Day Out With Thomas 2012 at Illinois Train Museum, Union IL

Recently the boys and I spent a Day Out With Thomas the Train at the Illinois Train Museum in Union, IL. 

This was our THIRD trip and I thought since we'd been there and done that, a few quick hours would be plenty for the boys.  But after 5 hours (all we had before we HAD to head out to get somewhere else) they were not done at all.

I wish we could have stayed longer and done more since they were still having fun but I think they got to do a lot....

There was mini golfing..which we did not once but TWICE!

And in Imaginiation Station they got to color Thomas pictures and use Thomas rubber stamps....

They got Thomas tatoos....

And got to play with Thomas train sets. (ps if you are like us and have tracks and tracks of Thomas stuff and think this wouldn't be of interested to your train lover, you'd be hugely surprised)

And we saw some of the actual train museum (and rode several of their trains besides Thomas)

But then it was FINALLY time for our train ride (you purchase a ticket for a specific ride time, ticket gets you to the museum for the entire day but you can ONLY ride on Thomas one time, at your specified time but be sure to be there early as people start lining up well before the departure time)

Someone was super excited to be ALL ABOARD!

It's official Jr Engineer! (Even put his own name on it)

There are also model train exhibits, a huge Thomas store and lots and lots of things to see within the museum.

But I'm not going to lie, my fave part, getting to sneak in a little time with my bloggy bud, Cher from MomandMore.com!!

Thomas has loaded up and headed on out of our area, but he's still making plenty more stops so check out the Day Out with Thomas Schedule to see if he's making a stop near you! 

Day Out with Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012 #Giveaway

ALL ABOARD DETECTIVES! I wanted to let you know that I have been selected to be a “Mommy Reporter” for the Day Out with Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012 event at the Illinois Railway Museum, on August 18  (Thomas will be in town August 17-19 & 25-26.)

Want to join me? Well take a look at the Day Out with Thomas Schedule and choose an event that you and your family might be interested in attending.  I will be covering the event by tweeting from there and blogging about it after, posting photos and more! Thomas the Tank Engine will also share our breaking news reports through his Twitter feed-- http://twitter.com/trueblueengine.

Learn more about the event! Pulling out of the station for its 16th consecutive ride on the rails, the Day Out with Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012 will visit more than 45 cities in the United States and Canada. Day Out With Thomas is the only place for families to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of everybody’s favorite No. 1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and hands-on arts and crafts.  Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors.   

We went last and had a great time.  See more photos and read about the fun to be had, in my post here.

Enter to win one of two Thomas Train Whistles to take with you on your Day Out with Thomas!

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Our family has been provided with complimentary event tickets for review purposes. I have not been compensated for this giveaway and all opinions expressed are my own honest personal feedback.

Day Out With Thomas 2011

Big, smelly and noisy...it's pure heaven for little boys.  Not to be stereotyping or anything but it seems boys and trains go together like peanut butter and Nutella (which is a way better combo then pb and jelly in MY opinion). 

And when it comes to trains, Thomas is a rock star.  Several years ago, we took the older boys to a Day Out with Thomas and they loved it, so when we had the chance to go back with Bryan for the first time, I knew he would be thrilled. 

When we went several years ago the boys were 2 and 3 and it was a super hot day.  We hot all the Thomas activities and saw a few other things.  This time, the weather was perfect and though we are out numbered, everyone is older so we spent more time enjoying the full train museum. 

There are tons of trains, some stationary and some not to look at.  Some of them are open to walk through.

I have to admit that some of the areas are a very tight squeeze and begin to spark my mild claustrophobic issues.  But the boys loved checking out all the different cars from the high end private sleepers to the dining cars etc.

checking out an old train car

look a private potty

If I could travel with a private room AND bathroom like this one, I might acutally see myself training it cross country. 

hangin' in the lounge car

shhh, Timmy is sleeeeping

time to eat in the dining car

We planned to arrive a little early but ended up having over and hour and half before our scheduled time to ride Thomas.  I thought Bryan might explode while waiting but we managed to keep him busy checking stuff out until it was FINALLY time to get in line...for our photo.  TIP: We get in line to get our photo before the train gets back for the time a head of us, so about 40 minutes before out time.  Got our photos and then headed over to line up.  Still waiting a half hour but having SEEN Thomas up close and personal was enough to hold my lil man for another 30 minutes for HIS turn!

You have to admit, Thomas is a pretty lovable guy.

Can you TELL how excited Bryan was to be on Thomas?!?!?!

And that is older brother is slightly less impressed but totally tolerant because he knows his brother is happy!

After we enjoyed out ride on Thomas, we ended up riding a cable car/trolley and several (3 or 4) other trains that offer rides at the museum.  While I am sure each museum is different, I highly recommend getting the most our of your day by really checking out the full museum.  The boys really loved riding all the different types of trains and talking to the different engineers who were all fabulous about answering questions and giving suggestions about other things to see and do.

We had an amazing time, and I"m so glad we went because I really enjoyed this trip so much more than our first time!

To find out more about Day Out With Thomas click here!

Disclosure: Our family was provided with a family 4 pack of tickets to check out Day Out with Thomas.  I have not been compensated for a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own honest, personal feedback!