• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Little Prince Leopold

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Photography
  • Collaborations
  • Disclosure
You are here: Home / Mom Life / The Polar Express Train Ride

November 29, 2017 · 13 Comments

The Polar Express Train Ride

Mom Life

We just got back from our trip to North Carolina and I’m both relaxed and exhausted at the same time. Funny how a family trip can do that do you!

The original purpose of the trip was to take a ride on the Polar Express. I’ve been dreaming of doing this since I discovered it a couple of years ago! It was part of our Christmas gift from my in laws and we are so grateful to them for spoiling us!

We left our house an hour early, however we did stop for gas and to grab a quick bite to eat. Turns out an hour wasn’t enough! We got caught up in traffic on the Blue Ridge Expressway and didn’t pull in until 5:20. Our train took off at 5! We used the Waze app and were able to get there at 5:20 but my in laws are still using their old GPS and didn’t get there until about 6pm. Seriously, if you don’t have Waze, you need it!

toddler car tripWe are huge extended rear facing advocates, but we turned Leopold around for this trip. The drive was about four hours (without the ridiculous traffic) and we wanted him to enjoy it and get to watch DVDs. It worked out so beautifully and I’m struggling with turning him back now. It’s legal…he’s two…and this is so much easier!

I ran into the ticket office and they said we could get on the 6:35 train but we would have to downgrade from middle class to the lowest class which was open seating. My husband said “let’s just try again next year”. However, we were already there and had promised Leopold a train ride so we decided to take the bump. They kindly gave us store credit for the monetary difference and we snagged a sweet Polar Express fleece blanket.

polar bear pajamas train rideIt was chilly when we got there (around 50 degrees or so) and easily went down 20 more degrees by the time we got off. Glad we had his jacket and our new blanket!

Now, I don’t know any different because this was my first year (probably a good thing). The lower class really wasn’t all that bad! We were on one of the last cars and didn’t have an issue sitting all together in a cluster of four seats that faced each other. Sure, our knees were touching but it wasn’t bad!

bryson city-train ride-great smoky mountains-polar expressMy husband loved Leopold’s 3$ Target dollar spot scarf!

We still got the experience! The users sang and danced, we listened to the story and read the book, and on the way there they served us hot chocolate and cookies. My mother in law knew we had wanted the souvenir mugs they give you in First Class so she had pre-ordered us our very own mugs from Amazon that she gave us the next day. That’s thinking ahead!

polar express-hot chocolate-train ride-bryson cityLeopold drank almost all of his hot chocolate and one and a half cookies! He was nicely sugared up.

After about 35 minutes of riding through the mountains, we slowed down at the North Pole and passed Santa waving at us in his sleigh. I had expected to be getting out here but it makes sense why we didn’t.

train ride-bryson city-great smoky mountainsLeopold with his ‘Ni Ni’ (My husband’s mother)

Once the train started moving back toward the station, we got a visit from Santa! He came through and took photos with everyone and gave each of us a silver bell engraved with “The Polar Express Train Ride, 2017”. The whole way back we sang Christmas carols!

silver sleigh bells-santa claus-polar expressSanta gave Leopold a silver bell (and his elves gave all of us our own too) and Leopold was really taken with it the rest of the train ride!

Leopold wore the cutest polar bear pajamas from Target 🙂

polar bear pajamas-target kids-train ride-polar express

The town the train took off from was adorable and I wish we had gotten there a couple hours earlier! I would’ve loved to look around the shops and maybe eat dinner there. Maybe next time! They had a big gift shop with a train museum that we were able to look around in too. There was also a tent with Santa Claus if you wanted some more photos. Those ended up costing around 30$ and no one told us this until after we got the photo! We dipped out of there pretty quick but it was good practice! The next time he sat on Santa’s lap he was a little more comfortable with the experience. Plus, we got lots of good photos for only 5$!

polar express-bryson city-train ride-christmas traditions polar express train ride

If you have never taken the Polar Express I highly recommend it!

