THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride — Southern California Railway Museum

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride in Southern California is staged at the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, produced with Rail Events Productions. The event's own site describes a magical re-creation of the classic children's story led by a cast of actors on board a real train: passengers have their golden tickets ready for the conductor, are served hot chocolate and shortbread by dancing chefs, hear a reading of the book, and receive the first gift of Christmas after Santa boards the train.

The whole experience at the museum and on the train is roughly two hours. Guests are asked to arrive about an hour before their listed showtime for parking and check-in at the box office, and the box office closes at showtime: no passenger can board afterwards.

There is one class of service at Perris. Each car has the same seating configuration, arranged so all seats face a performance area in the centre of the coach, which the operator calls a theater-in-the-round arrangement. The operator also schedules a sensory friendly departure with softer audio and limited strobe effects.

The event is held at a single location, the Southern California Railway Museum, which is also home to a collection of historic railway equipment.

A theatrical ride on a real train, led by actors, with a reading of the classic book, hot chocolate and shortbread served by dancing chefs, and a visit from Santa, who gives each passenger the first gift of Christmas. The whole experience at the museum and on the train is roughly two hours. All seats face a central performance area.

Held at the Southern California Railway Museum, 2201 South A St, Perris, California 92570. The operator requires guests to arrive about 60 minutes before the listed showtime, which is the start of boarding; the box office closes at showtime and no one boards afterwards. Event parking is at the museum, and parking passes are sold with the tickets. There is one class of service. The museum and the train are wheelchair accessible with limited space: a mobile lift on the platform serves a designated wheelchair space in one car, there is no accessible restroom on the train, but there are accessible restrooms on the event grounds. Select the designated wheelchair space online or call a reservation agent. ASL interpretation needs four weeks' notice. Walker's Shortbread and hot chocolate are served on the train, and the operator does not guarantee an allergen-free environment.