6 things kids, families will love at NC Transportation Museum's Day Out With Thomas

Day Out With Thomas returns to the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer for two big weekends of fun for train-loving kids and their adults.

Everybody's favorite tank engine will be on hand for rides, but this annual event isn't just about the rides. The day includes lots of other fun transportation-themed activities.

I checked in with Mark Brown, the museum's information and communications specialist, to get more details about what this long-running event has in store for families.

Day Out With Thomas is at the museum, which is about two hours from Raleigh, from Sept. 28 to Sept. 30 and Oct. 5 to Oct. 7. Tickets are between $20 and $32 depending on what day you ride and whether you add on a ride with Percy as well. You also can enjoy a pancake breakfast with Sir Topham Hatt for $12.

The transportation museum's website has all of the information and ticket details.

And here are 6 things you can do during a Day Out With Thomas at the N.C. Transportation Museum.

Ride along with Thomas ... and add on a ride with Percy, too

Pulling trains is what Thomas does. And he'll be pulling the museum’s passenger train during the Day Out With Thomas. Your ride is included with every ticket purchase. You also can tack on a ride with Percy as he pulls a train full of six colorful cabooses. The rides run about 25 minutes and give you a from-the-rails view of this state historic site.

Get your photo with Thomas, Percy, and Sir Topham Hatt

Always a hit with the kiddos, you can have a professional photographer take your photo, or you can take your own at no extra charge. Smile big for Thomas!

Enjoy ALL the activities

It's not just about the train rides and meet and greets. Other activities include a kid-sized ride on the Thomas Power Wheels – a small locomotive sized perfectly for the little ones; games inside the Back Shop like cornhole or ring toss; bounce houses; a hay bale maze; a make-and-take-home craft; coloring stations and more.

See live music and magic

Be sure to check the schedule for the live magic and music shows taking place in the museum’s Back Shop. Magician Ryan Short mixes magic and comedy to create a show that keeps the kids completely entertained, while Big and Tall perform music that both kids and adults will love.

Don’t miss the model trains

Three model railroading groups will be in attendance with amazing model train layouts that stretch 20-feet to 30-feet long. Kids love pointing out the tiny versions of Thomas and Percy as they zoom along the model tracks.

Visit the museum

All of the N.C. Transportation Museum’s regular exhibits are included when you buy tickets for Day Out With Thomas, including the railroad, automotive, and aviation displays. Steam locomotives from the 1900s, automobiles from throughout the 20th century and the Piedmont Airlines DC-3 are just some of the things you can see. If you go, be sure to walk through the Bob Julian Roundhouse, the largest remaining roundhouse in North America, for an up close view of real-life, really big locomotives.

An all-day pass option, scheduled only for Oct. 5, is sold out. But there are plenty of other tickets available. museum's website has more information.