We came to the Whippany Railway Museum for the Polar Express train ride. I booked tickets months ago (they sell out?!) so I was very curious to see what all the fuss is about. Everyone crowds around the outside of the train until the conductor waves the golden ticket in his hand and invites everyone on board. We chose the slightly more expensive tickets that are meant to be more performers and less seats (I think?) We were in car number four. All the employees do a great job of staying in character. They're all very talented themselves, singing and dancing throughout the entire ride. Everything seemed to be really well choreographed and well planned. Even quieter parts of the train ride were entertaining. Our daughter is only one year old, but she really enjoyed herself. She loved meeting Santa. Don't bring a stroller on board, there's nowhere to put it. Definitely recommend, especially for children between three and five years old! read more

Whippany Railway Museum - Museums Near Me - Whippany, New Jersey

My family and I visited the Whippany Railway Museum for the Polar Express train ride, and it was a sweet, holiday-themed experience that the kids will love. Adults less so, but parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents will experience secondary joy from watching the little ones become enveloped by this immersive show. The train ride itself is a short back-and-forth ride on a single track with all the windows covered with wintry decals. But no one would think to complain about the lack of a view because the show makes the whole thing worthwhile. A well-trained cast brings the old picture book to life, complete with live songs, snacks (warm cocoa and shortbread cookies), props (that double as keepsakes), and a visit from Santa. The actors and actresses deserve their own paragraph of laudation. The Polar Express employs an entire cast for each train car (including some that I assumed were shared between train cars), and they're incredible. Not only were they high-energy and perfectly timed with the different acts of the show, but they were WONDERFUL with their interactions with everyone in the car, especially children and babies. In my opinion, they're the backbone of the magic that is the Polar Express train ride experience. Online reservations are a must, and be aware that these tickets seem to sell out fast. We booked our tickets in mid-October and were surprised to see so many seats already booked. Tickets reserve specific seats on specific cars, which makes the process of finding seats on the day of seamless and well-organized. Family pajamas are de rigueur and add to the festive atmosphere of the day. The last thing I'll add - a warning really - is to CHECK YOUR GPS closely on the day of your visit to make sure you're headed to the Whippany location. The address is a common one, and a lot of us were accidentally routed to the wrong address. Judging from the fact that this same reminder is printed in bold and underlined text at the bottom of our confirmation page, it seems this is a common error. read more

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What a wonderful experience for both children and adults. The tickets sell out quickly and that's because this is such a highly desired experience. I've been twice and am so impressed with how well-organized this event is and with the excellent entertainment throughout this Morristown & Erie Railway Christmas ride. I recommend it without reservation. read more

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We brought my niece for the polar express ride. She had a blast, and the performances are really fun.

Had a very fun time with my father at the Whippany Railway Museum. we did a Father's Day ride which was nice 30 to 40 minute ride through Morris County. The volunteers were very educated, but I feel like the price point was a little too much for what they offered. Definitely shares a lot of heritage and history about the New Jersey railways, specifically this line as well. Interesting thing to go to if your parent or family member enjoys trains/locomotives or interested in history. read more

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Review for Polar Express Train Ride!!! This was such a great experience for the kids and adults! We have been to this twice! And we enjoy it both times. My kids are 9 and 8 and they still very much enjoyed it! We also are not that local, our ride to Whippany was about 1.5hr. It was worth it! Tickets can be pricey but make sure to book in advance, usually dates further from Christmas are more inexpensive. Also, make sure to watch the movie before coming. It helps the kids understand and appreciate the story line. The performance was great, there's singing and dancing and it was all in all a great time! Def would recommend! A great activity during Christmas time! read more

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I can't speak for the Railway Museum, but the Polar Express ride is amazing and a great treat for families during the Holiday season. I don't live in the area, but was visiting family for Christmas and we loved the Polar Express ride at Whippany Station. My daughter (age 7) likes the book and movie, and what she experienced on the train was nothing short of a Braodway Show! The music, the singing, the story and atmosphere on the train is great and my daughter, and my grandmother who turned 90 years old the day after Christmas, loved it! This show is for the young, the old and everyone in between! Even during Covid and with mask restrictions, you barely even noticed. The riders, staff and cast all wore masks and it didn't take away from the experience one bit! All of the staff/actors were great! Both children and adults alike will enjoy this show. I can not recommend this Christmas time show enough! read more

