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57 reviews for Roaring Camp Railroads
My husband and I have made a few trips here over the years. Our most recent visit was a week ago.
We've done just one train ride, the shorter one what goes up into the nearby hills. Maybe we'll do the Santa Cruz ride one of these days.
We love to hear the steam and various clanking and chugging sounds of the engines. That's the main attraction for us. Haven't eaten there or done the other touristy things.
Come dressed in clothes that you don't mind getting soot on.
Parking is $7 per vehicle. If you come off-season and enter when a train is not about to depart, you could very well get in for free.
For Labor Day weekend, my parents came to our place and we took them to Santa Cruz since my dad wanted to go on this Train Ride. I must warn you of a few things before deciding to go on this. First of all, it's three hours long. Second of all, there is no bathroom on the train. Third of all, it's an old train so the ride can be a bit bumpy at times.
Bring some water and snacks or eat beforehand as the only place they stop at an hour and a half later has only two places to eat at that overcharge for substandard food of course. There is an hour break before the train leaves again.
At the stop, there is a restroom, a general store, and two places to eat at. One place is called "The Roaring Camp Chuckwagon Barbecue, but it is overpriced. A small platter of food that consists of chicken, ribs, or a combo with a very small salad, beans, and a small piece of corn and a drink costs close to $20.00.
The ride was OK but nothing that special IMHO. The scenery was just eh, a bunch of trees mostly. The most exciting part of the whole ride was when some people from a hotel nearby threw Mardi Gras beads at the passengers both leaving the station and coming back. It had to do with some anniversary of something.There were a few times to where the train stopped suddenly which caused me to think we hit something. We didn't, but it the impact was enough to jolt me forward a little in my seat.
I would NOT recommend standing up as the jolts tend to be unexpected. You might end up falling on your ass in front of a bunch of people with cameras and videos, lol! I must admit, seeing the redwood trees was nice, but the old guy ruined things a bit by saying how the trees were here since your great, great, great, grandma and grandpa were here about 30 times at least. I just looked at my husband and said: OMG, that's such overkill. He just laughed and said yeah, why doesn't he just say it's about 5,000 years old instead? Agreed, lol!
Also, the train did not leave on time. They had to wait for a few very slow people. This is an OK ride to take with kids or people who are easily amused. I didn't find this train ride that fun. For $21.50 a ticket, it's not worth it IMHO. Kids under 3 do ride free though. You can't use the tickets from the boardwalk here, the guy on the train said he'll 'throw' you off the train if you do, lol!
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This is an absolute must if you are visiting the area and you have a young kid. Take my advice: definitely, definitely sit in the open air car. You will miss out on too much of the scenery with the covered car! There are very few places on the ride where you'll be exposed to the sun, anyway, so don't even worry about it. I'm sun exposure-paranoid, too, and I wasn't bothered by it.
The only issue with this train ride was that the narrator guy didn't shut up the entire time. He kept babbling on and on and on! I really wish he would have had at least a 10 minute period where we could just sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Oh well.
p.s. You really don't have to get there 45 minutes early. They just say that so you'll spend lots of money on random crap.
also an annoyance was the $7 parking. oh well.
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This review is for the Halloween train. Went last night with family, there were 7 of us total and it ended up costed almost $200, then they made us pay for parking, totaling $14. It would have been fine, but it SUCKED so bad!!!!!!!! The train was slow, the storyline was bad, the speaker in the train was blown out and the guy telling the story of Ichabod Crane was basically yelling into the radio, the train crept along and had to change tracks a few times, very lame. If I wanted a story I would have gone to the bookstore, but I wanted wanted a spooky train ride. Very disappointed!
Shoop! Shoop! Wooooooooooo! Shoop!
Real old trains. Stink. Wet. FUN !!!
Go here. Bring camera.
This review is a three parter.
4 stars for Day out with Thomas. Yes, tix are expensive plus rip off convenience fee and parking fee. But you get a nice ride on a real train connected to a real Thomas. Nice 15 minute ride for little ones, through breathtaking redwood trees. Praise God for such beautiful trees and mountains.
Other stuff you get included are Thomas bounce houses, face painting, wooden and motorized trains kids can fight over, temporary tatoos, freaky guys in Topem Hat outfits. They have professional photographers, but they're cool about letting you take your own pix for free. They also have a pretty cool Thomas shop, which is expensive but has soom cool items and t shirts.