You can order tickets on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad website. I would order well before the holiday season so they don’t get sold out! This same train also has a Peanuts themed pumpkin patch ride in October if that is more your style.

worn out-polar express-christmastime-train rideIt took us about an hour to get to our cabin and he fell asleep five minutes before we got there!

polar express train ride

The Baby Cubby

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype
  • Telegram
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket

Related

« Buddybagz: Simplifying Travel with Kids!
Wonder Crew: A Boy’s Best Friend »

Comments

  1. Evelyn, PathofPresence says

    November 30, 2017 at 7:41 pm

    I love this post – we did this similar thing – go on a train ride to The Polar Express – only in Portland, Oregon a number of years back. I couldn’t help but smile and the exhausted child in your photo collection. We may have 2 kids with the same spirit <3 Thanks for sharing – really enjoyed it!!

    Reply
    • Ayana Nell says

      November 30, 2017 at 7:44 pm

      I didn’t know they had one in Oregon! My dad lives in Salem so maybe one year I’ll get to do that one! I’m so glad you enjoyed reading it!

      Reply
  2. Jenn says

    December 1, 2017 at 3:18 am

    My son is a little too young for this, but my cousins son would have adored it! He talks about the Polar Espresso all the time !

    Reply
  3. Natalie says

    December 1, 2017 at 7:52 am

    I can’t wait until my son is old enough to enjoy this! He will be 2 in January, but I don’t think he would have that much fun quite yet. Love the photos!

    Reply
    • Ayana Nell says

      December 1, 2017 at 8:32 pm

      Thanks! It was a really good time. I think he enjoyed it (he turned two in September) but would definitely enjoy it more next year!

      Reply
  4. Viktoria | Awesome Alice says

    December 1, 2017 at 9:55 am

    Oh that looks like so much fun! I can’t wait for my kids to meet Santa 🙂

    Reply
    • Ayana Nell says

      December 1, 2017 at 1:48 pm

      He did so much better than last year! 🙂

      Reply
  5. LOuise says

    December 1, 2017 at 5:20 pm

    Orh looks like an awesome train ride, my oldest would LOVE it <3 I have to see if the polar express come to Minneapolis. Have a great weekend.

    Reply
    • Ayana Nell says

      December 1, 2017 at 8:32 pm

      Maybe they have something similar! It’s a fun tradition!

      Reply
  6. Tonya says

    December 2, 2017 at 8:45 pm

    What a great overview!! Super fun pictures too and that Santa looks so wholesome ?? Wish we could go!

    Reply
    • Ayana Nell says

      December 3, 2017 at 4:29 am

      Hey, I wish you could have come with us! Maybe there is one near you???

      Reply
  7. Leslie says

    December 3, 2017 at 2:14 pm

    Awesome post and so much fun! Certainly looks like something that could become a favorite tradition.

    Reply
    • Ayana Nell says

      December 3, 2017 at 6:30 pm

      Thank you!! It was! We couldn’t have done it without you!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

I'm just a twenty something stay at home mama trying to do my very best to be awesome at my job. I love Harry Potter, crafting, coffee, red wine and stretchy pants. I used to be a world traveler but I've settled down (for now) to have babies. I'm married to my best friend James and I'm a dog mom to Niko (Goldendoodle) and Rahksi (Chinese Crested). Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Search

Latest Posts

hotel trundle- columbia sc- staycation- 30th birthday

My 30th Birthday Staycation Celebration with Hotel Trundle

fireplace facelift

1970’s Fireplace Makeover

Categories

Archives



Blog Meets Brand

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

littleprinceleopold

Little Prince Leopold
Finley to unsuspecting Target employee: "My boob Finley to unsuspecting Target employee: 

"My boobies are in my shirt. My mommy has boobies" 

Target employee: 😳🥴🤭

>>Me and Target employee...small talking about our experience with puberty and growing boobies as she stocked shelves and I moved to the next aisle with my 2 year old... just another Friday at Target...

