# Santa Express at New Hope Valley Railway

> Event for families in the Raleigh–Cary area (NC). Times are Eastern Time.

- When: Sat, Dec 5 (+4 more dates) · 9:30 AM
- Where: New Hope Valley Railway (North Carolina Railway Museum), 3900 Bonsal Rd, New Hill, NC 27562
- Ages: All ages; children under 2 ride free with an adult ticket holder
- Price: Ticketed (prices on Etix, not printed on the railway's page); under 2 free
- Organizer: North Carolina Railway Museum / New Hope Valley Railway
- Official page: https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1060851/santa-express-new-hill-new-hope-valley-railway
- Last checked: Tue, Oct 27

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Nov 2, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-11-01), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/santa-express-at-new-hope-valley-railway--listing-50dddf414394983f503c3a4c

## About

The North Carolina Railway Museum's New Hope Valley Railway in New Hill, in far southwest Wake County, runs its Santa Express on weekends in December, a heritage-train holiday ride on which Santa himself rides the train and greets every passenger. The vintage train travels through woods decorated for the holidays, and children play the Santa Express I Spy game, spotting cheerful decorations along the way. Back in the railyard there are Christmas decorations, a fire pit to warm up by, a visit from Frosty, and hot chocolate, sweet treats and bites from local food trucks for sale. Five departures run each ride day from 9:30 am to 3:45 pm, which suits families with toddlers who nap in the afternoon. Tickets are sold online through Etix by departure and the railway warns that seats go quickly; arrive at least 30 minutes early to park and check in at the ticket office. Children under 2 ride free on an adult's lap; a wheelchair lift and a wheelchair-accessible car are available.

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