MidAtlantic fun: Much more than trains at the Choo Choo Barn

When you think of Pennsylvania Dutch country, it may well be horse-drawn buggies that first leap to mind rather than trains. But it is in fact a great place to visit if you’re a train buff. You can ride in a train pulled by a steam engine at the Strasburg Railroad, learn how that steam engine works (and climb inside one that’s stationary) at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and visit the National Toy Train Museum if the real ones don’t do it for you.

Tommy has always loved trains, and since these attractions are all less than an hour from where we live, we’ve taken various opportunities over the years to visit some of them. But one that we had overlooked until now was the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. And let me tell you, you don’t have to love trains to enjoy a visit there.

Why is it fun to see little tiny replicas of real things? Got me. But since my childhood obsession with dollhouses, I’ve always loved to look at life in miniature. And this 1700-square-foot display offers a huge number of different tableaux, many of them animated. Anyone who likes to see teeny versions of real-life stuff (and I’m pretty sure that’s everyone) will enjoy a visit here.

I knew it was going to be a hit with Tommy when we walked in and immediately saw a baseball game with tiny players running the bases and a ski mountain with a working lift.

And to please my animal lover, there is both a zoo (the hippo’s mouth opens and shuts and the giraffes nod their heads)

and a circus.

Travel-With-Kids-Tip: Some of the display is a bit high off the ground. Teddy spent a good part of the time on Matt’s shoulders so that he could see. We did notice that some people carried step stools with them, but they weren’t prominently advertised at the front desk, so you need to ask if you think you want one.

There’s also lots of fascinating “real-life” stuff like construction sites with moving bulldozers, a car accident, complete with backed-up traffic,

And a house on fire being busily tended to by a crew of firefighters (the picture doesn’t show it, but there are actual glowing flames).

And of course there are also trains chugging around continuously, passenger cars that you can see in, freight trains marked “Pennsylvania Railroad” and “B&O” and even some that are pulled by engines who will be familiar to all Thomas the Tank Engine fans.

Travel-With-Kids-Tip: To keep younger family members occupied while you look at the display, you might make up your own scavenger hunt or play “I Spy.” It can be hard for young children to pick out small details and this will help keep them focused.

Every five minutes or so, the room goes dark as day turns into night and the entire miniature landscape is illuminated. Lights come on in the houses, the baseball field is illuminated, and this fountain shimmers with rainbow hues:

The layout is definitely set in Pennsylvania and includes local landmarks like Dutch Wonderland, a famous Lancaster amusement park,

And the windmill-shaped Dutch Haven Restaurant.

Travel-With-Kids-Tip: We didn’t eat there this weekend, but on previous trips to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania have enjoyed lunch at Isaac’s, which is in the same shopping center as the Choo Choo Barn. They have a great kid’s menu (and whatever the New York Times says, I do like those sometimes) and I highly recommend any of their sandwiches served on pretzel rolls.

There are also several Amish farms, and the animation that may be my absolute favorite: A barn raising, complete with tiny hammers moving up and down.

Travel-With-Kids-Tip: To keep the display clean and in working order, the Barn closes for cleaning from the beginning of January to the beginning of March; plan accordingly.

But to my mind the absolutely best thing about this display is the down-home, roadside attraction feel. The original layout was started by George Groff, a returning World War II veteran who bought an electric train set to share with his son. It expanded over time and in the early 1960s, when George needed money to send his kids to college, he started charging admission to see it. It’s now owned and run by his youngest son, Tom Groff, who is dedicated to the layout, spending months every year sprucing it up and adding to it.

There’s nothing slick about the Choo Choo Barn. It’s amazing and intricate but doesn’t feel commercial. You can tell that the whole thing started because someone just really liked to play with trains. Lucky for us, he generously decided to share that delight with the rest of the world.

We were invited to visit the Choo Choo Barn and given free admission. But I’ve not doubt we’ll be back as paying customers to show it off to visiting friends and family. It’s pretty cool.