That's it... that's the post for today. 🤷🏼‍♀️
Another beautiful day and one more win for nature Another beautiful day and one more win for nature over playgrounds 🙌🏻. We spent about 30 minutes at the playground today before the kids spent a solid hour in the river! The enjoyment they got out of finding bugs, playing in the mud and splashing in the water hardly even compared to the slides and swings! We even got in some bike riding, a walk, and another playground. After a quick break at home we went to soccer practice! I think we are all sleeping good tonight!!
Maybe we will just start our own little @freefores Maybe we will just start our own little @freeforestschool since our chapter isn't doing anything these days. Just...probably with less snack sharing. We pretty much did it today when our kids flocked to the water and chose rocks, sticks and mud over swings and slides! We packed in some good ole natural immunities before we went to karate with a friend and then gymnastics! It was an action packed, BEAUTIFUL day and this mom is TIRED and maybe a little overstimulated, not gonna lie 😅🥴.
We had our own snow day today! I let the kids make We had our own snow day today! I let the kids make a mess so I could have 30 minutes of quiet time. We found some of that "magic" instant snow at the Target dollar spot today...I may have to go snag some more! The kids had a blast using their (gifted) @sandpal_toys to play! Too cold for the beach, too warm for real snow...gotta make our own! And naturally an important 2nd step to messy sensory play...cause and effect! Leopold even enjoyed the next part which was vacuuming up all the mess that ended up on the carpet. Win win!
"Gymmy-nasicks" week 2 and the enthusiasm is still "Gymmy-nasicks" week 2 and the enthusiasm is still through the roof! Swipe to see evidence 👀. She also loves that she gets gummies after class 🤪. Finley loves doing handstands against the wall, swinging on the bar, and running really fast yelling "CATBOY, GECKO!" and then launching herself onto one of the pieces of soft equipment 😆. It's so fun to watch and she's having a blast! Also 👀 the high top Vans I found for $4 last weekend 🤑. Definitely new favorites!
Just posing with my friends roller skates, kinda w Just posing with my friends roller skates, kinda wishing I had my own 🙈🙊. I mentioned it to my husband and he laughed and said no WAY I'll get into roller skating. Part of me knows he's right but the other part wants to prove him wrong 😆. Just not ready to break my wrist.

I see all of you with your snow days and I'll raise you a chilly SC day where I wore my beloved @fabletics bike shorts and took a walk with friends. I'm a little jealous of the snow but I just want one day of it...that's all. Then I had a fun trip to urgent care (see my stories) which I haven't had to do in many many years. 

After my wisdom teeth and now this pain I've been dealing with, I'm really ready to get moving again!! Remember you can get 2 for $24 leggings from #fabletics on thier website! Check out the link in my bio to get there. 

#fableticspartner #moveinfabletics
We had these box bottoms from an Aldi trip and I s We had these box bottoms from an Aldi trip and I saw the perfect opportunity for this activity! The kids were entertained by this for quite a while and then enjoyed a nice long bath afterwards where they also cleaned up the painted cars. Sound up for Leopold's cute voice over!
"Alright Leopold now I want you to pretend you're "Alright Leopold now I want you to pretend you're asleep... but don't forget you're still a MODEL. Make sure that shows in your film." -Mr. Jay, ANTM

Yeah I'm still binge watching Top Model 😆 after like 19 seasons you start thinking like them. 

When you spend 90% of your time in pajamas, it's worth it to get nice + cute ones! We are loving these new ones from @ergopouch_usa (gifted). They are not too hot not too cold...perfect for these southern winters when the weather could go either way! Have you acquired lots more pajamas over the last year?? We sure have!
Happy Galentines day! Tag your galentines and tell Happy Galentines day! Tag your galentines and tell them why you love them ❤ I'll pick one comment and send you a $10 Starbucks card tomorrow! I've tagged some of mine in this photo! I have so many but I can only tag 20 🙈 Love you ladies! 

Never forget- "You are a beautiful, talented, brilliant, powerful musk ox.”

