Dear Tweetsie Railroad,
It seems as if my daughter Betsy was so thrilled with her experience at Tweetsie Railroad this past weekend that she has decided that she will be going there for her birthday. Her birthday is in February, but you are closed so she has decided to wait until you re-open in April to celebrate her birthday. She said she will be bringing four of her friends. I asked her how she thought that was going to be possible and she said that she was going to save up her money and do work around the house so that she could bring all her friends. Seriously.
And as a matter of fact, tonight she was making a list of all your rides, including the infamous Tweetsie Train, and planning exactly who would be sitting with who, and what rides and in what order they would ride them. She has a dedicated notebook now for her birthday bash at Tweetsie Railroad. Seriously.
From,
A Happy Mom
That is no joke. I could send that letter to Tweetsie today. Betsy has become obsessed with Tweetsie Railroad. Can you blame her?
Tweetsie Railroad Wild West Adventure Theme Park is located in Blowing Rock, NC. When take your first steps into Tweetsie it is like you have gone back in time.
About Tweetsie
“Tweetsie Railroad is a unique attraction that allows children and families to explore their imagination and a whole lot more. Be a cowboy, Indian, or an engineer. And of course, every guest will want to take a ride behind our historic steam locomotive, Number 12, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Come experience it for your self. It’s an adventure-filled ride you won’t want to miss.”
Our first stop of course was the ride on the steam locomotive. Using the tips we got from Blowing Rock Visitors Center, we sat in the back of car 2. As we traveled the tracks, we were instructed that “you never know what could happen in the Wild West, so keep on the lookout.” And boy did we ever run into some fun! The train stopped twice where we were treated to “shows” that included gun fights, humor, horses and Indians! We even had an Indian on our train!
But besides the show, we were treated to beautiful views and some history about the area and the train itself.
Before heading up the hill though, we asked a park attendant if we could place pennies on the railroad. They said yes…and what do you know – they were flattened!
Continuing on our adventure after the train ride, we headed up the hill where there were carnival rides, a shooting arcade, a gem mine, a chair lift – like a ski lift, and a Deer Park!
I honestly cannot tell you which part of Tweetsie my kids enjoyed the best. They rode the carnival rides over and over. I know Betsy’s favorite ride was the Drop Zone. I could NOT get her away from that thing!
Then we were off to Miner’s Mountain where we planned on panning for gold. There are three ways to get up that mountain:
A steep 1/4 quarter mile walk
A Chair Lift
A Bus
Well, I decided to do the walk, while Mel and the kids used the Chair Lift. Hmmmm…let’s just say I figured out just how out of shape I was. The walk was beautiful, but all could think was, “Man I need to exercise more.”
When we reached the top it was 4:35 and the panning for gold had just closed. My kids were super bummed. But, when they saw the Deer Park was open, their faces got bright again.
You can purchase feed for the variety of animals on display here, and there weren’t just Deer – There were goats, Llamas, Emus, and little, tiny, adorable baby goats. As a matter of fact, there were a couple of baby goats on the walk way. They wanted to take them home.
If you are visiting Tweetsie Railroad, here are some of my tips:
When riding the train, sit in the back of car 2 or the front of car 3 (actually this tip came from the friendly staff at the Blowing Rock Visitors Center).
Plan on at least a four hour day.
Be sure to get a penny flattened on the track (but ask first!)
Besides all the adventure you can handle, don’t forget to stop and take a look at the beautiful views.
Tweetsie will be closing down for the season in November, but will reopen in April. But don’t let that discourage you! There is plenty of time to get to Tweetsie and experience it for yourself!
As a matter of fact, this weekend is Railfan Weekend from September 10 – 11. In October they offer the Ghost Town Halloween Festival on several dates! And don’t forget, that if you arrive after 3:00 pm, you can get in the next day for free!
Check out Tweetsie Railroad for more information.
And before you start your Blowing Rock Adventure, don’t forget to head on over to the Blowing Rock Visitors Center first!
See what else we did on our Blowing Rock Aventure!
Thanks Tweetsie Railroad and The Blowing Rock Convention Center for making our trip to Tweetsie Railroad a success! We will be back! And if Betsy has anything to say about it, we will be there in April!
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Leave it to Betsy!