Special Events
All aboard for the best birthday party ever! Thomas the Tank Engine™ is set to roll into Bryson City for the Day Out With Thomas™: The Celebration Tour 2010. All Thomas fans are invited to come spend the day with their favorite No. 1 engine and celebrate his 65th birthday. The event, which takes place July 23-27 & July 29-August 1 , 2010, will be hosted by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and presented by HIT Entertainment and sponsored by MEGA Brands, a leading toy company.
For 65 years, children have been captivated by the courageous adventures of Thomas and his engine friends. Pulling out of the station for its 15th consecutive ride on the rails, theDay Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010will visit more than 45 cities in the United States and Canada. Day Out With Thomas is the only place for families to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of everybody’s favorite #1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and hands-on arts and crafts. Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors. In addition, to celebrate Thomas’ 65th birthday, fans will be invited to check out a mini-museum highlighting special moments and events over the years, make birthday cards for Thomas, and participate in other fun activities.
Thomas the Tank Engine, star of Thomas & Friends™, on PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS SproutSM kicked off his Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010in March and is expected to welcome more than one million passengers through December. During the Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010, children will ride with Thomas up steep hills, around deep, blue lakes, and help him rescue his engine friends—if only in their imaginations. Day Out with Thomas 2010activities include:
- A 25-minute (approximate) ride with Thomas the Tank Engine
- The opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt™, Controller of the Railway
- A Thomas & Friends Imagination Station; featuring stamps, temporary tattoos, hands-on arts and crafts activities and coloring sheets.
- Storytelling, video viewing and live music
- A special display at every DOWT location celebrating 65 years of Thomas the Tank Engine
- 2010 commemorative merchandise and giveaways, including a mini-view finder giveaway that tells the story of Thomas’ upcoming adventure, Misty Island Rescue
The tour provides a unique, interactive family experience at every station, offering a variety of entertaining activities that reflect the local flavor of each stop. At the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad activities will include: a petting zoo, bouncy train, model railroad museum and carnival games that are sure to excite kids of all ages.
Dates & Times:
The approximately 25-minute train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine will depart every 45 minutes, rain or shine, with departure times at 10:00 am through 2:45 pm daily, and 9:00 am through 3:30 pm (3:30 pm departures on Saturdays only). Tickets for the Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010 are $18 plus tax for ages two and up.
thomas parking directions:
The approximately 25-minute train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine will
book now:
For tickets, more information and directions contact the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad at (800) 872-4681
Admission to the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum is included with ticket purchase. Without tickets, admission to the museum is $9 for adults and $5 for children.
For general information or to find a Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010 event near you, visit www.thomasandfriends.com. About Thomas & Friends™ Thomas the Tank Engine was created by a father for his son nearly 65 years ago and today is enjoyed by families in more than 185 territories and in 30 languages. The #1 blue engine and his friends invite children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. Children embark on adventures with their engine friends while experiencing timeless life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation. Thomas & Friends makes tracks to great destinations on PBS KIDS®, PBS KIDS SproutSM and with downloadable episodes available through iTunes. For more information about the world of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, please visit www.thomasandfriends.com. About HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment, owned by private equity investment group Apax Partners, is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™, Pingu™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™ and Rainbow Magic™. HIT represents Chapman Entertainment’s Fifi and the Flowertots™ and Roary the Racing Car™ in North America and Japan, as well as Wallace & Gromit™, Shaun the Sheep™ and Aardman Classics from Aardman Animations. HIT also acts as representative for The Wiggles® in the UK. Launched in 1989, HIT’s lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. HIT is a part-owner of US-based preschool channel, PBS KIDS SproutSM, and international preschool channel JimJam, (outside of the US, UK and China). For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com. About MEGA Brands MEGA Brands is a trusted family of leading global brands in construction toys, games & puzzles, arts & crafts and stationery. They offer engaging creative experiences for children and families through innovative, well-designed, affordable and high-quality products. Visit http://www.megabrands.com for more information.