Strasburg Rail Road is a great favorite of Daily Vacationer Jr's. Every time we find ourselves back there again, we are immediately reminded of all the great times we had there when we were young. Some things haven't changed at all: the excitement of the train coming into the station, the old coach cars with sliding seats so you can always face forwards (or backwards if you wish), and the beautiful scenery of the Amish farmland out both sides of the train car. And some things have changed a lot: the new fun extras to play with and ride on at the station, yummy choices at the Trackside Café, and all the souvenirs, toys, and books a train lover could wish for at the gift shops!
It's always an exciting experience to be at Strasburg Rail Road, but riding with the Easter Bunny over the holiday weekend makes it even better. The station was full of excited families - kids in engineer hats, parents carrying train tickets, and grandparents capturing it all on video camera. The mood was infectious, and everyone got a little giddy every time the steam engine puffed and clanged its way into the station with the Easter Bunny and Mrs. Macgregor waving and smiling from a boxcar.
The ride on the train is loads of fun with friendly staff coming through to collect tickets and take group photos. A cheerful sounding conductor kept the trip upbeat and interesting with fun information and tidbits about the surrounding countryside, the railroad, and, of course, the Easter Bunny. When we reached Paradise (yes, we really did), the train came to a stop and waited for the steam engine to come around to the front of the cars (formerly the back) to return home. During this delay, we got to see the impressive engine puff right past us, and that was also when the Easter Bunny made his rounds. A child friendly version donning an engineer outfit, the Easter Bunny was welcomed by everyone for photos throughout the cars with nary a frightened little one in sight (BIG thumbs up on this choice of bunny, Strasburg Rail Road!). Mrs. Macgregor trailed behind handing out special holiday treats to the kids which we all happily enjoyed during our return trip.
Daily Vacationer Jr finished up the day taking advantage of all the fun extras around the station included with our train ticket. We took a mini train ride on the Pint-Sized Pufferbelly Miniature Stream Train, used our own power to get our Cranky Cars around the track, and explored the new playground area. Naturally, we also popped into all the gift shops (and may have made a couple of purchases), and we saved our nickels to enjoy the lively player piano. We had a wonderful time, and we are already looking forward to our next visit to Strasburg Rail Road!
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