Tip: Skip the train ride, just go enjoy all the free stuff for the price of parking. You can take your free picture with Thomas just the same.
Review part 2: Big Tree Train ride -- 4 stars
For same amount of non-trivial ticket cost (buy there, don't pay convenience fee), get 45 minute or more ride through groovy redwood forest. Beautiful.
Review part 3: Special Events -- 3.5 stars
My 5 year old had a bday party. They nickel and dime. But you can get everything a la cart. Bounce house--$150, Haystack treasure hunt - $135. We did Caboose package, where we had a caboose in our party area, then at designated time, they coupled it up on the regularaly scheduled train through the woods, and we had our private caboose. Not bad, but not cheap either. We went with bringing our own food. $10 hotdogs per kid was not too reasonable... All in all, kids had a blast. They just didn't know how much it set back mom and dad.
If you have only ever frequented Roaring Camp during the organized chaos that is "Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine", you really need to get yourself over to this place during a different time of year! I learned this lesson recently.
It is so different without throngs of toddlers, preschoolers and their caregivers! It was wonderful and peaceful to not have to deal with the Thomas soundtrack and the accompanying merchandise spilling out of every corner of the place. We simply enjoyed the beautiful and charming venue we have only vaguely noticed on previous visits.
We hopped aboard the Dixiana, a narrow gauge steam train, and enjoyed a scenic 1-hour and 15-minute journey to Bear Mountain. During the ride, our conductor brought us up to speed on train trivia and pointed out amazing wonders in the natural habitat we were coursing through including the exposed root of a Redwood tree, a grandma tree who had fallen over and wound up supported by daughter trees (these younger trees are a couple hundred years old) and the remnants of a labyrinth of train trestle destroyed by fire many years ago.
The train stops for about 15-minutes at Bear Mountain where our crew made a suggestion we may try in the future --- bring a picnic lunch, hang out up at Bear Mountain and catch the later train back a few hours later. It's gorgeous and secluded. If that doesn't fit your family style though and you simply want to ride, I suggest you bring plenty of water and snacks. We didn't and wound up quite thirsty before we made it back to the depot.
It is amazing how the crew navigates this workhorse of a train up and down the thin corkscrew of tracks on this trip! The whistling and steam of the train was a pretty cool soundtrack too!
Another thing to note about Roaring Camp, the place is dog-friendly. Your four-legged friends must be on a leash though! Leashed dogs are also allowed on the train! We were happy that our golden retriever enjoyed a day on the rails with us!
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2/10/2008
Much of what I can tell you about Roaring Camp Railroads is limited to Day Out with Thomas the… Read more »
We took the beach train ride, so much better than fighting traffic at the boardwalk. We happened to go on one of the "Thomas the Train" days. Thankfully it was an organized event so the small children were roped off.
The train feels like its going to fall apart and second, that is part of the charm for sure. Sit outside if possible. The seating inside is pretty beat up and musty.
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I would give Roaring Camp Railroad four stars had it not been for "A Day Out with Thomas the Train". WHAT A RIP OFF!!!!!!
After the "Convenience fee" on each ticket, it cost about $20 per person and $7 for parking. The train ride was a few minutes up the track in either an open air car or an enclosed car and then the train stopped and went back to the boarding area. The entire ride was maybe 15 minutes. The entire time they were blaring "Thomas" music from under the seats and all the kids seemed confused.
The whole thing seemed to center around taking pictures with Thomas so they wanted the train at the depot as much as possible. Their professional pictures with Thomas were expensive, we didn't buy any when I overheard a woman say that an 8x10 cost $40. Even the food menu was covered up by sheets of paper and "Thomas Prices" were displayed...everything was marked up about a dollar or more ($4 for a hotdog, $6 for a cheese burger, $3 for water). The gift shop was filled with the usual overpriced Thomas trinkets that kids had to have.
There were a couple of free booths reading Thomas stories and letting the kids play with wooden trains.
I would definitely recommend skipping "A Day Out with Thomas the Train" and just catch the regular train to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk...it's the same price, longer ride through beautiful redwoods and way more fun!
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Can you say Thomas the Train!
