Ohio Christmas Train Displays – Excerpt from a past edition of OhioTraveler
EnterTRAINment Junction, location of the world’s largest indoor train display, offers a separate, FREE, holiday train display throughout December just inside its doors.
The seasonal celebration creates a holiday glow families will never forget with, among other things, lights and decorations, holiday music, some free Christmas train layouts, a re-telling of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol and a memorable journey to the North Pole to see Santa and his workshop. The best part – it’s all inside!…so no cold or miserable winter weather for families to endure. It’s all part of the total entertainment experience awaiting children, teens, parents and grandparents at the ONLY train-themed entertainment center on the planet, with 80,000 square feet of holiday fun all under one roof, although the main train display requires admission.
There is so much to see and do at the Christmas At EnterTRAINment Junction. First, visitors enter EnterTRAINment Junction’s beautiful 1930s-era Main Street cityscape, all decked out in a warm ambiance of holiday lights, Christmas trees, wreaths, gift packages, colorful bunting and more. Carolers will perform periodically. Main Street also has a sidewalk café, gift shop and several party rooms for special events.
Just off Main Street is the FREE Holiday Trains display in the Expo Center. Here visitors will find three unique train layouts, including a Lionel train display originally exhibited at the popular Children’s Museum in Indianapolis. There is also a G-scale (large-scale) train display featuring the ever-popular Dept. 56 buildings and villages. Plus, a third train display (also G-scale) is set against a beautiful winter wonderland backdrop and was created by members of the Greater Cincinnati Garden Railway Society.
Also off Main Street is the brand new Junction Hobbies just in time for great holiday shopping! Trains, Thomas and toys greet visitors to this large (5,000 square feet) retail store offering thousands of top- of-the-line products and supplies from the biggest names in the hobby industry. Shoppers will find, among other things, G-scale and HO scale trains and accessories along with the Midwest’s largest selection of doll houses and miniatures, a huge selection of the ever-popular Thomas The Train merchandise, PLAYMOBIL products and much more.
Main Street, the Expo Center Holiday Trains and the new Junction Hobbies store are all FREE to the public.
Don’t miss the Christmas Journey.
Christmas Journey is actually two holiday “journeys” or “walk- through” experiences for families sharing the good times of Christmas past.
A Christmas Carol transports visitors to the time of Charles Dickens where they become part of his classic holiday story in this interactive journey, featuring period holiday music, theatrical lighting and decor of the season. Authentic period costumes, memorable characters, and beautiful decorations all greet visitors as they experience the enduring tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim in a way not seen before.
Visitors are immersed into the heart of Victorian England as they enter Scrooge’s musty manor house. Here they are met by period- costumed guides who act as storytellers on an adventure through Dickens’ tale. The guides play multi-parts in this updated version of the story, and at times even get the guests involved in the action.
Along the journey, which takes 8-10 minutes, visitors experience London of the early 1800s, with alleyways, wrought iron fencing and flickering gas lights. During the journey guests are visited by Jacob Marley, as well as the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future (presented in a unique, fun and unexpected fashion), as they wind their way through Scrooge’s counting house, Bob Cratchit’s home, and a cemetery with weeping willows.
Then, it’s off to Journey To The North Pole as visitors become wrapped in an amazing winter wonderland as they embark on a memorable family voyage through snowy landscapes and frosted ice caves on the way to the North Pole and Santa’s Village. Along the way they encounter a vortex of snow and an Evergreen forest with animated animals. Finally, visitors arrive at an imaginative North Pole village with a post office, a sleigh house, a reindeer barn and an elves’ workshop where Santa’s helpers are busy making toys. At last visitors discover Santa’s House, all trimmed in holiday colors and lights. Inside they meet Mrs. Claus, who has been baking all day and offers children a fresh cookie. Then, down the hall and into a study, there he is – jolly ol’ Santa himself, who is awaiting children to listen to what they want for Christmas.
The award-winning EnterTRAINment Junction is home to the world’s largest indoor model train display (25,000 square feet, 90 trains, two miles of track), a giant kids’ interactive play area, the American Railroading Museum, an expo center and seasonal walk- throughs decorated for the holidays.
EnterTRAINment Junction is located at 7379 Squire Court in West Chester, Ohio off I-75 at the Tylersville Rd. exit (#22). For more information, call (513) 898-8000, or (877) 898-4656 or visit www.entertrainmentjunction.com for hours and costs.
Admission to Old West Pumpkin Fest at Rockin R Ranch starts at $12/person.
Admission to Spooky Ranch at Rockin R Ranch starts at $22/person.
Admission to Rhythm On The River is free.
Admission to Lebanon Horse Drawn Carriage Parade & Christmas Festival is free.