And 

"You are the most beautiful, glowing sun goddess ever.”
I really leveled up today and I am so happy 🥰. I really leveled up today and I am so happy 🥰. My girl mom dreams are finally coming true! (SWIPE>>>)
For a while it was all "NO TOUCH HAIR!" But now Finley knows the value of an m&m bribe 😆. I also figured out that she will let me brush her hair if I sing the flower song from Tangled. 
Do you have any tried and true kid hair hacks???
Proud mama pt. 2 ❤🏅 Finley had her first gymn Proud mama pt. 2 ❤🏅
Finley had her first gymnastics class tonight and was a total pro! It probably helped that she was the only kid in the class for most of it. She was eating up all the applause and attention! Definitely feeling good about this choice. Especially hearing her say "Gymmy-nasicks" the way she does... you can hear it in the 3rd slide if you listen! I can't wait to see how much she learns in the next few weeks! Now to go buy even more leos since I have an actual valid reason to 😆.
MY HEART ❤ ⚽️ I played soccer starting at ag MY HEART ❤ ⚽️
I played soccer starting at age 5 and stuck with it until I was 12 or 13. The fact that Leopold is excited and enthusiastic about learning how to play makes me SO happy. We went to the park to practice tonight (his season doesn't start for a couple of weeks) and I forgot how much I love playing! I think he may just be a natural at this game. Swipe through and see how good he already is at kicking and stopping the ball! Maybe I'm biased but isn't it my job to be?! We went to @ouaccolumbia and found these cleats today and then @academy sports to get a new ball + shin guards. He was excited about the pink because apparently pink = power! 

What sports/extracurriculars did you do as a kid? Have your kids followed in your footsteps? ⚽️⚾️🥎🏀🏐🏈
Check out this week's thrifting haul! $17 total fo Check out this week's thrifting haul! $17 total for everything! I think it's pretty obvious what I gravitate to 😆 but you gotta have a niche, right? Coming home and washing/cleaning/sanitizing everything then listing it on my mercari page is so much fun for me! Going to end the day with some PIZZA that I've been craving for two weeks. Still can't open my mouth all the way but I'll make it work 💃.
A couple weeks ago we won a prize package from @te A couple weeks ago we won a prize package from @terrabybattat and our goodies arrived yesterday!! We didn't know what we were getting and they sent the perfect package of presents! We LOVE this brand. The animals are detailed and solid and wayyy cheaper than a certain other brand. Back when Leopold was Finley's age you rarely saw him without a couple of these animals in his hands! Sometimes the simplest toys make for the best play 😊. We have a ton of animals from them but somehow they managed to send us all new stuff, including a doggy family which Finley loves! Thank you Terra for always being awesome!
Practicing our runway walk and learning to "strike Practicing our runway walk and learning to "strike a pose" in the aisles of Target 🤩. It might seem basic to stroll Target every week (almost) but there's something comforting about it. We love getting to know our favorite employees by name, and that the Starbucks baristas notice when our orders are outside what we normally get. Some weeks we leave with carts full of goodies and sometimes we go just to look at books in "the little house" and scope out what's new and what's on sale. I'm grateful that I have an awesome mother in law who takes the time to hang out with us every week and even kind of helps fill that mom shaped void in my life 🥰. I hope y'all have a great weekend!
We went out TWICE this week 👏🏻👏🏻. I'm We went out TWICE this week 👏🏻👏🏻. I'm kind of like a bear, because I tend to hunker down and "hibernate" more in the winter...especially this year 😅🙈. But after a couple weeks of being a miserable human being healing from my wisdom tooth removal I was feeling a bit bad for my shut in children. We tried a park date the other day and it was COLD and a little rainy so we didn't last very long. Today we hit up an indoor bounce house place! I'm hurting a little bit still but my kids definitely needed to get out and I'm glad we did it! I've swapped our sippy cups for one big straw cup from @gosiliproducts that I leave empty and just fill using my big water bottle once we are at our destination. At least for now while they aren't drinking quite as much water as they do in summer! And check out Fin's new shoes from @pedipedfootwear!! 🥰🥰
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 · captivating theme by Restored 316

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.