By Guest Contributor Julianne Strano
As we arrived at the Edaville USA parking lot, we were excited to see Thomas the Train as he chugged on by blowing his whistle. My 6 ½ year old son is a train enthusiast and was immediately in his element. My 3 year old daughter was equally entertained! I had no idea that when we were planning our visit to Thomas Land that the charm of Edaville USA would also be part of the package.
Upon entering the park, our first stop was at the “Catch A Fish” station. It was included in admission. The children were each handed poles with hot dogs affixed to their hooks. My children had never been fishing before. They were excited to cast their rods, into the pond, as the fish peeked out from the lily pads and feverishly nibbled on the hot dogs and dragon flies flew over head.
Our next stop was at Cran Central Junction gift shop. They both chose conductor hats as their souvenirs to sport for the day, along with their Day Out With Thomas tee shirts they were wearing. The hats were reasonably priced, just under $10 a piece.
For Breastfeeding Mamas: In this building, there was a nursing mother’s private room.
Upstairs there were several kiddie rides and a cranberry bog ball pit that my children romped through. There were train tables inside equipped with only one train each. I would think it would be fun to bring a train or two from home, labeled with my children’s names, to guarantee play at the tables next time.
The main attraction was the 20 minute Thomas the Train ride that departed the station every ½ hour. Thomas tunes played as we rode along. My son excitedly yelled out each time he recognized a familiar train in Thomas Land, as we rode around the perimeter of the park. “There’s Toby…” “There’s Cranky the Crane!” We took advantage of a photo op in front of Thomas, after we returned back to the station.
It felt as if we were stepping into the pages of a familiar storybook onto the Island of Sodor, as we approached Thomas Land.
Knapford Station Gifts Co. Toys and Collectibles sold Thomas themed shirts, hats, whistles, and had train tables to play at. Thomas songs were piping over Thomas Land. My son belted out “Blue Mountain Mystery” as we walked along.
The whole family enjoyed spinning in circles until we were dizzy on Toby’s Tilting Tracks. My son most enjoyed Cranky’s Crane Drop and the Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster. Cranky’s Crane dropped in a free fall feeling that gave butterflies in our stomachs. He rode both rides repeatedly. My daughter’s favorites were posing with the real life replicas of the trains and riding the Rocking Bulstrode ship repeatedly. Fire Fighting Flynn was different than most rides I’ve ever seen, as it was a real water shooting experience for the family. There were rides and attractions that kept them both very entertained.
Edaville USA had many kiddie train/transportation rides and attractions to easily fill our day. After riding the Spinning Lady Bug Coaster, my son exclaimed, “that was the best ride of my whole entire life!”
We also walked through the Dino Land that had motion activated dinos with smoke and sounds. It was a little scary for my two, but definitely interesting.
After a day of great railroad fun, my children saw Thomas as he headed back to his shed for the night. My son actually cried saying good-bye to Thomas. He’s already begging me to return this holiday season. On our way out of the park that night at closing time, both of my children wanted to feed the fish a hot dog!
Park Address:
Edaville USA
5 Pine Street Carver, MA 02330
Parking is free!
Tickets are $29 per person, under 2 is free.
Go to Edaville’s website for more info.
Thank you to Edaville for providing complimentary admission in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was received.
Jackie w says
Both of my children, 6 & 3 years old are major Thomas enthusiasts. My husband and I are considering traveling from NW Illinois to Edaville for a family vacation. Is it worth the 18 hour drive? We have done Day out with Thomas at 2 different locations near us.
John Frum says
Went late in the season and I would say Thomas Land is worth a 18,000 hour drive. 100’s of times better than a Day out with Thomas.