Haunted Train in New Hill (how much, home, live)

[carolinadragonfly]

Anyone ever been? What did you think? Worth the $10 per ticket?

[mselainey]

I haven't been to this Halloween one specifically, but when my son was wee (like 4-5) he loved to go and ride the trains out there.

Just be aware that the ride is fairly short, as the train can't make a loop. It goes out and then reverses on the same track. So keep that in mind if the drive out there is a bit of a haul for you -- the time you actually spend on the train won't be very long.

There also isn't much in the way of concessions or bathrooms on site, so you are best off maybe making some fun small snacks at home and bringing them along as a surprise. My son's favorite is something he dubbed 'magic mix' - i combine mini marshmallows (right now I've got the Halloween ones!) with a few pieces of several different small candies, like gummy worms/bears, candy corn, sweet tarts minis or smarties, or chewy fruit snacks, etc. and then portion it out into snack-sized ziploc bags. I have yet to see a kid whose eyes didn't light up when I handed it out!

Have fun!

[Myghost]

mselainey is correct (reps given), however, I think it's a pretty cool thing.

If you are AT ALL into trains, or if you have kids at the right age, it's really cool. We took our daughter on it when she was younger and she loved it.

As for the halloween gig, I was out that way riding bikes and saw the train stopped, so we got off and spoke with the guys who run it, it sounds like it would be fun at night. Not totally scary, but still a pretty cool and unique experience. I mean really, these things are what you make of it.

What I CAN say is these guys are really into their hobby. I mean where else are you going to get to see and touch a working steam engine? When we were out, there was a guy who paid to drive the engine. He was turning 70, I guess it's like a "NASCAR driving experience for old people" :-)

Really, it's a cool place, and if you have ANY interest, then it's worth the $10. By virtue of the fact that you noticed and asked, I'd say you probably do. If you're just looking for another haunted house, then it may not be worth much of a drive though.

Please report back if you go.

BTW; here's a link: Triangle's Train | New Hope Valley Railway, 3900 Bonsal Rd. New Hill, NC 27562

and

http://www.triangletrain.com/haunted...r-treat-event/

[adlnc07]

I'm not at all into trains, and I had fun the one time I went there (no kids, just me & a friend). It was a daylight ride, and I enjoyed the scenery. Granted I don't live all that far from there - might not be worth a long drive. And I agree with Myghost - the guys that work there are great. You can just tell how much they love the history and everything about trains. :-)

[mselainey]

ITA with Myghost (how appropriate and thanks for the rep! -- the guys who run New Hill are all big-time train buffs and they're SUPER into making it a fun experience for the kiddies. It's very fun to watch them in their overalls and engineer's hats. My son loved going to see the 'old-timey' trains from about age 2-6. We went out that way probably 7 or 8 times, but never for any of the holiday-themed rides. I'm not big on crowds and from what I hear, the seasonal rides can get kinda crowded.

I think the younger the kids are the more they will get a charge out of it -- and in fact it may be to their benefit that it's a short ride. I definitely think it's worth the $10, especially since your ticket cost basically just helps keep the trains running for other kiddies.

[carolinadragonfly]

We took the haunted train tonight. Jam-packed but really lame... not worth the price, beware spook seekers!