Day Out with Thomas in Baldwin City, Kansas

On Saturday, June 4th,  I took the kids to Baldwin City, Kansas to experience the fun of Day Out with Thomas! It was a sweltering Kansas day – felt more like July than June – but one I would not miss!

This event remind me of a county fair. I was thankful for the free ice water in the middle of the tents. None of the tents were air conditioned, they were just open to facilitate air flow – so we got insanely hot. There was only one place with air conditioning – the general store!

I noticed a “Nursing and Diaper Changing Tent” set up, so I investigated. I was disappointed when I saw all four sides of the tent were closed – I guess to give nursing mothers “privacy.” It was a tent, so no air conditioning, and no fan. And to make matters worse, they had a huge trashcan with no lid on it. So there I was, nursing Lucy in a sweltering tent and smelling the aroma of dirty diapers waft from the open can. I hope that next year they put a lid on the trashcan or put it outside of the tent and facilitate air flow.

However, there was so much activity that Lucy really didn’t nurse much. Lizzie and David had more fun there than I knew was possible.

By far their favorite tent was the Imagination Station. This tent had 8 train tables and a large motorized Thomas pulled Annie & Clarabelle in the middle. When it was time to ride the real Thomas, David did not want to leave his small trains.

I was able to pull Lizzie away for a small bit to listen to the Thomas book being read in a nearby tent. They also had a few Thomas movies going in there, but not many kids watched it. Who wants to watch TV on a beautiful sunny day? Lizzie played for a bit in the bounce house, but I think she got over heated because she was back in the Imagination Station very quickly.

When you arrive, they give you a map and if the child goes to each station and gets a stamp, they get a prize at the end! Of course, one of the places you must go for a stamp is the Gift Shop. We saw wooden trains selling for $21 each. I eventually got David a bathtime boat and Lizzie some stickers, but both still cost a pretty penny.

And the prize at the end? It is the picture above the sleeping Lucy photo in the collage. The prize is a pinwheel that lists the names of all the trains.  Lizzie had fun learning all their names – and pointed out which trains she has and which she does not. (Was this handed out for that purpose? Smart marketing!)

Fun video of the event! Check out 3:04 for David’s reaction when he hears Thomas’ whistle. It is priceless!

The train ride on Thomas was really fun for Lizzie and David. As you can see from the end of the video, we could choose either the cars with open sides or go in an enclosed car. I chose the enclosed one because I thought it would be air conditioned. I was wrong. We rode in a car that hadn’t changed much since it was built in 1937. But the Day Out With Thomas crew really got the kids to enjoy it, in spite of the heat. We were cheering Thomas on and could hear him toot his whistle! From where we sat, we could even see his shiny blue coat of paint!

I totally recommend this event to anyone with a Thomas and Friends fan in their home. Take a bottle of water, ride the open air car, and budget for the gift shop. You will have so much fun and make a ton of memories!

My family and I experienced this event free of charge (except for what we bought at the gift shop). All opinions are 100% mine.