I have been spending a lot of time with the grandchildren on the model railroads but they always ask about the big trains.  “Papa we saw big train today and it was very interesting”.  So I found a place in Bryson City, NC that is a scenic railroad ride.  They had just added a steam locomotive to the trip so I decided to see if anyone in the family was interested.  Just above everyone wanted to go.   We set the date for the weekend after our annual beach week.  Nana Sue booked a quaint hotel in downtown Bryson City NC and we had a great long weekend.

On Saturday we visited the museum, which I had originally thought was  a history of trains in the area which turned out to be a model railroad museum.  It was a great hit with everyone.  I got a lot of ideas for my model railroad layout.

– create a scavenger hunt for children

– put buttons around the layout to control interesting models / houses or activities

– The more activity the better

On Sunday we went on the train ride.  It was fantastic and a great hit with the grandchildren.  We had a reserved 4 tables all together in one car.  Lots of sites and very exciting for everyone.