Activities Close to Home: Kentucky Railway Museum

Today is Day 4 of my "Activities Close to Home" series.  Click one of the links below for Days 1-3 if you missed them:

• Day 1:  Louisville Zoo
• Day 2:  Mammoth Cave
• Day 3:  Newport Aquarium

We based our outings on the following criteria:

• Distance from our house (had to be within a 2 hour driving distance)
• Family friendliness
• Cheapness

The Kentucky Railway Museum is somewhere over an hour away from our home in Lexington.  I checked out their website (http://www.kyrail.org/ ) to find out what kind of train rides they have and found out they only run on certain days of the week.  They have lots of great ideas for train excursions, including a Day Out with Thomas the Train that they do every year.  My kids are starting to get a little old for that, so we settled on a train excursion that included an old time train robbery (any money collected is actually for charity).  Before heading out on the train, we had time to check out some old trains and a very small museum they had on the premises.

This last one sure had a rough life!

When it was time to line up and board the train something had happened to prevent us from getting on at the right time.  It was a hot day, and finally after standing out in the hot sun, it was a nice surprise to get in the train car and get hit with some nice, refreshing air-conditioning.

We got out of the small town of New Haven quickly and started to see some nice country and some houses here and there.  On the way, there were people dressed up in period clothing, talking to the passengers and having a good time with everyone.  We stopped at a small store halfway through so the train could go and get turned around and everyone could enjoy some refreshments.   The kids were starting to get antsy about seeing some robbers by this time!  We hopped back on the train, picking a different train car since each were a little different.  The kids were staring out the window (very dingy and hard to see out of windows), waiting for what promised to be a crazy time!

Finally, there were some loud popping outside!  It was showtime! (Sorry for the following photo, this is the best I could get out of the windows).

The robbers came in and started demanding money (though they very quickly mentioned it was actually going to a certain charity).  The kids had their dollars ready to give.  It was a good little show and made the train ride that was special in itself even more so.

If you happen to be close to Bardstown, you should definitely head on over to New Haven and ride a train through the country!  There are different events throughout the year, including:

• Train Robbery
• Day out with Thomas the Train
• Christmas Train
• Mystery Theatre
• Dining

The trains are old and are in need of some repair, but it is a great way to go back in time and enjoy a day out with the family!

Kentucky Railway Museum Pros:

• Not many places offer train rides that really take you back in time!
• Different events throughout the year.
• Air conditioned, great during the summer months!

Kentucky Railway Museum Cons:

• Train cars need some renovating.
• Windows are a little tough to see out of.
• Museum in the station was a lot smaller than expected.

 Kentucky Railway Museum Tips:

• If you are going in the hot summer months and not doing the dining event, bring some snacks and water.
• Check online at http://www.kyrail.org/ for dates and times the trains are heading out.