Santa Trains, Polar Express Adventures, and Magical Holiday Lights – Let the Fun Begin. Taking a break from the often hectic holiday season means finding fun in small doses. From riding the marvelous Polar Express to enjoying miles of magical lights we have plenty of yuletide excursions to make enjoying season with family and friends more fun.
Ride the rails; walk through a fantasy land of twinkling lights; meet with Santa and Mrs. Claus; sip hot chocolate with Christmas elves; sing carols together; climb aboard the Polar Express; ride a special “Yule Train”. It’s all about having fun whether it’s a getaway for a day or an escape for a weekend, enjoying time together and making memories matters.
Here's the scoop. Assembled from reader’s suggestions and staff favorites, our list is a resource for the fun stuff. This year’s lists reveal dozens of ways to share the magic with kids.
Best Santa Trains and Holiday Lights in California. One of the best ways to slow the advance of the sometimes hectic, often crazy holiday season is narrow your focus, turn off electronic connections and live in the moment.
Best Santa Trains and Holiday Lights in Florida. From St. Augustine to Orlando and the Gulf Coast the holiday season sparkles. Even with sunshine and palm trees swaying in the breeze storybook travel is pure fun and during the winter months Florida destinations adorn trees with twinkling lights and excursion trains run just for fun. 
Best Santa Trains and Holiday Lights in Texas. Throughout Texas magical holiday lights and pretend journeys to the North Pole provide families with great ways to make memories.
Holiday Lights and Santa Trains in Ohio – Yuletide Family Adventures. From riding the marvelous Polar Express to enjoying miles of magical lights we have plenty of yuletide excursions in Ohio to make enjoying season with family and friends more fun.
Holiday Trains in England, Scotland and Wales Make Celebrating Easy. Storybook travel is pure fun and during the winter months traditional “Santa Trains,” make enjoying Christmas even better. From Scotland and Wales to the Midlands taking a train with the kids is more fun than ever.
Northeast US, Santa Trains and Holiday Lights. Storybook travel is pure fun and during the winter months traditional “Santa Trains,” make enjoying Christmas even better. From New Hampshire and Vermont to Maine and New York pretend journeys to the North Pole are more fun than ever.
Holiday Lights in Virginia - Create Your Own Family Traditions. The magic of the holiday season is set to sparkle across Virginia with Christmas light displays offering countless memory making possibilities for families. From miles of lights along the Boardwalk on Virginia Beach to the magic of Alexandria, celebrating is in the air.
Southeast US, Santa Trains and Holiday Lights. Looking for a quick, fun holiday family adventure? Find a train and climb aboard. From Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia to South Carolina and Arkansas storybook travel is pure fun, and during the winter months traditional “Santa Trains,” and miles of twinkling lights make enjoying Christmas even better.
Great Lakes US, Santa Trains and Holiday Lights. Looking for a quick, fun holiday family adventure? Find a train and climb aboard. From pretend journeys to the North Pole on the Polar Express to miles of magical lights share the joy and magic of the season with your kids.
Southwest US, Santa Trains and Holiday Lights in Arizona & New Mexico. Need a mini break, something easy and fun to do with your kids? During the winter months traditional “Santa Trains,” provide quick, easy fun.
Rocky Mountain States Santa Trains and Holiday Lights. Looking for a mini break which includes fun for the whole family? Featured below you will find our favorite train excursions for families. From pretend journeys to the North Pole on the Polar Express to miles of magical lights share the joy and magic of the season with your kids.
Pacific Northwest, Santa Trains and Holiday Lights. Featured below you will find our favorite train excursions for families from Washington and Oregon to California it’s all about doing the fun stuff with your kids. From pretend journeys to the North Pole on the Polar Express to miles of magical lights share the joy and magic of the season with your kids.
To expand the list for the future, we encourage you to “Tell Mom” about your own family’s favorite festival or fall getaway and to browse our Festivals and Events folder for even more ideas.
About the book, The Polar Express. 
On Christmas Eve, a boy boards the mysterious train bound for the North Pole. During the story Santa gives the boy a bell from the harness of the reindeer. On the way home, the bell is lost but in the morning the boy finds the bell under the tree. While his mother thinks the bell is broken, he knows it is not but only true believers can hear the sound of the bell. The book received the prestigious Caldecott Award. More great reads by Van Allsburg. Other delightful stories include
Two Bad Ants, Ben’s Dream, and
The Wreck of the Zephyr and
Jumanji which became a movie starring Robin Williams. More details at
www.polarexpress.com and
www.chrisvanallsburg.com Content researched and posted by Nancy Nelson-Duac, Curator of the Good Stuff for the Family Travel Files. Images courtesty Virginia Beach, Verde Canyon Railway, Rusk Palatine Railway and Connecticut Railway Museum. Copyright updated 2016.