Not only can you ride vintage trains through the Redwoods, but you can visit the land of Sodor with your children.
Tons of activities for the children. I'd suggest bringing a picnic to save some money. As a nonprofit organization you get dinged for parking (about $8) which is rather steep but they do need to maintain the facility and yard.
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Used to take my boys here all the time years ago, and yesterday got to take the grandson for the annual Thomas the Tank Engine tour.
Pro: little boys love trains almost as much as they love puddles to jump in. And RCR delivers in spades. Three steamers, a diesel, and (at least for two weekends a year), Thomas. Disclosure - That's not REALLY Thomas pulling all those passenger cars - there's a diesel hidden away at the other end of the car - but the kids don't need to know that, do they....
RCR does a good job of handling the traffic generated by their special events, and Thomas is no exception. In a situation where you have TONS of kids running around, the staffers do a good job of making everyone happy.
RCR on a typical day has a few trains going - the Redwood Run, a beautiful ride through the Redwood Forest, and the Beach Run, which takes you through that same Redwood Forest down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Here's a hint - why drive to Santa Cruz, wait two hours to park, then pay for parking, the walk forever to get back to the boardwalk, when you can drive to Felton, have a nice comfortable ride in the train to that same boardwalk, and get dropped off in front? Seems like a win/win to me.
RCR gets a thumbs up - the ONLY reason they didn't get a five star rating is their parking policy (charging/vehicle is ok, but charging for motorcycles dings 'em...yeah, I'm petty).
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Just Took The Beach Train On Saturday! Weather Was PERFECT! We Sat Outside And It Was Soooo Relaxing...The Breeze Was The Best!...My Son Enjoyed The Train As Well As All The Other Kids On The Train LoL! The Train Went Through The Santa Cruz Mountains And Then Stopped At The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk...You Get To Get Off For An Hour...If You Take The Early Train At Nine You Can Stay Longer At The Boardwalk...And Catch The Last Departure Back To Roaring Camp...I Will Definitely Take The Beach Train Next Time I Come Back To Santa Cruz!
This is such a great experience. It is one of two operating steam engines in the United States that has a switch-back. This is a ton of fun, when everyone in the train is shouting, "Heave!" and shifting their weight in the direction they want the train to go.
The engineers and conductors are extremely friendly and full of knowledge about the history of the location. (If you want to be an engineer for a day, there are ways you can go about doing that. Score!)
The resting area is okay. This is where the one star came off. The food is overpriced. The customer service in the gift shop is less than stellar.
But, the food is good, and the gifts in the gift shop are great!
The ride itself is such a great time! There is nothing like being on a steam engine in the middle of the redwoods.
It was a great time had by all in my family!
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Absolutely sit in an open air car so you can really see everything and take in the redwoods at their best. I thought the parking fee ($7) and the train ticket (~$22) was steep but then I walked the grounds and they are big and beautiful. The train ride was beautiful as well through the redwood. I wish it was a little longer (it was about 1 hr or 1 15 min R/T) but my 2 year old fell asleep on the way back so I think it was long enough for him. The kids LOVED it (2 and 11 yrs old) and so did we so I would recommend it as a good day trip while in the Santa Cruz area.
it was fun! and for being a tourist attraction, it wasn't overly tacky.
it would be more fun with kids, but as a kid at heart, it was definitely worth visiting.
Got kids? Or not...great place to take a train ride.. narrow gauge steam trains running up bear mountain and back. Round trip a little over an hour. Train will stop at the top for about 10 minutes allowing you to get off and see the redwood groove. The setting is the best. Unique experience in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's a tad pricey so keep that in mind. The roundtrip beach train is also a great way to travel to and from the boardwalk and not fight the traffic. You can depart from the redwoods or from the boardwalk. Just be aware of the return trips and when they occur so you don't get stranded. However, you can return anytime...so if you want to stay overnight at the beach or in Felton and return the next day...do so. Also a tad pricey. I opt for a season pass since I'm local, 70$ for unlimited runs on both trains for a year. You can get "around" the higher parking fees if you are willing to walk a little. Park on Hwy 9 and enter through Henry Cowell State Park, they are connected. Or pay to enter the state park, I think the fees are cheaper...well...as of this review. Special events DEFINITELY WORTH A LOOK SEE - The Civil War reenactments on Memorial Day weekend, The GHOST TRAIN @ Halloween, and the Train Robberies. But The Thomas Train Thingy...In my opinion is a huge rip off, they get ya good in regard to the kids, but it's their biggest money making weekend. I don't have kids, but have worked the event as a Paramedic a few years back. I was a bit shocked at what you actually get in exchange for the price of admission. All the surrounding areas are great for picnics, bike riding, hiking etc.
