Everything Trains at EnterTRAINment Junction

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know how much my kids love trains.

And, for a train-obsessed kid, the sudden post-holiday trainlessness can be rough! That’s when EnterTRAINment Junction enters the picture.

Located off 1-75 in West Chester, EnterTRAINment Junction holds the title as the world’s largest indoor train display. It’s 25,000 square feet of model trains (that’s half a football field), and includes over 2 miles of track, 90 G-scale locomotives and 1,000 cars.

There’s also a kids’ play area, railroad museum, Expo Center, approximately 1,346 train tables and the famed A-Maze-N FunHouse. (To be honest, the Fun House is best suited for older kids — the mirrors and mazes totally spooked my younger crew!)

As you enter the display, be sure grab a stool so your shorter kids can get a good look at everything. There are buttons galore, and kids will love pressing each and every one of them.

The layout includes railroading’s Early Period (1860’s through the 1900’s), Middle Period (1940’s to 1950’s) and Modern Period (1970’s to the present). So it’s basically an interactive, kid friendly museum! In other words — it’s educational.

There are hand-crafted cities and towns, filled with intricately designed buildings like saw mills and factories. Thousands of trees fill forests and logging camps while huge bridges span vast valleys. You’ll see plateaus, tunnels, trolley cars and fast-traveling subway trains. All the little, tiny details are incredible.

Julian loves the cities with construction trucks — oil derricks, large cranes, forklifts, everytruckimaginable.

It’s dark in the display areas — the “sun” comes up and down as you walk through, which makes for a fun experience (but a difficult place to photograph!).

My favorite area is Coney Island. Located on the second floor, this display features real working rides such as the Shooting Star roller coaster, Lost River, Ferris Wheel, Flying Rockets, Sky Ride, Lake Como train ride and Carousel. The twinkling lights and zooming coasters make me nostalgic for Coney Island!

If all of this sounds a little intimidating for your preschooler: there’s also Thomas. Lots of Thomas. In fact, right now, EnterTRAINment Junction is featuring their Everything Thomas event, with extra Thomas train layouts, videos, scavenger hunts and crafts highlighting everyone’s favorite cheeky little blue train. (We have been reading the original Thomas stories a lot lately, hence the “cheeky.”)

EnterTRAINment Junction is located at 7379 Squire Ct., West Chester, OH 45069. Tickets are $13.95 for adults, $9.95 for kids 3-12 and free for kids 2 and under. You can pre-purchase tickets online for a discount, and I also recommend checking Living Social/Groupon for coupons before you go.

 

 

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