EnterTrainment Junction - aka, Hulk's happy place

Hulk has always loved trains. The first two apartments we lived in during the first two years of his life were close to train tracks. When a train was going by, I would walk him down to the tracks so we could watch the train. It got to the point where when he heard the train whistle, he would run to the door and ask in his toddler way to go to the tracks.

When Hulk was around a year old we lived in an apartment with a sliding glass door. He had never indicated that he could unlock and open the door so it was never something we worried about. One Sunday Jason left early for a meeting at church. I slept in with Hulk (who often joined us in our bed). When I woke up, Hulk was gone and the sliding glass door was open. Naturally, I freaked out. I called 911 and started running around our neighborhood barefoot and in my pajamas while calling his name. I didn't even put my glasses on, which I am half blind without so obviously I was thinking clearly.

The spirit gave me the idea to check the train tracks (around the corner and down two blocks). And there he was with some random samaritan that had been driving by in his truck and was concerned about the ONE YEAR OLD HANGING OUT BY HIMSELF AT THE TRAIN TRACKS. #momwin
So I grabbed him, told the man I wasn't on drugs, told the 911 operator that I had found him, took him home, and pushed our couch against the sliding glass door thus preventing him from ever being able to open it again.

So, naturally, EnterTrainment Junction was one of the first places we visited when we first moved to Cincinnati in 2015. I came across it by simply doing a google search for kid friendly places in Cincinnati and thought "model trains + two year old obsessed with trains = win". We were not disappointed and Hulk cried when I said it was time to leave. Seriously.

Our first visit - July 2015

One of the smartest parenting decisions I've made is to encourage family members to buy memberships for the kids (and they can be pricey so we view it as a combined birthday/Christmas/entire family deal). I'm a minimalist so this: 1) cuts back on toys 2) lets the kids have experiences that J and I would not otherwise be able to afford to do with them. Because of this, we have had a membership with EnterTrainment Junction every year since we've moved here and gone almost every month (some months we went almost every week). For one adult and one kid, the membership is just under $100 *ticket options here* and the membership comes with four free passes and sometimes other perks like free passes to Coney Island. J is usually working but we've used the free passes to get him in so we could go as a family or he could take Hulk by himself. We've also used the passes to get friends to come with us.

This is the first year that we have not had a pass (we traded it for the Cincinnati Children's Museum because we thought it might be time to mix things up). It's only been about two months and I am currently regretting that decision because Hulk has asked several times to go and I really like their Halloween display - which I am sure they are going to set up soon. Hulk is really hoping that we'll go in December so that he can see Santa Claus but we're those awful parents that tell their kids that Santa isn't real because we believe that life is pain and childhood should be bleak and miserable. But culture is hard to fight against and Hulk likes the idea of a fat old man breaking into people's houses in the middle of the night to leave gifts. I am a really fun person. Promise.

ANYWAYS, EnterTrainment Junction is one of those places that may not seem real fun on paper (or even when you first get there, let's be honest). It's just a lot of model trains going around on tracks. There is a play area, wooden trains for kids to play with, educational areas that provide information on the history of trains, and a circus tent. Once you go there a few times, you've done and seen it all. But we keep going back because the displays are amazing and it is fun. I always plan for at least two hours and even then when I say, "it's time to go" Hulk has responded, "two hours is not enough time! Next time I want three. Three is more than two, right?" Sorry kid. First world problem.

The displays have a search and find option, they give you a list of objects to look for which makes it more interactive. Some of the objects (like the dinosaurs) are really hard to find, others are easy. Each month they have ten special characters that follow a theme. This last June it was Disney Princesses. In October it's always pumpkins, Christmas is always elves, Spring has bunny rabbits. Hulk has fun trying to find the ten characters because at the end you tell an employee how many you could find (it doesn't have to be all of them) and they'll give you a piece of candy. That kid will do almost anything for candy *cue creeper in a white van* 

The displays change a little bit over time, they're always adding and slowly changing things. Hulk loves the play area. We have the largest wooden train collection in the history of wooden trains, more wooden trains than in the play area, and yet he loves playing with the trains there. 

The tracks go all the way down the hallway
and loop around the room to the left - Dec 2016

Playing with the trains at EnterTrainment

Little Viking Girl loves the huge play structure in the play area (but Hulk isn't too into it, which just demonstrates the disparities in their personalities). They both love pretending to shovel coal into the steam engine.

Pretending to shovel coal

During the spring and summer they have two outdoor options, there's a small train that you can ride and another train the moves by working an arm bike. Hulk loves riding these trains and looks forward to every spring when they open the rides again.

Riding the train - Oct 2018

 

Hulk used to be afraid of the circus tent area. I think we scarred him as a younger child. There's one area that features a "black hole" and is kind of dark with flashing lights. Not great for a two year old. And then there's another area that the floor has a trigger which it starts vibrating/moving when you step on it. Also not great for a two year old. But Hulk has always loved the curtain maze, the mirror maze (that one I have all the turns memorized #pro), and the clown house. There's a button in the clown house that plays Bruno Mars's Uptown Funk. It's Hulk's favorite and we always dance to it. 

There's a big show room that will have special displays on and off throughout the year. For Halloween, they convert the area to a big walk through for the kids to decorate pumpkins, color, and go trick-or-treating. It's my favorite. It's super simple but the kids always have a great time. During Christmas the room is set up with several winter themed train displays.

We love EnterTrainment Junction. It's been the place that we have most consistently gone back to (aside from the zoo). I highly recommend it for little boys and girls that are train obsessed, like mine. Little Viking Girl is still too young for the displays but she enjoys the rides, the circus tent area, and playing with the wooden trains. 

Start them young - Mar 2018

Not totally related: we have a friend who is retired. We went over to their house and they took us down to their basement to show off their model trains. Hulk's life goal now is to have a model train display in his basement.