On the weekend of June 16th my family and I took a trip to Strasburg, PA. My littlest Jace loves Thomas The Tank Engine and both of the bigger boys still play with their wooden railway. (The big Guy my husband has started on the HO Trains ~ so it is all ages with my family.) The Choo Choo Barn is located in a strip of stores, you can’t miss this plaza because there is a wooden train outside! I was so excited to bring the boys there this time around. We’ve gone several times over the years but now that they are bigger I knew they would appreciate the attraction.
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| The boys ready for the fun! |
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| Jace sees Thomas! |
The Choo Choo Barn is the home of a 1700 sq foot model train layout. There is running water, mountains and even a circus. We had so much fun walking the exhibit and pointing out all the different scenes and things. In fact we walked it twice (slowly) to absorb it all. Jace was even into it because he got to see Thomas!
Additional Information:
Since 1961, people across the country and around the world have come to visit a truly unique attraction…the Choo Choo Barn — Traintown U.S.A.®! Our 1,700 square foot train layout features over 150 hand-built animated figures and vehicles and 22 operating trains…we guarantee the Choo Choo Barn is like nothing you’ve ever seen!
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| Real Fish are part of the exhibit! |
We really enjoyed our time at the Choo Choo Barn! The boys were curious about the mechanics so we visited the website for additional information. The Choo Choo Barn set up a FAQ page to share some answers to commonly answered questions! I love reading the history on their site telling how the family started the train layout in their basement and then went onto having the attraction.
- Austin’s favorite part: “I like the mountains. Where they take the people up the ski slopes!”
- Xander’s favorite part: “I like the real goldfish that were in the lakes!”
- Jace’s favorite part: “HA” – translation: “Thomas!” (thats what he calls him).
- My favorite part: I loved the fire scene. You really have to watch to see all that happens. There is a real fire and the firemen even come to the rescue!! So cool!
You can find additional information at Choochoobarn.com as well as on Facebook. While your visiting don’t forget to go upstairs to Thomas’ Trackside Station. (This has been a favorite store for my kids for YEARS!) It is entirely devoted to the little blue engine! There is also Strasburg Train Shop for those interested in starting your own model train set.
