Thomas the Train in Burnet (San Antonio, Austin: for sale, buying, construction)

[dbbd]

My 3 year old loves Thomas the train and we are considering traveling to Burnet from San Antonio next weekend for the Day Out With Thomas event. Has anyone ever attended one of these events? What is it like? Is it worth the time (for the kids)? Any tips or suggestions?

[japan-virginia]

Let us know if find out any information, my two year old is nuts about Thomas!

[blizzrd]

My 3 year old loves Thomas too. I'd love to take her to this.

[dbbd]

From the Austin Forum:

Originally Posted by austinnerd

I used to take my son (at the time around your kids age) to the "Day Out With Thomas" but when it was in Austin next to the convention center. At that time it was definitely worth it because they had the big life-size Thomas (which was kinda lame but cool for the kids) but more importantly, they would have a bunch of Thomas related stuff going on inside the convention center (track setups, coloring, videos playing, of course Thomas stuff to buy, face painting, etc, etc).

Now, we stopped going when they moved it to Burnet (I think they skipped a year due to the light rail construction and by the next year my son had moved on to cars), so I'm not entirely sure what it's like these days. IIRC, they also used to have a separate train event out in Burnet that had various setups (real O/HO/N gauge) and you could walk around/through some real train cars as well (e.g. a real caboose). I don't know if these two events have now been merged? If so, then I would say yes, it's worth a drive out to Burnet, it's not too far away and if your kid's into Thomas/trains, then they will likely have a grand ole time (my son always enjoyed both events).

As for suggestions, none really other than the obvious "bring sunscreen" and wear comfortable shoes. The exhibits are kinda spread out in Burnet so you'll likely be spending some time outside and doing some walking. Also bring water and maybe snacks or lunch. Be warned that they'll be plenty of stuff for sale. If your vehicle has a dvd player, bring along some Thomas vids and really get the kid wound up And finally, make sure you have a camera, lots of photo ops (e.g. standing next to the life size Thomas).

Oh, one thing to consider is driving up to Austin and taking the Hill Country Flyer out to Burnet (if they haven't sold out already). You can stop by the cool train shop across the st from the station in Cedar Park, take the train up, take in the event, and then take the train back. I don't know if your kiddo is specifically into just Thomas or likes trains in general, but if it's the latter, then they'll be "trained out" by the end of the day.

Have fun ...

[dbbd]

Here's the link: Day Out With Thomas

I called about tickets and was told the ticket is only for the train ride. You can see everything without paying the $18. I'm holding off on buying a ticket because as much as my 3 (in November) year old loves Thomas, he's a little skittish about getting on a train.

He'll stand at the San Antonio Zoo train all day and watch people come and go, but won't get on it. He got on it once, but never again....and the first time didn't seem to bother him.

At any rate, I plan on going up there early and checking it out - there seems to be quite a bit to do. It'll make for a nice day out.

Here is a video I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfkLKNCAzcA

[majormadmax]

I see where you also posted this in the Austin section of this forum, if you search there you will find my thread on the Austin Steam Train...

Austin Steam Train

My son is also a big fan of Thomas but from what I've heard (and take this as secondhand information), it is a really popular and hectic event. Obviously with Thomas' popularity there will be a lot of families at this event, so if your child does not do well with large, loud crowds you may want to consider that in your decision.

Otherwise, the Bertram Flyer was a fun experience (I posted a write-up after we went in that same thread). It is also something you might want to look into as my son really enjoyed it. I would recommend going during the spring or fall as it can get hot during the summer especially in the non-air conditioned cars. But if you son loves trains, it was a lot of fun!

Cheers! M2