4 Stars as a great local attraction, less one star for the price.
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28th Annual Civil War Battles & Encampment this weekend!
http://www.roaringcamp...
Haha... I'm gonna wear a confederate flag as a cape and run like the wind through the crowds! Haha... uhh, you dare me to? Yeah, and watch me get shot :(.
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2/13/2009
Come and ride a train! A choo choo train!!!
It's fun and historical. Who wouldn't want to come to my… Read more »
We went there for Easter fun, and Roaring Camp did not disappoint. How could you not love these steam trains? They beat toy trains, that's for sure. There's big sound, big steam, big smoke, big water towers, big whistling, big rumbles on tracks, big chugga-chuggas up Bear Mountain, big vibrations, big coastal redwoods that line your way.
Roaring Camp separates the kiddos into three groups for the egg hunt on Bear Mountain, which is great. That way the littlest ones don't get trampled by the oldest egg hunters. And the staff here actually bother to hide the treasures in the hay! That's a lot more than what Los Gatos did for its age-group egg hunts (the eggs were just thrown all over the enclosed field, and that's it -- so lazy and lame for a hunt). And the Easter Bunny was cute and not terribly frightening-looking (at least to me anyway).
Roaring Camp itself has a really nineteenth-century atmosphere and old-fashioned charm, and it's clean! No complaints about the facilities, friendly staff, trains. Sure, the BBQ place's food is overpriced, but all attraction park food is overpriced. At least the food was decent and served hot and quickly (the corn on the cob was especially piping hot). A big plus for open-barrel marshmallow roasting over coals. Another big plus for not serving soda with the meals.
The only con I can think of right now is that parking was an additional $7. And the time spent on Bear Mountain was not long at all, so you feel like maybe the trip was too short.
Very pleased with our little adventure and will be returning for Day Out with Thomas in late July. Would recommend to families with toddlers and older (although you cannot walk or run around on the train while it's moving -- definitely a no-no, and the conductor will tell you to sit down!)
Roaring Camp is a great place to hold a large party: there is a ton of space for the kids to run around and getting your own train car for the party is fun, too. It's been a couple years, but hubby and I celebrated a combined milestone birthday for the two of us here with a fantastic group of friends. So, even though this particular event was for two adults, everyone and their families were able to join in and have a good time. A picnic area was reserved a month prior, and on the day of the event the men immediately set out to start BBQ-ing (flames and explosions have a truly uplifting effect on testosterone, y'know) while the women laid out the sides, condiments, etc. Guests came and went as they pleased, and after cleaning up our picnic area we didn't have to worry about cleaning up our house!
Personally, I love being outdoors, and out here at Roaring Camp you can take in the beautiful Coastal Redwoods that once were wide-spread but now exist only in a narrow belt from Southern Oregon to Monterey County. They are some of the tallest trees in the world -- some rising to more than 300 feet tall. Next time you are in the shade of these living historical monuments, give them the respect they deserve; they live an average of 500 years and some can reach 2,000 years old.
I haven't had a chance to take the train to the Boardwalk, but it's certainly on my list of things to do every summer!
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This place lives up to its name. Right when I parked my car, I heard the loud noises of a steam train. Train rides into the old/historic Santa Cruz Mountains are fascinating. There are a number of themes and activities that occur here during the different seasons of the year.
This summer, I went here during a Day Out with Thomas...actually not for me. Thomas the Train usually visits the little kiddies for 6 days every year.... the last weekend of July and first weekend of August. There's no park admission....although, you do have to pay for parking, train ride, food and drinks, and souvenirs. There are children's activities that are free...like a magic show, playing in the jump house, storytelling, face-painting, tattoos, pictures with Sir Topham Hat, and playing kiddie games. Kids love it here during this time because they can witness or ride on the everpopular Thomas and just have fun with the beautiful surroundings. Expect to pay over $20 for the train ride though....not worth it in my opinion.