Whippany Railway Museum - Museums Near Me - Whippany, New Jersey

"Runaway Train never coming back, wrong way on a one way track. ... or maybe your fascinations with trains is the "The Orient Express", either way or some other way the fascination with trains is wide ranging. The Whippany Railway Museum is a nice way to indulge your fascination with trains no matter what they maybe. In normal times the museum is open on Sundays from 12 pm-4pm but in the time of Covid-19 everything has changed. I stopped by on a Saturday and it was closed. Fortunately the museum is only 5 miles from where I live and it is always free to just roam around and look at the the trains and the various train related structures. As I was walking about googling, I discovered a number of interesting facts about the New Jersey Train System, especially the Northern New Jersey lines. There are a number of trains to look at including: the Virginia Blue Ridge No. 385, The Blue Comet (1030's) which ran from Jersey City to Atlantic City and the Silver Streak. There are over 15 trains in total to hop aboard. In addition to the trains you can see a (1911) Watch Box, (1905) Scale House and a (1904) Freight House crossing gates, signal and air raid sirens. The museum when open costs $2 for adults and $1 dollar for children. The museum has numerous artifacts and an operating train model layout. All the ticket money collected at the museum and special events goes back to restoring and upgrading the Whippany Railway experience. read more

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This review is ONLY FOR THE PUMPKIN TRAIN RIDE. What a waste it was. The kids were so excited to ride the train. The train goes down the track for about 20 minutes. You do not see anything decorated for halloween at all. I paid $19 to sit in the train for nothing. All you see is trees and the kids do not get out anywhere to 'pick" a pumpkin. WHAT YOU DO SEE ALONG THE RIDE IS abandoned train cars with tons of graffiti on them. One of the trains actually says F*uck President Trump" Give me a break. KNowing that kids and families take this ride you should of painted over these train cars. It is a disgrace that you would subject anyones family to see these things. So the train goes and comes back. No one exits the train. Once the 20 min ride is over you get off the train and you can pick from maybe 60 pumpkins that are on carts. I would have been better off going to shoprite to get a pumpkin. The prices are $9.99 to $2.99. This is just a waste... $19 to sit on a train which doesn't include a pumpkin. Give me a break............. They had an ice cream truck there and a sausage and peppers truck. Does that make any sense??????? Why not sell cider and cider donuts... Save your money ... DO NOT WASTE YOUR money or time! read more

Whippany Railway Museum - your view during the train ride is graffiti abandoned cars. One of them had curse words on it. REPAIR THEM!!!!! - Museums Near Me - Whippany, New Jersey

"Fall Fair" is an understatement in this instance. The view is the backside of residential homes, grave yard, industrial business and a river. The railway staff and engineers were friendly. I cannot say the same for the local patrons. It is obvious that the locals that paid for tickets are unfamiliar to diverse families. It's amazing how some people are resistant to change in 2022; not going to share details for obvious reasons. Will definitely do this again when the children are older and definitely NOT in Whippany, NJ read more

Rude employee older senior yelling at us "get off that train. I could tell your not a real railroader by the way your doing that" what a nasty and disgusting thing to say to young avid rail road fans. What a nasty and demeaning comment from an embarrassing "employee" at a place that is supposed to be a fun and nurturing environment for younger people and enthusiasts. This was 5/19/24 on the excursion trip. What a way to ruin your places reputation and ruin some peoples days when you could have been polite and not nasty like that. read more

another great experience at Whippany rails! We have ridden the Easter train twice, and just finished the Polar Express. There is ample parking, but get there early to avoid the craziness. They just installed a snack hut/bathroom house. Great for those of us with toddlers! We paid extra for the VIP polar express package. It included a a cute bag and mugs. Next year we will just do regular seating. All seats are assigned. They had a gift shop open to purchase polar express items. There was also a warming tent where you pick up your tickets and the kids can color pictures or write a letter to Santa. According to my 3 year old, "it was the best day ever". read more

Regarding the Hallowing/Fall "Pumpkin Festival 2019" Save your money this sucks so bad! You take a 30min ride back and forth and done. Vendors are so low budget and there's no Halloween anything but scarecrows on lamp post. Lame. I don't even Yelp anymore, but that's how annoying this was. read more

This review is for the Easter Bunny train. Don't spend your money. It's more than twice the cost of a ride on NJ Transit with less to see and negligible entertainment. Someone dressed as a bunny walked by to wave and the children got tiny stuffed bunnies. That's it. A conductor walked by with cookies I assumed were included in the $14 per child and $20 per adult. Nope. They cost money. read more

