Dixie Stampede & Polar Express!

The Branson Scenic Railway turns into the Polar Express every winter. These tickets are hard to get, especially if you want to ride it on weekend evenings. I considered taking the boys last year but it did not work out. I made a plan back in the spring when tickets went on sale to get them, and Drew agreed to spend a night in his most favorite place in the world. 

We went all out and had dinner at the Dixie Stampede before the later train at 8:15pm, where they served us cookies and milk. It was cute and fun. They follow along with the story of the Polar Express the whole time. A little cheesy for our liking, but Griffin and Cooper enjoyed it, so that's all that mattered. 

Timing was perfect to change into our jammies and head to the train which departed right beside our hotel. The train actually traveled down real tracks, so at minimum you can say that you rode an actual passenger train if you didn't like anything else about it. There was quite a bit of Christmas lights to look at and we actually "arrived at the North Pole" where Santa boarded and took pictures. Cooper was shy, but Griffin had a lot to say.