Food services and music performances are just fine and suitable to the event and its environment. There are many patient volunteers who help in all the areas of this large event. Hats off to staff and all the volunteers who really make this event a success.
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The best way to see this place is through the eyes of a 5 - 7 year old. Nothin' like steam, grease, and noise to get a kid excited. Sit in the open-air cars, the best views from the train are straight up. Avoid hot days, not a lot to cool you off here which could ruin a kid's experience.
Actually, I'd give Roaring Camp itself a higher mark. The three stars is for Day Out with Thomas.
The ride costs us a little over $20 a ticket and it was only about 25 minutes long. Basically, the train up at the front is Thomas, but all the other cars are plain. There are two engines, one at the front and one at the rear. The rear car pulls all the open topped cars into the beautiful redwood forest and the front engine pull the cars back into camp.
We loved the ride, but the music and constant commercial advertising Island of Sodor, Thomas and all his friends all throughout the ride was a bit much. We were trying to take in the view but had to either mouth what we were trying to say to one another or try and talk over the music and commercial spilling out of the speakers under our seats. My son was so agitated by the sound that he put his little hands over his ears.
The gift shop that sold everything Thomas was a bit of a madhouse. It wasn't that the products were overpriced, but it was just so sad to see all these hyped up boys and girls grabbing everything and anything with Thomas on it and telling their parents they wanted to buy it or that they needed it. Yikes.
Otherwise, Roaring Camp Railroads is situated in a beautiful area and we're planning to try one of their 'regular' steam train rides in the near future.
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We went for the Starlight Evenings event (a 2 hour round trip tour of the redwoods in the evening complete with colored lights that make everything purdy, hot tea and cocoa). It's definitely a summer event, and it's still chilly so be sure to bring a sweater and a big ol' blanket to cuddle up under, but this is a really cool, semi-romantic, and different way to end your day at the beach.
For this event the train leaves and returns to Santa Cruz beach board walk, so you really can spend the day relaxing or riding the rides, and then end the day on a high note with the train ride through the woods.
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My Son and I LOVE it here! It is about an 1 1/2 -2 hour drive for us but worth the drive for "Day Out With Thomas The Train" we enjoyed a day filled with Thomas activities, face painting, tattoo, coloring, magic show, hay play area, and to end the day with a Train ride it was truly AWESOME. We are definitely going to come back next year for day with Thomas.
Food: BBQ $6.00 for a small plain and bland hamburger. water and sodas $3.00 (bring your own food and drinks)
Parking: there is a fee
Scene: very pretty and green
weather: Nice and warm
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I am sure this is more fun to do with kids, but my husband and I decided to check it out in our never-ending quest to find stuff to do on a weekend.
He was really impressed by the redwoods. I thought the train was kind of cool but hey a tree is a tree to me (for the most part).
The Starlight Evening thing sounds interesting, so maybe one day we'll do it again. After we have kids.
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I spent yesterday here at my friend's wedding.
I know Roaring Camp doesn't really top the list of local wedding locations, but really, this was a great choice. You don't have to be a train aficionado or a Civil War re-enactor to appreciate a laid-back wedding ceremony and reception with fun and character to spare.
The guests met down at the camp and then we took a steam train up the mountain to a beautiful redwood grove where we all stood around and watched my friend say "I do." (Sob) My feet were killing me and the high heels stuck in the dirt, but I didn't care - it was a beautiful spot for an outdoor ceremony. And when they kissed at the end of the ceremony, they blew the train whistle - so cute. On the ride back down, we had a champagne toast.
Bret Harte Hall provided ample room for the reception, and the food (each guest got half a chicken, beans, corn on the cob, and salad) was pretty good. The corn was a bit overcooked, but still fine. The servers wore train conductor costumes.
If you're looking for a nice space for a more laid-back wedding, consider Roaring Camp. Just don't wear spiky heels in the dirt.
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This place is weird. Like, Renaissance Faire weird. Once I got here I really wanted to get all dressed up like my husband was gonna fight in the Civil War.
I got on the early (11 am) train ride after gawking at the re-enactors. This was a train headed to the top of "Bear Mountain" or something, it didn't go to the beach. The ride was a little boring, but you might like it if you are hella into trains or you like getting bugs and leaves in your hair.