This was our 4th attempt at taking the kids to the polar express train ride. Each one being a let down. We gave this place a rey on our last attempt. Turns out just because you have a train riding to the north pole doesnt exactly mean it has the rights to THE Polar Express movie. This one does. Therefore the kids were excited to see characters from the movie. They gave out individually wrapped cookies (nut free), hot chocolate (luke warm and half the cup), and a bell. They Northern Light cart is the only one where slthe seats are facing each other. Theres a chart on their website that tells you which side is the best side to see "the North Pole." Woth all the customers they get each year. You would think they would invest in more money to make the north pole amazing. Instead it was a sad short structure. One winter ride we went on they had elves dancing outside and north pole was decorated nicely. Even ms. Claus was outside waving. Speaking of Santa. He did not stop to take pictures with the first 10 rows. We flagged him down and he looked frazzled that he had to take pictures. Um....maybe you should build that into the schedule. Kids are dying to say hi. The Essex Norrh Pole Train allowed every kid to take a picture on the train and no one was rushed. When you get there, there is a tent with 3 things to take pictures with: a tree and two scene setters of the train. If only one company invested more time and money to combine a little of everything it would be epic. read more

A fun place to take children who enjoy trains. There are the regular, themed excursion and plenty of rail cars to explore. The small museum, with its train layouts and exhibits are well worth the tiny requested admission. Plenty of parking and some restaurants in walking distance. read more

my favorite things about the Polar Express is that its a family experience. Also all the employees couldn't be nicer. I'm giving 3 stars because I found it expensive. The hot chocolate is served cold. Also I didn't like that they read the Polar Express book. There should be more acting in place of that. The train wisk by the North Pole and you have to quickly get up look out the window or else you will miss it. i think it should come to a complete stop there. Other than that it is a nice experience but very pricey read more

Went here for the Father's Day train ride. We were greeted by very friendly staff who answered all of our questions. We were able to walk around see some really nice trains both real sized and models. My two year old son was engaged and loving everything each step of the way. Then came the time to ride the train. This was the highlight. He got to sit in the upper seats of the caboose and was fascinated by everything going on. I hope everyone else coming here has as good of an experience as my son and I did. read more

My son loves this place. I think every week he convinces us to stop and let him check out all of the trains. If you have a child that loves trains check this place out. It is free to walk around and you can go really anytime that it is light out. The kids can climb on the trains and look inside. There are also weekends that they have special train rides (IE w/ Easter Bunny). I took my son on one of these rides, but it goes a little slow for him and he was more into the train than the Easter bunny. read more

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Re: Polar Express. Go at night. We went during the day and the scenery was disappointing. I would imagine at night you would not see any of that and just focus on the performance inside the train. Performers are great. Fun songs and activities. Kids liked the hot chocolate and cookies. read more

Amazing ride Polar Express like the movie performances. I definitely recommend it. The hot chocola and the cookies? amazing.

I came here with a friend, my sister, niece (7) and two nephews (2 and 5.). We started the day with the excursion train ride in a real caboose . Although a bit more than I wanted to spend, the money helped fund the restoration of the trains so i was fine paying the small fee. It was a great ride with a knowledgeable member of the railway museum. The kids (and adults) had a ball climbing up into the "cupola" and looking out the many windows as we traveled down the tracks. Once we returned to the station we went into the small but well furnished museum for the $1 donation ($0.50 for kids), split a coke in an old fashioned glass bottle and checked out the interesting exhibits and cool model train setups inside and outside. The museum and grounds catered well to both children AND adults. Everyone there was super friendly. All and all it was a great afternoon and was worth the price. read more

This was an amazing experience for the polar express ride, I especially wanted to commend one of the performers , Brian, he truly made the whole experience , he made it so exciting and fun. I saw videos when our friends went and it definitely wasn't as fun as our experience and I truly believe it was Brian and his coworkers who made the experience extra special. Awesome job ! read more

There were some really well thought-out details and the singers/dancers/hosts (in our car) were talented and friendly. I would tepidly recommend it. The biggest disappointment was the Santa who, while warm and friendly, was young and skinny!!! (And pretty short, but I think kids would overlook that if he were *at least* an older man with a "belly" and a real beard). With all the mall Santas out there in NJ with real beards, they couldn't find anyone to work the Polar Express here? I mean, come on. I don't plan on going back until that detail is improved. Unless the other Polar Express events in the state also fail in terms of their Santa read more