Our Family Train Ride on New Hope Valley Railway!

My family just visited the New Hope Valley Railway for the first time! Let me tell you, the railway is a great destination for a family outing! New Hope Valley Railway hopes to provide a relaxing escape for guests of all ages through their new "Slow Down Sunday" train rides.  The railway is located just past Apex, about a 30 minute drive from Raleigh.  Even though it was a pretty quick drive, it really felt like we were "away from it all".  

When we arrived, a parking volunteer (I'm extremely impressed that the entire railway is staffed by volunteers!) guided us to a spot in the free, grassy parking lot. My kids immediately ran over to the Garden Railroad, a model railroad with several miniature train cars running on the track.  The model is quite a site! I think my kids could have spent hours playing "I Spy" and seeking out all the details in the landscape scenes and train cars. We even spotted Thomas the Train and Woody from Toy Story! We had arrived about 30 minutes prior to our scheduled train ride, as recommended on the website, so I appreciated that the Garden Railroad kept the kids busy during the waiting time.  There was also a cute wooden play train for them to climb around.

When it was close to time to board the train, we walked across the bridge to the train entrance.  We were not expecting to see several other stationary train cars and vehicles in the yard!  After seeing the train cars, it all made sense why its called "New Hope Valley Railway & Museum".  The trains are the museum! We had so much fun exploring the interiors of an old mail train, the caboose, and the cargo car.  The train yard also has picnic tables and a hot dog cart so visitors can enjoy lunch before or after their ride.  My only regret is that we didn't plan for more time to explore the grounds a bit longer.

The train ride itself was so enjoyable!  On the day of our ride it was a mildly rainy day, but I read on the website that the train operates rain or shine. The train cars are covered, with open air windows, so they recommend planning accordingly.  The rain didn't bother us a bit! At one point on our ride it came down pretty hard but didn't detract from our experience. In fact, the rain created a nice breeze and gorgeous view as we watched the raindrops fall. During the hour-long ride we all had a lovely time looking out the windows through the tunnels of trees, catching glimpses of beautiful homes, and waving to cars when we passed through the railroad crossings.  We loved everything about our afternoon spent at New Hope Valley Railway.  It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday Funday! I'm so thankful that special places like this exist in our own backyard, offering wonderful family memories that I truly cherish.

Create your own special memories on Triangle's Train! 

New Hope Valley Railway & Museum is located at 3900 Bonsal Rd. New Hill, NC 27562. In addition to their new "Slow Down Sundays", New Hope Valley Railway offers a number of different themed train rides!  Their monthly Brew n' Choo series helps raise funds for maintenance and updates on the railway, while guests enjoy a train ride and their choice of local craft beer.  In the fall, families can enjoy "Track or Treat: Halloween Express" and for the holidays there is "Santa's Reindeer Roundup" Express.  The railway also operates on select Wednesdays and Fridays for weekday rides.  For a complete list of ride schedules, FAQs and more please visit https://www.triangletrain.com/schedule/.  

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