Train Rides in Indiana | 8 Breathtaking Indiana Railroad Experiences

From the time he was just a baby, my son was obsessed with trains! He loved Thomas the Tank Engine and his train table. We took him on all kinds of train rides in Indiana and, I have to admit, I love a good train ride as well. There’s just something special about being in a train car, rolling through the countryside, and seeing the pure joy and amazement on your kids’ faces.

There’s no shortage of train rides in Indiana. We’ve put together a list of 8 Breathtaking Indiana Railroad Experiences that you and your family will love. From Polar Express rides to Halloween-themed adventures to authentic railway rides and dinner excursions, there are so many family-friendly Indiana railroad experiences to enjoy.

Train Rides in Indiana | 8 Breathtaking Indiana Railroad Experiences

Nickel Plate Express

The Nickel Plate Express in Hamilton County, Indiana offers special, themed train excursions for children and families and even some fun adults-only rides. Visit during the holidays for the Reindeer Ride Express or hop aboard for a Halloween experience while you Trick-or-Treat on the Rails. Purchase tickets for your next date night and enjoy a scenic train ride aboard one of the themed dinner trains.

Although the train now leaves from a depot near downtown Noblesville instead of Atlanta, it’s a short drive to this small town to extend your train-themed day of fun! Stop in and see the train layout at Mr. Muffin’s Trains, purchase your very own train gear at the shop, and have a warm, delicious meal at the Choo Choo Café.

Lark Ranch Railroad

Lark Ranch in Greenfield and Lark Ranch in Loogootee have quickly become a must-visit destination for kids who love trains. This is a favorite fall fun destination for Indianapolis families but there’s something at Lark Ranch that you won’t find at other Indianapolis fall farm experiences. What sets Lark Ranch apart is their amazing train ride with open-air cars that travels around the farm on real tracks! The ride is substantial and you pass the pumpkin patch, corn maze, farm animals, and several old-fashioned “storefronts.” Kids love it, parents love it, grandparents love it!

Whitewater Valley Railroad

The Whitewater Valley Railroad offers a lot of trains with holiday-themed excursions: Easter Bunny Express, Pumpkinliner, Ghost Express, Polar Express, and Santa Claus Express. Scenic excursions from Connersville to Metamora to view the changing fall leaves are very popular! Train rides at WVRR are designed to fit a variety of budgets, and some train rides start at just $10 per person. You can also participate in other year-round train fun! Rent a caboose for a train ride, learn how to and actually operate a locomotive, take a family-friendly ghost train ride, go on shopping excursions, and more.

Indiana Live Steamers

The Indiana Live Steamers are a group of train enthusiasts who operate trains that are small-scale but run on real tracks! Visiting the Indiana Live Steamers miniature trains that you can really ride on is a favorite for all train-loving kids and their parents. They even offer really cool birthday parties for kids! Admission is only $4 per person to ride and you’ll go over bridges and through the woods. It’s a very unique experience.

French Lick Scenic Railway

The French Lick Scenic Railway gives you the chance to take a train excursion through the Hoosier National Forest. Take a ride and hear a little bit of narration during your trip. Snacks, beverages, beer, and wine are available for purchase from the snack/dining car. Before the train reverses and returns back to the train station in French Lick, riders will have the opportunity to get out and stretch their legs.

Plan to purchase your tickets in advance, especially during the fall when people love to ride the train to see the breathtaking changing fall colors. The Polar Express Holiday Train Ride is generally sold out months in advance. Other special events are also popular, such as the Easter Bunny Express, Wild West Hold-ups (also known as train robbery excursions, where “robbers” ride up to the train on horseback), and Tasting Train Rides (chocolate, bourbon, scotch, and rum). Don’t just ride the train! French Lick is an amazing little town to visit and you can make a whole weekend out of your train ride excursion to see all that French Lick has to offer.

Sullivan’s Express Train Rides

Sullivan Hardware puts on an amazing event for kids! Its famous Sullivan Santa Express Christmas train ride experience takes families on a trackless train car through tunnels and past animatronic displays. Children disembark at the North Pole and sit on Santa’s lap before getting back on the train to the train station where you’ll find amazing train sets and displays. The newly added PumpkinTown Sullivan Express at their Allisonville location offers Halloween shows, trick-or-treating, and many more outdoor activities.

The Hesston Steam Museum

The Hesston Steam Museum is located three hours north of Indianapolis, near Michigan City. With three railroads and a living history museum, you can experience machines of the industrial past with hands-on exhibits and environments. The museum’s magnificent steam-powered narrow gauge railroad runs over a two-mile line through woods, past farms, and up steep grades. There are also two miniature railroads with small steam machines on a one-mile track, perfect for little children.

Museum admission is free and train rides start at $5 for children. Check the schedule for themed train rides: Candy Cane Express, Halloween Train, Ghost Train, and more. Trains run most Saturdays and Sundays from May – October with special Christmas-themed train rides in November and December.

Polar Express Train Rides

The Polar Express is a fantastic book and movie from many of our childhoods. Getting to introduce our children to the magic via a hands-on, experiential Polar Express train ride is what dreams are made of! Children and their parents can enjoy the Christmas-themed Polar Express train ride in several Indiana locations this holiday season. The Polar Express train ride in French Lick seems to be the most popular. Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville also offers this themed experience and The Nickel Plate Express in Hamilton County has a similar Reindeer Ride Express. You can find other holiday-themed train rides in Indiana that fit within many budgets.

Who knew there were so many opportunities for train rides and train-themed fun in and around Indianapolis? In addition to train rides in Indiana, bring your child to train-themed restaurants, museum exhibits, shops, displays, and even a train car hotel room! That’s right! You can spend the night in an authentic railway car at the Union Station Train Hotel in downtown Indianapolis!

What are your favorite train rides in Indiana? Share your best Indiana railroad experiences comments and photos with us below or tag us on social media using #PLAYindy. Follow Indy with Kids on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for all of the best ideas and things to do with kids in Indy!

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