Most young kids love trains. I know my 7-year-old does. There aren’t many places within driving distance to hop aboard a train — much less an open-air train — for a fun ride through town and maybe a few surprises along the way. We recently tried the Georgia Coastal Railway in Kingsland, Georgia, which is also home to a museum, a model train display, and an indoor stage with shows and live performances year-round.
The non-profit organization puts on many events throughout the year including comedy shows, singing and dancing events, theater summer camps, vocal tributes to Frankie Valli and the Bee Gees, Elvis Presley, gospel and generational hits, The Ed Sullivan Show, and more. Check out their theater schedule for the full Georgia train listing.
I took my son and a friend to the limited-time Stone Age Show, which started in the theater with two performers who resembled Fred and Betty from The Flintstones, along with “live” dinosaurs stomping across the stage and interacting with the kids seated up front. There were jugglers and aerial stunts, too. Then, we boarded the train for a one-hour ride with smaller dinosaurs (think puppet-size) entertaining adults and kids in the four open-air railcars. Tickets for the shows often run for under $20 per person, and you can also rent the caboose for a fun time with up to 10 passengers. Military discounts are available.
Other popular themed train rides include a pirate train, Wild West train, Christmas train, Easter train, Halloween train, and more. The train departs from Kingsland Station just two miles west of I-95 and runs about 80 minutes through local neighborhoods, Kingsland’s commercial district, Georgia marshlands, and a working rail yard.
You can grab refreshments from the Chew Chew Express window in the lobby, featuring sodas, snacks, beer, liquor, and wine.
We saved our appetite and popped into the only restaurant we saw nearby called Steffens, an old-school diner serving made-from-scratch breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu had mostly Southern comfort food and a few specials like cinnamon swirl pancakes. The shrimp is a favorite which is what I ordered, along with grits, mac ‘n’ cheese, and biscuits that I am still thinking about. The boys had hamburgers and old-fashioned milkshakes which they both finished and enjoyed.
If you’re up for something different and less than an hour from Jacksonville, it’s a fun trip for the littles who love trains or for adults who like community performances. Or, as their tagline states: See a show – ride the train – do both!
