We’ve put together a list of several Christmas Trains you can take the kids to this holiday season around the state of North Carolina.
For each, we’ve indicated the number of miles it is from the center of Charlotte, and we’ve organized the list with the trains closer to Charlotte first.
Caveat: Not all of these train rides are cheap. In fact, some of these are very pricey. But we’re including them anyway, because they are so popular. For many families, these Santa Trains are a highlight of the holiday season.
Check out our huge day-by-day list of holiday events in the Charlotte area! We update it every day!
Also, please note that some of these rides are on actual, full-size trains, some are on smaller models, and one is sort of a train-like ride, not actually a train on tracks.
And at the end of this post, there is a day-by-day list of holiday events in the Charlotte area.
Kannapolis Christmas–Winterland Express
Kannapolis Christmas
Village Park
700 W. C Street
Kannapolis, NC 28081
28 miles from Charlotte
2023 dates: November 18 to December 30, 2023
Cost: Free to enter and walk through the light display. $2 to ride the train.
It’s free to enter the park, where you can see more than 250,000 Christmas lights. A group of animatronic bears will sing Christmas carols, and Santa will be available for visits.
The Polar Express Train Ride at North Carolina Transportation Museum
The Polar Express Train Ride
North Carolina Transportation Museum
1 Samuel Spencer Drive, Spencer
46 miles from Charlotte
2023 dates: November 10-11, 17-19, 24-26. December 1-3, 7-10, 12-23
Tickets start at $34 for kids and $40 for adults.
The train ride is set to the sounds of the movie soundtrack as you travel to the “North Pole.” Along the way, listen to a reading of Chris Van Allsburg’s classic, The Polar Express, and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies. At the North Pole, families will leave the train and watch Santa present the first gift of Christmas. Back at Candy Cane Lane, all passengers who “believe” will receive their own sleigh bell.
Country Christmas Train at Denton Farmpark
Denton Farmpark
4259 Handy Road
Denton, NC 27239
59 miles from Charlotte
336-859-2755
2023 dates: Nov. 24-26; Dec. 1-3; 7-10; Dec. 15 – 23, 26 – 27, 2023
Ticket prices: $20 for adults; $6 for children 5-11, free for children 4 and under. Santa pictures: 2 for $15, cash only.
Enjoy a train ride, and explore the grist mill, a petting zoo, doll museum, kids’ rides, and much more. Santa pictures are available. Please bring cash.
Carolina Christmas Train
Carolina Christmas Train with Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway
Star, NC
70 miles from Charlotte
2023 dates: The train will be running Fridays and Saturdays from November 24 to December 16, 2023, and then Tuesday, December 19, to Saturday, December 23, 2023.
Cost: $45 to $60 for Family Class; $100 for Adult Class (age 21+)
This is a brand new Christmas train for 2023! Tickets on sale here.
Tweetsie Christmas
Tweetsie Railroad
300 Tweetsie Railroad Lane
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
96 miles from Charlotte
800-526-5740
2023 Dates: November 24-26, December 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 20-23, 27-30
Cost: $60 for adults and $40 for children. Children ages 2 and younger are admitted for free. Tickets go on sale in September.
- Meet Santa in his own home — made of gingerbread, and filled with candied furnishings.
- Take a night-time train ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains. See thousands of Christmas lights along the three-mile track and the open areas of the park.
- Enjoy the sounds of Christmas during a 15-minute variety show in the Tweetsie Palace.
- Step into a snow globe filled with swirling (synthetic) snow, peek through a Christmas present, see giant nut crackers, toy soldiers, candy canes, toy drums, and more.
- Snacks for sale: Roast s’mores over an outdoor fire pit and enjoy freshly baked cookies, warm funnel cakes, and other handmade items from Tweetsie Railroad’s famous Fudge Shop.
Holidays in the Park at Museum of Life + Science
Museum of Life + Science
433 W. Murray Avenue
Durham, NC 27704
143 miles from Charlotte
919-220-5429
2023 dates: Check back soon.
Ticket price: Check back soon. These were the 2022 prices: $16 for admission only to walk around, and $19 for admission plus a train ride.
Check back soon for 2023 info. In 2022, the event wasn’t a Santa Train, the Museum hosted Holidays in the Park, which includes the option of including a train ride. Museum of Life + Science’s Holidays in the Park includes holiday music and light displays, family photo ops, sock-skating, complimentary candy canes, Magic Wings Butterfly House, and an optional ride on the Ellerbe Creek Railway past colorful lights.
Santa’s Reindeer Roundup Express at New Hope Valley Railway
Santa’s Reindeer Roundup Express
New Hope Valley Railway
3900 Bonsal Road
New Hill, North Carolina 27562
151 miles from Charlotte
919-396-5833
2023 dates: December 2, 3, 9, 10, and 16, 2023.
Cost: All ages: $16
Take pictures with Santa in the rail yard, using your own camera. Then go on a 50-minute train ride and search for Santa’s missing reindeer. Tickets will go on sale July 22, 2023.
The Polar Express with Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad’s Polar Express Train Ride
Bryson City Depot
45 Mitchell Street
Bryson City, NC 28713
180 miles from Charlotte
800-872-4681
2023 dates: Dates from November 9 to December 31, 2023.
Cost: Ticket prices start at $47 for children and $68 for adults.
Tickets: For sale now
Set to the soundtrack of The Polar Express movie, the 1 1/4 hour round trip excursion takes passengers from the Bryson City depot to a visit to the North Pole. Guests will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening to and reading along with the story.At the North Pole, Santa will board the train and greet each child. Santa will give each child a silver sleigh bell.
Selma Santa Train
Selma Santa Train
Selma Train Depot
500 E. Railroad Street, Selma, NC 27576
198 miles from Charlotte
2023 date: Check back soon. This event hasn’t been occurring the last couple years.
Double-Check Before You Head Out!
We make every effort to make sure that everything on Charlotte on the Cheap is 100% accurate.
However, sometimes things change without notice, and we are not always notified. It's also possible that we can make a mistake.
Please verify all deals and events with the venue or organizer before you go.
More Holiday Events
Check out our growing day-by-day list of holiday events in the Charlotte area or see a few here.