When I got to the top I got off the train and took the "Eco-tour" hike back down the mountain, rather than the the train. I would definitely suggest this; it's an easy peasy walk and our leader talked to us about the plants and was very receptive to questions.
Back at the camp, the Civil War battle reenactment was kinda boring and friggin' loud! Bring earplugs.
Also, bring food. I paid $10 for a hamburger which was just barely a notch above Burger King.
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I can't believe I didn't ''yelp'' this place before coming here. I had no idea it was going to be an open train. I literally froze my a** off. I had a scarf and jacket, but definitely needed more. I came home with half of the Redwood forest in my hair because I didn't have a hat on either.
The speech going up the mountain about the history of the train was fairly interesting. Most likely if you have kids with you, it will be more enjoyable.
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Everyone on the train was happy and enjoyed the beautiful trip. I have also enjoyed trips on two other narrow gauge trains. This one is most enjoyable for kids and families. The parking lot fee is $6 giving the family convenient access to the park; not too bad when you consider the city of Santa Cruz takes a $10 bill for parking at the boardwalk. Roaring Camp is actually a very well maintained and beautiful place to take the family for a picnic, etc.
The train ride I took was about an hour into the redwoods. A real steam engine pulled the open cars full of smiling tourists into the forest. We stopped for 10 minutes at the top of the ride with most getting off the training and gathering about 50 feet away in a small grove of huge redwoods. Nice.
The White Pass & Yukon Route is also a narrow gauge rail line with a truly remarkable history. Fabulous ride!
http://www.railsnorth....
And if you find yourself in the southwest corner of Colorado try this Durango ride. Find another couple and buy one-way rides. The first couple takes the train while the other drives the car up to the far end. Then the couples switch off for the return trip down the same set of tracks. Also a great ride!
http://www.durangotrai.../
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What's there not to like about a real steam engine choo-chooing thru the woods?!
There is a mountain loop, and there is the redwoods to the boardwalk route. In December there is a Christmas train. Can't remember if there are other special train days.
Nice picnic grounds in the grove by the station, and a fun "old fashioned store" that sells those sticks of sugar candy in 20 different flavors like peppermint and butterscotch.
Pretty much every kid who grew up here has fun memories of school and family outtings to Roaring Camp, and out-of-towners sure seem to enjoy it too.
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I had never been on a train till I came here.
Me and my kids had a lot of fun!
The train ride and food is a little expensive but worth it.
You get a ride through the Santa Cruz mountains, over bridges and straight down to the beach boardwalk.
You can hang out at the boardwalk for 4 hours and take the ride back. (or 2 hours)
The train has closed cabins and open ones and it's real nice to sit out on the open cabins as well.
When you get back to roaring camp they have a big BBQ set up and for like 20-30 bucks you can feed the family and get steak, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, etc etc.
They have a live band ( well one guy) singing old country tunes and I gotta admit I kinda got caught up in the moment.
There happened to be a lot of people there. A lot of older people. And when he finished doing some old johnny cash song I started clapping and gave the signature retarded loud hurt your ears for days whistle (which my kids get a huge kick out of) and everyone at this whole function stopped eating and turned around to see who was making such a ruckus.
Even the guitarist looked over I don't think he's used to getting any applause at all.
So at this point I stood up and yelled "What the $#%$# are A$$H**ES all staring at?
No I didn't do that part. But maybe I should have just to take the No Class train a step further.
But hell ya the train ride is damn tootin!
As for Thomas the Train?
We didn't come on one of the the theme days but even my kids thought it sounded lame.
No bathrooms on the train either so make sure you bring some adult diapers if your gonna be drinking!
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This place puts a permanent smile on my son's face, so how can I not love it??
The annual Thomas The Train weekend rolls in every summer and until he outgrows it, we will go! A great ride that isn't too long or short and loads of happy kiddies and relaxed parents. After the train ride, you can participate in various Thomas themed arts and crafts, games and shows. Tickets go fast, so it's best to purchase some months before!
We visited here on a "Day Out With Thomas"...which, btw, is something I can't imagine anyone doing more than once...but at the time, our Thomas fanatic was in awe. Thomas tatoos, picture with Sir Topham Hatt...and of course a life-size Thomas all for a price that will make you choke. And about a million other Thomas lovers...many not even walking yet.
