french lick scenic railway

If you're a train enthusiast, the old Monon line going from French Lick, Indiana toward Jasper may not excite you with dramatic vistas, but it's got a great feel, going through Hoosier National Forest slowly, with great photo opportunities in the fall. Second longest tunnel in the state, gets dark for a few moments, kids freak out, but a good trip. The railroad museum in town is a good stop as well, right by two historic, restored hotels.We hope to take it down to Jasper for Strassenfest this August - real German cuisine and culture..party and no driving required.

This was a gift for my family so we weren't really sure what to expect. We decided to make a weekend trip out of it and found that other then the water park there aren't many things to do with little ones in French Lick. We arrived at the train station early like it says on the website. When we got there we took a photo in front of the train and felt pressured to buy the "USB" drive so we could have all our photos. We then made our way into the gift shop and found what you would expect to find. We did purchase a copy of the polar express book and found it to be about $3 dollars cheaper then we had seen in Target earlier that week. So that was nice to save some money there. The craft area left something to be desired. There where coloring and work puzzles and some toys but nothing much. The wall to leave Santa a note was nice. When it comes to the train it is first come first serve with seating in your assigned car. Luckily we had found this out from other families that had done this before. So we were able to wait in line for the car near the front. However you have to wait in the cold so if you have little ones like we do one person had to wait in line while the other stayed in the craft area so the weren't just waiting in the cold. There were really no decorations on the train car itself, the elves although high school girls, did a good job of entertaining the kids, the conductor looked the part but didn't do much to interact with our kids. The North Pole is as some one else wrote around 5 shacks, also if you didn't sit on the right side of the train then you found it hard to see. Once again we were told of this ahead of time so we were able to sit on that side. The cookies were ok and the hot chocolate was good. The trip back included Santa and for the most part Santa was OK not the best Santa I've seen but not the worst either. The bells he gave out were nice quality and did have polar express stamped on them so that was nice. All in all my kids enjoyed it and that is the main thing. The elves did a nice job entertaining but I think this really depends on who is playing the elves on you train car. So in conclusion it was a pleasant time for my kids, but I do have younger kids and older kids close to teenage years and in their teen years may not enjoy it at much.

The Polar Express was nice. Great for young kids. Adults lower your standards, this isn't Disney doing this. I know it is expensive but kids loved it. You have to go all in and just enjoy. The cast/employees were nice, cheery, helpful, and festive. The Santa visit could be longer but it was still nice. The real negative here is the train bathroom, could use some work.

My family (6 adults and 2 children) went on the Polar Express last night and had an amazing time. The elves were hilarious and so much fun. They sang and danced up the aisles of the train for the entire 70 minute ride, they got us all to sing along and dance with them. The Polar Express book was narrated over the train intercom as we read along in the book. The conductor came through and took the kids tickets and punched lots of holes in them so the punches would rain down on each child like snow. We rode past the north pole and it was all lit up then Santa got on the train and we got pictures with him. It was truly MAGICAL and our elf Peppermint is not to be missed! She was so kind and generous to our entire family, she was a beautiful singer and great actress, she never broke character!!! We got hot chocolate and cookies....it was truly one of the best things we've done as a family at Christmas time. Lots of fun and holiday cheer had by all! I cannot recommend this enough.

We took our grandchildren ages 7and 8 on the Polar Express train ride. You must read the book to get the best experience. It follows the book and movie very closely. Each car has a conductor and 2 elves. As the train departs the story is read. I suggest you bring a copy for children to see. Shortly after leaving the station we were served hot chocolate and cookies. You will find most children and some adults in their Christmas PJs. The elves and conductor kept everyone involved with singing and dancing in the aisles. It was very interactive with children dancing in the aisles too .You even go through a tunnel just like the movie. The only disappointing part was the North Pole.The buildings were rather shabby. It would have been better to have lights back in the woods outlining the buildings.Once you arrive at the North Pole, Santa gets on. He visits each child as he walks through the cars. You can have picture taken with Santa or take one yourself. Light is dim, so you do need a flash. It is a 70 minute trip, perfect for young people.There is an activity tent, gift shop, and restrooms at the station. There is no restaurant on property, but there are several choices in French Lick.Go and enjoy. It is delightful!

Well done. We were a group of 17 adults and kids. We were on Train J with head elf - Peppermint. She was great and had an energy level like you cannot imagine. She must love her job; she was great with the kids and kept them active. She even started entertaining the kids before we ever got on the train. It will be a memory for lifetime for the kids on our train.

I bought these tickets over six months ago and was super excited to give them to my kids. My kids are 9, 8 and 4 years old. My kids still believe so that's why I was excited for them to go on the Polar Express. When we got their and walked up it seemed to be legit. But once we got on the train it was nothing but a big joke. Seeing the faces on my kids' face was so sad and disappointing. Even my 4 year old was like this is fake and boring. They did have girls that came out and sing/dance but the girls didn't know the words nor the dance moves so it just looked like a big mess. Then... We supposedly get to the "North Pole" and it's two little sheds with light with Santa waving in front. The train don't stop and you don't get off. Only one side of the train has this so the opposite side sees nothing. There was no fake snow nothing to even make it look somewhat real. Needless to say I could not believe I paid for this ride let alone almost $200 for tickets. The people around us were also speechless and couldn't believe that was it. I thought this was going to be a trip to help my kids keep believing but instead I had them asking questions about it being fake and why the Santa had grey spray paint on his black beard... Never again.

We had such a great time on the Polar Express this year. This was our second time to go. I would recommend arriving early to the station to save time on the picture line.

