On our last night in Utah, we decided to enjoy a local holiday favorite- The North Pole Express. Just to the south of Park City is Heber Valley and the railroad here has kept running for visitors of all ages to enjoy. And at this time of year, the railroad turns into a magical, musical trip to the north pole to see the man in red himself.
We boarded the 100 year old train where spritely elves helped us up the stairs and then to find our seats. When the train started moving we were entertained with conductors, elves, and some young relatives of Santa as they sang favorite songs of the season and encouraged everyone to get up and dance with them. There was even an appearance from the spirit of Elvis singing Blue Christmas.
We ate cookies and drank hot chocolate while we made our way through the valley. Outside we saw the beautiful area of Deer Creek State Park where the train follows the shore of the lake.
Then we reached the North Pole…or at least a Utah outpost of the North Pole… and there was Santa waving at everyone. It was so fun to listen to all the kids around gasp with delight and wave back at him. He boarded the train and greeted each child and presented them with a special bell from the reindeers’ harness. We made our way back through the valley singing and dancing in the isle. The entire experience was so fun and watching my daughter be so delighted with it all was priceless.
{Know if you go:: Tickets to this go very fast, so if it is something you want to do then be sure to get your tickets early. And if the North Pole Express is not exactly your scene, they do offer a number of other train rides throughout the year including a Wild West train ride, a showtunes singalong ride, Cinco de Mayo ride, etc. Check out their schedule to find the train ride that best suits your interests.}
If you want to learn more about this historic railroad, then check out :: https://www.hebervalleyrr.org/
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