and it gave us a chance to see everything that was in store for us for the rest of the day.
Dinoland
After our train ride, the boys wanted to visit Dinoland. Inside Dinosland you will find 23 life-size animatronic dinosaurs! We recently took the boys to The Dinosaur Place in CT, which was absolutely amazing, but these dinosaurs actually moved and made noises! As an added bonus, because we went during the month of October, all of Dinoland was covered in spooky Halloween decorations which my boys loved! They definitely jumped once or twice at the growling dinosaurs but they thought it was awesome!
Rides at Edaville Railroad
There are over 20 rides at Edaville and they are designed for parents and children to enjoy together, which we thought was great. I love sitting back and watching my boys have fun but being able to actually sit next to them and hear their laughter and see their smiles was amazing. There were also some rides that they were able to ride alone, and my husband and I did enjoy the occasional break from all the spinning. I think it’s safe to say that the favorite ride for all of us was The Bone Shaker (the only ride inside Dinoland). We laughed and laughed as the cars shook us around. I was even able to capture a short video on my phone while we were on it so I can relive the moment over and over again.
Thomas Land
Just when you think you’ve reached the end of Edaville, you come to the entrance of Thomas Land, which just opened last month! Thomas Land theme park covers 11.5 acres within Edaville and is a Top 3 Winner for Best New Amusement Park Attraction as chosen by readers of USA TODAY and 10Best! Inside Thomas Land you’ll find iconic destinations including Knapford Station and Tidmouth Sheds, as well as 11 themed rides featuring favorite characters like Cranky the Crane, Harold the Helicopter, and more! Our favorite ride inside Thomas Land was definitely Firefighting Flynn, where you stood up in the back of the firetruck and shot water through a hose to extinguish the flames in a burning building!
Dining at Edaville Railroad
At Edaville, you’ll find lots of snack stations where you can purchase things like popcorn, soft pretzels, and cotton candy. You can also grab a meal at KC’s Cafe or the Choo-Choo Barbecue. They serve the usual concession foods such as pizza, burgers, and chicken.
Pumpkins Aglow
Every Friday – Sunday night in October, you can see hundreds of Jack-O-Lanterns lit up along the trails of Dinoland! Pumpkins Aglow runs from 6pm – 10pm. Seeing Dinoland at night was definitely a completely different experience from seeing everything during the day. I would definitely recommend checking it out!
Tips
We spent 5 hours at Edaville Railroad and we still weren’t able to see everything they have to offer. 5 hours might have been enough if we didn’t go through Dinoland twice, but I’m so glad that we did. It was an amazing experience for all of us. If you’re planning on doing the same, I would say you should give yourself a good 6 hours. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes! My husband’s Fitbit said we walked an estimated 13,000 steps during the 5 hours we were there! If you head to Edaville during the summer, be sure to bring sunblock, hats, and sunglasses. If you head there in the fall, definitely wear layers and bring a jacket to throw on at night. It get’s chilly! Dinoland is pretty dark at night, even with all the pumpkins lit, so if you have little ones, I would suggest bringing glow sticks so you can keep your eye on them. I kept having to call out my boys’ names even though they were only a few feet in front of me because I couldn’t see them. Finally, bring your camera but don’t feel like you need to use it. I usually take hundreds of pictures when we’re out and about but because Edaville is set up for adults to get in on the fun with their kids, I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I usually do. You’re going to want to capture these amazing moments spent with your family but sometimes memories are better than pictures…
