Day Out With Thomas™, featuring Bob the Builder™ in a live Can-Do Crew stage show, begins each day at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. – even on Sundays. We try to make these special days as much alike as possible, so that the “best” day depends on what is convenient for you rather than what is scheduled.
- Below is an alphabetical list of things you will need to know about: activities; diaper changing and restroom areas; directions; food; gift shop; local accommodations; parking and on-site transportation; tickets; train ride; and weather.
- If you have any other questions, call 704-636-2889 or visit our Web site at www.nctrans.org.
ACTIVITIES
• Day Out With Thomas™ offers an opportunity for children and their grownups to take a 25-minute ride with Thomas the Tank Engine™ and pose for a picture with Sir Topham Hatt™, the Superintendent of the Railroad. Every event includes Thomas & Friends™ storytelling, a viewing station for Thomas & Friends videos, temporary tattoos, and an Imagination Station.
• A special guest will also pay a visit to the Day Out With Thomas event, as everyone’s favorite builder, Bob the Builder™, stops by to help his friend. In a 20-minute performance, Bob the Builder will ask for the help of aspiring Can-Do Crew members in building a great project.
- Bob the Builder shows will take place four times per day at 10 a.m., Noon, 2 and 4 p.m. About 30 minutes after each show, Bob will be available for pictures.
• The activities on site at Day Out With Thomas™ are for you and your children to enjoy for several hours or more. Your ticket defines a specific Thomas train ride time; however, Bob the Builder stage shows will take place at 10 a.m., Noon, 2, and 4 p.m. and do not have assigned seating, so you may enjoy one or more performances if you choose. Please plan your day accordingly so that you arrive at least one hour before your scheduled train departure, and also allow enough time to attend one of the Bob the Builder shows.
• Event maps will be available at the information booth, showing you where and when the various activities will take place. The site opens early at 8:30 a.m. and stays open late until 6 p.m. so that you can enjoy all of the activities.
• Our site was originally the steam locomotive repair facility for Southern Railway. It is large and fairly flat and handicapped-accessible. Wheelchair lifts are available on our train rides. If you have specific needs, simply ask a staff member and we will do our best to accommodate you.
• The additional activities are included in the price of your ticket include: Visit with Sir Topham Hatt, Temporary Tattoos, Magician, Model Train Layouts, Storyteller, Live Music, Thomas the Tank™ and Bob the Builder™ Videos, Coloring Area, Hay Bale Slide Play Area, Inflatable Bounce Castles, Putt Putt Golf, Thomas the Tank Play tables, Operation Life Saver locomotive on display, and more.
• A photo area near the real Thomas the Tank Engine will be available for you to take your own snapshots in between train ride times. A professional photographer may also be set up in that area and will offer photo packages for a fee.
- Whether you take your own pictures or have them professionally made, you must still wait in line for your turn, since this is also used for crowd control so that the train ride can depart on time.
• You will also want to bring a camera to get a picture of your child with Sir Topham Hatt and Bob the Builder. There is no professional setup at these locations.
- Disposable cameras, 35MM film, batteries, and memory cards will be available for sale in the Gift Shop.
• A second train ride – a Caboose Train – will also run on approximately the same schedule as Thomas. This is NOT covered by your Thomas ticket, and tickets for this ride are not sold in advance.
- Museum members can ride this train at a discounted rate. For others, tickets will be at “festival” rate (same for everybody 3 and up – probably $7 each).
- The Caboose Train loads at Barber Junction Visitor Center.
DIAPER CHANGING AND RESTROOMS
• A truly nice diaper changing room is available at no charge during Thomas. Find it on the event map.
- There are no restrooms attached to the diaper changing room. Restrooms are clustered next to Barber Junction Visitor Center, the red brick building near the Thomas train loading area, and in the far end of the Roundhouse. Port-a-jons will also be available throughout the site.
DIRECTIONS
• The North Carolina Transportation Museum is located in Spencer, in the central piedmont of North Carolina, less than a five minute drive from Exit 79 off Interstate 85, and almost exactly halfway between Greensboro and Charlotte. In good traffic we are a 45-minute drive from the outskirts of Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston Salem, Statesville, and Albemarle.
- Our address is 411 S. Salisbury Avenue, Spencer, NC 28159. Our Foundation’s mailing address is NCTMF, P. O. Box 69, Spencer, NC 28159.
- Salisbury Avenue in Spencer is an extension of North Main Street in Salisbury. Both are also Hwy. 29. By the time it passes our entrance, it is also Hwys. 70 and 150. Hwys. 601 and 52 come near.
- Get Google Map directions here.
• Take North Carolina's Amtrak train to get to the event. Click here for information on trainride schedules and prices, or visit www.bytrain.org.
FOOD
• Approximately ten food vendors will be on site – mostly area civic groups, and with very reasonable prices.
- If you prefer, you are permitted to bring your own food and use the picnic shelters. You are also permitted to leave the site and return during the day. Finding another parking space, however, could be a problem.
