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Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012 Pulling into Tweetsie Railroad June 1-10

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Tweetsie is featuring "Day out with Thomas" the Train from June 1 - June 10. Come out and enjoy all the related activities with Thomas and part of the gang. Photo by Maria Richardson

June 1, 2012. BLOWING ROCK — Help Thomas the Tank Engine find the clues and solve the mystery! The No. 1 engine is set to roll into Tweetsie Railroad for the Day Out with Thomas: Mystery On The Rails Tour 2012. All little engineers and their families are invited to take a ride on Thomas and participate in fun Thomas-themed activities. The event, which takes place June 1-10, 2012, will be hosted by Tweetsie Railroad and presented by HIT Entertainment and sponsored by MEGA Brands, a leading toy company.

For 67 years, children have been captivated by the courageous adventures of Thomas and his engine friends. Pulling out of the station for its 17th consecutive ride on the rails, the Day Out With Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012 will 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 No. 1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and coloring sheets. Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors. 

Thomas the Tank Engine, star of Thomas & Friends, on PBS KIDS and Sprout kicks off his Day Out With Thomas: Mystery On The Rails Tour 2012 in March and is expected to welcome more than one million passengers through November. During Day Out With Thomas, children will ride with Thomas against scenic backdrops while discovering some mysterious surprises! Day Out With Thomas 2012 activities include:

• A 25-minute (approximate) ride with Thomas the Tank Engine 

• Games and activities featuring a mystery element 

• The opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway 

• A Thomas & Friends Imagination Station; featuring stamps, temporary tattoos and coloring sheets 

• Commemorative activities, merchandise and giveaways including a special reveal poster previewing new engines and a new destination from the upcoming 2012 Thomas & Friends feature, “Blue Mountain Mystery” 

• Storytelling, video viewing and live music 

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. Tweetsie Railroad, celebrating its 55th season, features amusement park rides for all ages, live entertainment including the Tweetsie Palace Saloon Show, Tweetsie’s Miner’s Mountain Magic Show, mascot characters Hopper and Porter’s popular children’s show and much more. 

The approximately 25-minute train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine will depart every 30 minutes, rain or shine, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on both Saturdays (park open 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Sundays through Fridays (park open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). Tickets for the Day Out With Thomas: Mystery On The Rails Tour 2012 are $35 for adults and $22 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free. 

Tickets are on sale now and available by logging onto Tweetsie.com or calling toll free 877-TWEETSIE (877-893-3874). Print at home tickets and Golden Rail Season Passes are available online.  

For general information or to find a Day Out With Thomas: Mystery On The Rails Tour 2012 event near you, visit www.thomasandfriends.com/dowt.

About Tweetsie Railroad 

North Carolina’s first theme park opened on July 4, 1957, and is now in its 55th season. The heart of the park is the famous three-mile train ride behind Tweetsie Railroad’s historic steam locomotives, including Engine Number 12.

Tweetsie Railroad is open seven days a week from June 1 through August 19. The park returns to the weekend schedule from August 24 through October 28, including Labor Day Monday. The 2012 season ends Sunday, October 28. Daily admission is $35 for adults and $22 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free. Print at home tickets and Golden Rail Season Passes are available at Tweetsie.com.

Tweetsie Railroad is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains on U.S. Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. For more information about the 2012 season at Tweetsie Railroad, visit Tweetsie.com or call 877-TWEETSIE (877-893-3874). Find Tweetsie on Facebook or follow Tweetsie on Twitter @TweetsieRR.  

About Thomas & Friends

Thomas the Tank Engine was created by a father for his son over 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, Sprout and with downloadable episodes available through iTunes. For more information about the world of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, visit www.thomasandfriends.com. Follow Thomas on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thomasandfriends and Twitter @TrueBlueEngine.

Photo Gallery
Photos by Maria Richardson

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