All Aboard! Experience holiday fun at the Trains at Northpark Center

Visit the train display at NorthPark Center

This holiday season be sure to check out the trains at NorthPark Center in Dallas. Not simply a mere Christmas train display, this large exhibit is home to over 2,500 feet of train tracks and more than 40 vintage locomotives. All the trains are chugging along through a variety of scenes, traveling through such known cities as San Fransisco, Mount Rushmore, Washington D.C. and New York. There is even an elaborate Dallas setting with such well-known landmarks as Children's Hospital, Reunion tower and, of course, NorthPark Center itself.

The common thought behind this exhibit is that it is owned and operated by NorthPark Center. The complete train set (which is over 1 1/2 miles of track) is actually owned by a private citizen by the name of Ban Baywater. Mr. Baywater's Christmas train display began decades ago under the family tree, eventually making its way to the lobby of a local bank and then on to its home of 11 years at NorthPark Center.  The display takes almost a month to put together before the holiday season begins and then approximately 14 days to take apart after its final display day on January 4, 2010.

Although this holiday train display originally began as a way to bring Christmas cheer to one Dallas family, it now spreads the holiday spirit to over 80,000 visitors every year. All proceeds ($550,000 were raised just last year) from this display are donated to Ronald McDonald House. Children of all ages can enjoy this display, especially since there has been a push to make various parts of the exhibits easily viewed by even the smallest of visitors.

Before the family heads out to visit this exhibit, here are a few tips to make the trip enjoyable for everyone.

1. Arrive early. Tens of thousands of people visit this exhibit every year during the six weeks it is open to the public. Although there are a lot of trains on display, the actual exhibit area can get very full quickly. Arrive when the exhibit opens for optimal viewing.
2. Leave the stroller at home. Tight spaces of the exhibit make baby strollers more of a burden than a help. There is a place for strollers to be parked by the ticket counter, although it is small and can become full in high-volume times.
3. Prepare young children for the noise. Forty large electric trains running at the same time generates a lot of noise which can intimidate little ones. Talk about how trains make noise and that such sounds are fun and not scary.
4. Remind hands to not touch the trains. Lower exhibits mean little hands can easily reach out and touch the trains. This is not allowed at the trains at NorthPark exhibit. The trains are electric and people who touch a moving train can be hit with 24 volts of electricity. Talk about how no one can touch the trains before entering the exhibit so they can keep running and be enjoyed by everyone.

The Trains at NorthPark Center is open now until January 4, 2010 from 10am to 6pm daily (Open 9am to 4pm on Christmas Eve). Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children and seniors (children under 2 are allowed in free of charge) with proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald house.

For more info: Other holiday activities at NorthPark Center this Christmas