Lancaster (Thomas the Train, Dutch Wonderland and much, much, more...)

A few months ago Violet went through an almost unhealthy obsession with Thomas the Train, which I hear isn't uncommon for toddlers.  After a little research, I found out that Thomas actually travels around the country and provides kids an opportunity to ride their favorite tank engine. Lancaster was the closest location to us so I decided to create an entire 3 day itinerary around this 25 minute train ride in Strasburg Pennsylvania. Here is what it looked like:

Day 1

12:30pm               Leave for our Big Adventure

3:00pm                 Arrive and check in to Fulton Steamboat Hotel

3:30pm                 Swim in the Pool (@ Hotel)

4:30pm                 Playground (@ Hotel)

5:00pm                 Ed's Buggy

6:00pm                 Huckleberry's Restaurant (@ Hotel)

7:30pm                 Bath, Milk and Cookies, Story and Sleep Time

               

               

Day 2

7:30am                 Wake Up

8:00am                 Breakfast @ Huckleberry's (@ Hotel)

9:00am                 Arrive at Strasburg Railroad

10:15am               Day out with Thomas

10:45am               Thomas Activities (imagination station, car rides, meet Sir Topham Hatt, etc. )

noon                     Hobo Lunch Train  or Trackside Café (stationary)

1:15pm                 Nap (@ Hotel)

3:15pm                 Railroad Museum

6:00pm                 Dinner (Checkers Bistro, Carr’s restaurant, or john j. Jeffries)

7:00pm                 Carmen & David's Creamery

7:30pm                 Bath, Milk and Cookies, Story and Sleep Time

               

Day 3

7:30am                 Wake Up

8:00am                 Breakfast @ Huckleberry's (@ Hotel)

9:00am                 Dutch Wonderland

noon                     Lunch @ the park

2:30pm                 Head Home

Except the Railroad Museum, we actually got to do pretty much everything on our list.  I was very proud of myself and my superb organizational/planning skills.  I will spare you my boring writing and sum up the trip with (mostly) pictures.

Our steamboat style hotel

Pool and Jacuzzi were a great alternative to bath time. I kid. I kid.

 Playground at the Fulton Steamboat Inn

 I couldn't get Gene off the swings. Literally!

Gene kept yelling at me to coordinate their swinging. Sorry, Gene!  I didn't major in Physics!

Superdad!

En garde!

 Breakfast for Violet

 Breakfast for Gene

 Strasburg Railroad

 There's that cheeky Thomas. 

 Ready for our big adventure!  The whole ride is at 5 mph? Oh how exciting!

 Choo Choo!

 Those bastards tried to charge us $15 for a family picture with Thomas, but we showed them!  

 One of them farted.  Can you tell who?

 Sibling Love

 Imagination Station- Mega Blocks, Trains, Railroads, Tattoos, and more.

 Like my tats?

 Mom, is this how you got to school when you were a kid? Did you give rides to the dinosaurs?

 Thomas Kitsch.  We got Violet two things and when I offered her another thing to buy she said, "No mommy, that's too much stuff."  Do I have the best kid or what?

 Feeding the goats before going for a buggy ride with Mike and Denny (our horses).

Denny was a lazy and slow horse that slowed Mike down and made our journey VERY long.  Gene quickly deduced that I must be Denny.

 Dutch Wonderland

 My knight in shining armor.

 Baby version of the famous Splash Mountain ride at Disney World. Violet said she was most scared when water got into her eyes.

 Airplanes - Violet's favorite ride. 

Watching story time with princess Brooke.

 Violet gets front row seats to story time.

 Duke's Lagoon

 Ivy could have spent hours trying to catch that stream of water.

This is Laura.  We picked her up from a balloon store shelter on the way home.  She now has no legs because Ivy ate them.