Im trying to hard to figure out how anyone would be disappointed with this trip! We drove 4 hours & weren't even the slightest disappointed!! I was nervous reading & spending all the money & time to get there after reading things here; which is why I wanted to make sure to post because Everything was magical! We walked up to the soundtrack of the movie playing, took pictures by the movie poster & by the train. There was a photographer there, & as a professional photographer the photos came out quite well. We did the USB option. {recommend this!} We did some things in the activity tent {coloring, train sets ect} which was fun! We got in line at our car {its first some first serve for the seating} The elves ARE teenage girls, but im confused on what below posters were wanting? Actual elves? Our elves were amazing. sang just beautifully remembered my girls' names & had us singing & dancing before we even entered the train! The only semi-negative things i could even come up with is I wish the music/book reading was louder & the north pole to look more magical. It was just a few sheds but the elves made it fun saying it was their houses. The hot chocolate was delicious & the cookies made me want more. We got engraved bells for the "first gift of Christmas" that said "the polar express" a true keepsake!! Buy your tickets almost a year in advance they go fast!! We can't wait to back next year!! Just amazing!!Some tips: Dress in warm jammies, Bring a blanket {the cars get draft although it was warm the day we want}, Bring your own Polar Express books & get there at least a hour early! :)

My grandchildren had been looking forward to this event for months! The train ride itself, was a really good experience. The staff were all great.When we arrived at the North Pole... My grandson said, "What? this isn't the north pole.. the disappointment on his face was devistating. No snow, it was warmer weather, but even I have heard of fake snow.... Only a few very small square buildings with lights on them. My goodness, it seems like for all the $$$ they receive for this event, it looks like they could put some of it into improving the north pole site. I could have done better at designing a really cool north pole site. I didn't even take a photo. What a let-down. Then Santa came on the train. Wow.. really? A "fake beard" would have been better.. He had a really short beard and wasn't white... ?? And he acted like he was just ready to get it over with. All the way back, my grandchildren just sat there, no excitement, they didn't participate in the singing, no nothing. Sat there quietly. All of the excitement they had, all of the build up to the event and that's all there is? And 17.99 for one 8 x 10 sheet of photo? Really? As far as I am concerned, I wasted a lot of money. Would have been better spent on something else that wouldn't have been such a disappointment. They had more fun at the hotel pool. I would not recommend to anyone with children over 2.

Glad I did it but wouldn't go again. Think it was quite expensive for what it was but there again it was novelty factor. I would imagine the Christmas trip would be good

I was disappointed with this trip. I had been very much looking forward to taking my little ones on this trip, and I was even excited myself having never been on a train before. And at cost of around $100 for three tickets I had high expectations. We were told to be there an hour early only to wait to get on the parked train the entire time. Seating was fist come first serve. The train was barely decorated and the elves were high school girls dressed in green t-shirts, black pants and homemade hats. Where are the elf ears and the tights? The conductor was very nicely dressed though and played an excellent part. We were not able to hear the reading of the book at all, I am not even sure that they finished the reading. The cookie and cocoa were very good and the kids enjoyed that part. The north pole consisted of about 5 sheds with some lights stuck to them. Santa was a small gray haired, gray bearded man. My 4 year old instantly said that is not Santa. I was under the impression we would get off the train and visit the north pole. Not so, Santa gets on the train and then the train immediately starts backing up to its starting point. Santa did give the kids very nice silver bells. So don't waster your money buying ornaments in the gift shop. The trip back consisted of very loud Christmas song screamed by the elves. The elves were more concerned with getting the parents to dance than the kids I felt. The repeatedly tried dragging my husband up to dance. I was very glad when it was over as were my kids. They were very tired and bored of the whole thing. It is sad I feel because they have the potential to make it very nice if they would put a little more effort into it. At this time, I would never go back and spend that much money for such a half hearted attempt at the magic of the polar express.

We did the 7:30 pm Polar Express ride and the little ones had a great time. May have needed a little earlier time for the 4 year old he was pretty grumpy toward the end. The conductor was fantastic as were the 2 "elves" we had on our train car. They really involved the kids in the singing and dancing and made them feel very special. They read the Polar Express story to you plus theres lots of Christmas music, cookies and hot chocolate (which both of them were very tasty) then the highlight is Santa comes and talks to each child and takes pictures with them. You are allowed to take your own pictures or buy the ones the photographer takes.The ride is about 11/2 hours. The kids and adults as well can wear their pajamas, it is kind of cool if you dont do first class so dress warm.There is an activity tent for the kids while your waiting for your turn to ride and a gift shop.It was a fun experience and very well organized. I can't wait to go back next year. If you plan on going book early as it sells out very fast.

This is a wonderful experience. You feel like you are back in the days of train robbers in the Old West. The scenery is so beautiful and makes for a fun and relaxing travel adventure. Our kids loved it too.

The Indiana Railway Museum offers an amazing Polar Express opportunity. It is worth the few extra dollars for first class seats. We've participated in other Polar Express excursions, and this one is by far the best. It is well organized, safe and family-oriented. All folks are provided hot chocolate and aCookie. Children are visited by Santa and given a bell. First class participants receive a collectors mug and ride in newly refurbished and well-climate controlled cars.I recommend the 5:30 excursion, unless your children are older and are night-owls. I also suggest enjoying dinner at a local mom and pop such as Butchie's (in Dubois). Parents can enjoy a delicious meal, cold beer or glass of wine while children work off their hot chocolate and cookies while riding Butchie's famous barrel horse.