Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and got to spend some extra time celebrating with family and friends.
I definitely enjoyed having a little time off from blogging (and I think my family was thankful to have a few weeks where I wasn’t constantly snapping pictures of them!), but as usual, I’m getting antsy to get back out there and find new fun things to do with the kiddos!
I had hoped to have our new & improved indoor play guide ready for you this week, but between busy school schedules, the snowy weather and hubby’s unexpected business trip abroad, it’s taking me a little bit longer to get back into the swing of things 🙂
So stay tuned next week for our Ultimate Guide to Indoor Play in (and around) Connecticut!
But today, I wanted to spend a little time letting you know about one of my family’s favorite annual events: The Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds (home of the Big E) in West Springfield, MA.
This GIANT model railroad show encompasses acres and acres of indoor space. It attracts more than 25,000 visitors each year. And it boasts dozens of finely crafted model train layouts that will knock your socks off 🙂
Our favorite model train layout at the 2016 event!
Acres and acres of model train fun!
The event is super family-friendly. The parking is easy. It’s convenient to navigate with a stroller. There is plenty of kid-approved food, snacks and treats for sale. And the layout is designed to allow visitors to get an up-close view of all things model railroading. So although it is aimed at hobbyists who are looking to hone their model railroad skills and score hard-to-find accessories, it is still filled with families who are going there just to gape at the magnificent model train layouts.
Speaking of gaping, this year I am definitely bringing a couple of foldable step stools with us so that I don’t have to keep lifting up the boys so they can see those train layouts 🙂 Like this one below from Wayfair.com.
The schedule for the 2017Â event is:
Saturday January 28, 2017 from 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday January 29, 2017 Â from 10:00am – 5:00pm
Admission is $14 (per day) for adults, and kids age 15 and under are FREE (when accompanied by an adult). So it makes for a pretty budget-friendly outing with the little ones. (There is also a $5 charge for parking.)
For all the details, make sure you check out my post from last year where I give you a full tour of the 2015 event.
And we’ll see you back here next week with our Ultimate Guide to Indoor Play!
Interested in advertising opportunities with Out and About Mom? Get more info here.
Want to keep up with things to do with kids in Connecticut?
Check back every week as we dish up more Momsense for getting out and about with your little ones. Don’t have time to check back in? Let us send you an automatic notification of new posts straight to your email inbox by signing up here. Also, you can like us on Facebook and Twitter and follow us on Instagram to keep up with the latest posts and get some extra tidbits we share only through those sites.
Any chance we can get a sneak preview of the Indoor Play Guide? 🙂 Even just a list of the places that will be in the guide? I’m on vacation next week and it’s a rare opportunity to check out some new activities with my 3-year-old. Thanks!!
Okay, Lauren, but only if you promise to keep it a secret 🙂 Just kidding! You can find a complete list of all our outings on the “Places We’ve Been” pages. The “By Activity Type” Page breaks it out into helpful categories like “Indoor Play Areas”. So give that a try! I hope you have a wonderful time with your son next week. Thanks so much for being an Out and About Mom reader!