They do have year-round train rides here and the setting among the redwoods is absolutely gorgeous. I would certainly go back for another train ride...just not during Thomas madness. Also the prices at Roaring Camp are quite reasonable when compared to a lot of other train rides.
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Before I became a breeder, you couldn't have paid me to come to a place like this. Now, I am a total convert!
It's the ABSOLUTE best place to take your little kid who is choo-choo-crazy, like my little one.
We had an amazing time at the Thomas and Friends event, but I suspect we'd have had a blast no matter what. There were hundreds of kids there, every one of them having a great time.
We took the 2-year-old on the redwood forest train ride (not to be confused with the beach train down to Santa Cruz). It was cool and breezy under the trees, and so beautiful. Plus it's loud with all those great train sounds that the kiddies love so much.
Awesome place, can't recommend it enough.
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Iron, steam, redwoods
Up the mountain, shade and sun
Smell of green and soot
All train lovers must make a pilgrimage to this FANTASTIC corner of the Santa Cruz mountains. The train meanders up the mountain to Cathedral Grove where you can get off and marvel at the gorgeous, ancient redwoods. There are beautiful trees all the way up and all the way back. Fantastic (read: not-annoying-or-cheesy) narration by a guy who looks like a real, old-timey conductor.
Our kids (ages 3 and 6) loved, loved, loved the ride. There was plenty to see and lots of room to run around while we waited.
Be sure to bring a jacket, even if it's sunny outside. It can be chilly in the shade...
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My parents took me on this train when I was a kid. I really, really enjoyed it. My friend is a train geek and it rubbed off on me a little as a kid. So yes, I really did enjoy going here.
Excellent kids to take kids. Forget Disneyland and come here.
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I FUCKING HATE THIS PLACE!
I was forced to go here twice in my childhood and I nicknamed it The Fiery Inferno of Hell! I hate hate hate hate hate it!!!!
Who thought that making a big ol' boring place where little boys are treated like total shit by the staff, all in the sake of "the way it was back then".
The train ride is the best part, only because you're able to go to sleep, if the weather doesn't burn you alive.
Don't take your kids here! And teachers: YOUR 6TH GRADERS HATE IT HERE!!!!!!!!
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This place was totally fun! I went with my husband and my mom - no kids - and i still really enjoyed the little steam train into the redwoods.
It was cute.
RCR kinda reminds me of the Brookdale Inn in that this place is so vast, big, and over the top in some ways, that it's hard for them to keep up with the place. Some time in the past, there was a Disney Land mentality in this area, and there is just not enough time, $, attention span to keep up with all of it.
Very cool though. I can't wait to take my nephew some day.
Family came into town to visit and they wanted to experience the Redwoods. So we decided to give this place a try. We went for the first ride at 11 on a Sunday, and the ride was definitely pleasant and relaxing. The gentlemen who narrates the train is a hoot, not too cheezy, but entertaining at the same time. Reaching the summit was anti-climatic as I anticipated an open view from the top, but just had a good amount of space to run around and stretch the legs, use the restroom. (there were picnic tables for those who wanted to picnic).
The ride back down was fine besides a quick brake check problem, and as some have mentioned before it def got chillier in the shade and we all had a twig or two in our hair/shoulders when we left. When we arrived back at the beginning, the crowd for hte next train was huge!! I def recommend going early. Nice, relaxing, nothing special though. I might go back for a Halloween themed ride in October though as apparently they tell and act the story of the headless horseman!
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This is a great day out for munchkins, and also a fun place to bring visitors from out of town.
You can hit a number of Santa Cruz-esque sights by starting at Henry Cowell Park (it's cheaper to park there and walk over to Roaring Camp) and checking out the redwoods. There's a cut-away of a huge log that shows how old the tree was by marking significant historical events along the rings. There's also a short nature trail and visitor's center. You can walk right over to Roaring Camp and get one of the old steam trains down to the Boardwalk, go on some rides, maybe partake in a corndog, and then take the train back up to Roaring Camp.
They also do special events here - I went to a wedding in the big hall and it was really fun. Roaring Camp does seasonal events, too, like Ghost Rides around Halloween and Christmas Caroling by train in December.
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