Ride, Play & Stay All Day!

September 26-28 & October 3-5

All Aboard! Thomas the Tank Engine, everyone’s favorite #1 blue engine, is coming to town and we’re celebrating big this year for Thomas and Friends™ 80th Anniversary. Day Out With Thomas: The Party Tour will be stopping at the North Carolina Transportation Museum on September 26-28 and October 3-5, 2025.

Day Out With Thomas is a fun-filled family event that takes place at Heritage Railways across the world. Each ticket includes a train ride with a life-sized Thomas the Tank Engine as well as access to a full day of activities for all to enjoy.  Optional rides with Percy are also available for an additional cost.  Thomas & Friends™ marks its 80th anniversary this year, celebrating eight decades of entertaining children and families with its timeless railway adventures. Since its debut in 1945, the beloved franchise continues to captivate young fans with new and exciting adventures.

The event at the N.C. Transportation Museum includes Thomas and Percy train rides, pictures with Sir Topham Hatt, a hay bale maze, temporary tattoos, a face painter, photo ops, character inflatables, giant lawn games, a music show, model train layouts, food vendors, picnic shelters, a large gift shop, plus three exhibit buildings featuring North Carolina’s transportation history with rail cars, antique automobiles, and a Wright Brothers flyer replica.

Ticket Prices

Tickets are $23 on Fridays, $25 on weekends, ages 1 and up (plus tax and fees). Members receive a $2 discount per Day Out with Thomas event ticket; “All Day Ride Passes” are not discounted. Event tickets include all site activities and one train ride with Thomas. Percy train tickets can be purchased for an additional $8 on Fridays or for an additional $10 on weekends. Percy Train tickets are only available as an add-on after purchasing your Day Out With Thomas™ ticket. Taxes and fees are added to ticket prices and are visible up-front when purchasing tickets.

All-Day Ride Pass

A limited number of all-day ride passes are available for Fridays, September 26 and October 3.  The all-day ride passes allow multiple rides behind Thomas the Tank Engine™ during the day.  The all-day ride pass for Thomas is available for $35 plus tax and fees. You can also add a Percy all-day ride pass to your all-day Thomas ride pass on those days for $8 plus tax and fees, while they last.  All-day Percy ride passes cannot be purchased without holding all-day Thomas ride passes.  Fans without the all-day ride passes are welcome to enjoy the event activities all day long but are limited to only the one ride time they have selected for the Thomas train and the optional Percy train.

Breakfast with Sir Topham Hatt

Start your day out with a pancake breakfast (pancakes, sausage, a fruit cup and juice) onboard a stationary train car. For $14 per person (plus tax and ticket fee) you will get breakfast and a chance to meet and get your picture taken with Sir Topham Hatt, the Controller of the Railway (picture sold separately). Everyone ages 1 and up must have a Sir Topham Hatt Breakfast ticket to board the breakfast train cars. Children under the age of 1 are free but must sit on the lap of a paying member of the party and will not be served a meal unless a ticket was purchased for them.  Seating is limited. Two 45-minute breakfast seatings are offered, from 8:15 am until 9:00 am and from 9:15 am until 10:00 am. Breakfast tickets are only available to those who also have a Day Out With Thomas ™ event ticket.  Please note that the breakfast train cars are not on a moving train.  Breakfast train cars are not ADA accessible due to the vintage nature of their construction, and participants must be able to climb up and down steps on the train car to attend breakfast.

Professional Photo Opportunities

Professional photographers are available to take photos with Thomas, Percy, and Sir Topham Hatt for an additional charge. The following professional package options are available. For multiple photo options, you can mix-and-match using either several copies of the same photo or different photos:

Option #1 – Digital file only – $35.00
Option #2 – Three (3) 5X7 prints – $30.00
Option #3 – Two (2) 5X7 prints – $25.00
Option #4 – One (1) 5X7 print – $20.00

Photos can be purchased on the day of the event at the photographer’s tent located near the Thomas train.