- There are several restaurants and some very nice shops within walking distance.
- Salisbury also has an excellent selection of restaurants.
GIFT SHOP
• The BIG tent is our special Thomas the Tank™ and Bob the Builder™ Gift Shop. Our regular museum Gift Station will also be open. Our Foundation is a non-profit associated with a state-owned facility, so there is no sales tax.
- Both gift shops will accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express, as well as cash and checks – with proper identification.
- A branch bank (SunTrust) with a teller machine is across the street from the Museum. A Cash Points station is located in the Food Lion shopping center about one block north of the museum.
• This event is the museum’s largest fundraiser of the year and is run by museum staff and volunteers. Funds go toward restoration projects and educational programming.
LOCAL ACCOMODATIONS
• Holiday Inn of Salisbury is the official hotel sponsor of Day Out With Thomas at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C. To make reservations, please click here.
• At this time, there are no hotels in Spencer. There are clusters of them near Exit 76 (Innes St.-Hwy 52: Comfort Suites, Howard Johnson Express, Super 8, Studio Suites) and Exit 75 (Jake Alexander Boulevard-Hwy 601 Bypass: Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, Best Western, Ramada Limited). In nearby Lexington, there are hotels located off Exit 91.
• For information about hotels and other attractions in the area, we recommend you contact the Rowan County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-332-2343 or 704-638-3100 or www.visitsalisburync.com.
PARKING AND ON-SITE TRANSPORTATION
• Parking on site is free. Parking across the street from the museum is usually offered for a fee.
- We recommend you arrive on site at least an hour before your Thomas train ride departs, so that you have time to park, use the restroom, and get in line.
- Remember, the Bob the Builder stage shows do not have assigned seating and will only take place at 10 a.m., Noon, 2, and 4 p.m. Please plan your day accordingly so that you arrive at least one hour before your scheduled train departure, and also allow enough time to attend one or more of the Bob the Builder shows, if you choose.
- For example, if you have purchased a train ride ticket for 5:15 p.m. and you plan to see the Bob the Builder show, you will need to arrive by about 3:15-3:30 p.m. because the last Bob show is at 4 p.m.
• A trolley will be available – at no charge – to carry you over the longer distances on site. It has three regular stopping points: Barber Junction Visitor Center , Information Booth near the Sir Topham Hatt tent, and the Roundhouse. Staff members at those locations can call the trolley for you.
TICKETS
• 2009 Thomas tickets are $18 per person for ages 2 and older for Saturday and Sunday events or $16 for Friday events. Museum Members receive $2 off Saturday or Sunday event tickets with a valid Membership ID Number (limit 6 discounted tickets per membership). Tickets are currently on sale. Ticket sales are final. Events are rain or shine.
- The Thomas contract stipulates that all credit card ticket sales must go through Ticketweb, 866-468-7630 or www.ticketweb.com. They do add a service charge per ticket. This is still the best way to go if you need to use a credit card or lock down a time slot immediately.
- You may also purchase your ticket with cash or a check in person at the museum during our regular business hours of Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. We cannot accept a credit card for advance tickets purchased on site.
- There will be a limited number of tickets available for sale on the day of the event, but these sell out very quickly, so advance purchase is strongly recommended. Saturday and Sunday time slots are the most popular, so many train ride times on those days will sell out well before the event--if you need a specific date and/or train ride time, you should plan to purchase your tickets as early as possible.
TRAIN RIDE
• Your ticket is for a day of “Thomas and Bob privileges.” The time specified on your ticket is for the Thomas train ride itself, (9:15 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 1l:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 5:15 p.m.) and that is the only activity for which you are locked in to a particular time. Remember the Bob the Builder stage shows do not have assigned seating and will take place at 10 a.m., 2, and 4 p.m. You may attend one or more Bob the Builder shows.
- We ask that you be in line half an hour before the train departs because tickets are checked at that point. The boarding itself moves very quickly. An appropriate number of people will be directed to a specific rail car, and from there it is first-come, first-served for the actual seating.
- If you have special needs (e.g.: someone in a wheelchair, etc.) inform the loadmaster as soon as possible when you get in line.
- There will be a designated “parking lot” for strollers while you are on the train.
• The Thomas train boards near the two big silver water tanks, and the Thomas ticket booth is usually at the foot of these. “Will Call” tickets are also picked up at this booth. Bring photo ID.
• The Caboose train boards near Barber Junction Visitor Center and the Caboose train ticket booth is located near the boarding area.
WEATHER
• Weather in this area can vary at this time of year. Usually it is chilly in the morning and warm in the afternoon. We recommend dressing in several light layers, so you can adjust easily.
• Day Out With Thomas goes on, rain or shine. Most of the additional activities are located under cover in the Roundhouse, and remaining activities can be moved indoors or postponed briefly.
- Rain gear will be for sale in the Gift Shop and in the Gift Tent.
