New Hope Valley Railway

It’s a one time experience. I loved the history of trains and of course the kids liked to see Santa. I would say that after the age of 5, it probably isn’t worth taking them. If you love trains, then this place is for you. A very friendly staff!

I love the fact that I can go on a train ride if I feel like it!
Firstly, know that the people who run it are all volunteer train enthusiasts and are really great people. A couple of them came up to us and asked us how we were and where we were from. Very kind-​hearted, personable people. The train itself is fantastic. We sat in an open car and it was lightly raining so the pine needles smelled amazing! There are food trucks and beer available for purchase at the station (bring cash!) which is great!
My only negatives are that the station seems a bit messy, there is a lot of stuff that isn’t apart of the charm that is just laying around like old porta potty’s, paint buckets, tables etc. that are piled up alongside the stations outer areas.
Most importantly I was unhappy to see that the only bathrooms available were porta potty’s. We would’ve stayed a lot longer if there were proper bathrooms available. Especially when drinking beer, a good bathroom is needed! I don’t expect a nice fancy restaurant bathroom but a bathroom with a sink, one that you might find at a camping ground, would be nice.
While riding, my boyfriend and I talked about how awesome it would be if they served beer and food on the actual train. Maybe a cart with popcorn, candy, hot dogs, maybe even cups of chili. Great thing is that if people drop food on the train you could just hose it all off at the end. I hope that people would be respectful enough to throw away their refuse.
Overall it’s definitely worth it. I wish more people would go because I want this to be around for a long time! I want to get them more funding so they can build a better station. These people are great and so is the train and I’m really looking forward to their Halloween and Christmas rides!

Our train obsessed 2 year old had a wonderful time riding the choo choo. The volunteers were all very nice and full of train related information. The train ride felt a bit quick; 30min out by the diesel and 30min back by the steam engine. But I could listen to that steam engine all day!
We enjoyed the open train car as it allowed the breeze to circulate and keep things relatively cool.

If you have a kid that loves trains this is the place to visit when they have train rides.
This place is run entirely by volunteers and they do a great job to keep the trains running.
We went for the ice cream event and went on the 11am ride and it was probably 90% full. We bought our tickets online before the event.
They have a nice setup for model railroads near the entrance.
They then have several trains where you can walk through.
The train ride is an open air with a diesel on one end and a steam engine on the other. The steam engine is much louder than the Diesel engine.

We came for the Santa train ride. This was our second trip here. It’s great for a child (or adult) fascinated with trains. The volunteers are helpful and knowledgeable. The train ride is okay. It’s about an hour and goes one way for ~30 mins and them goes back the same way. Scenery is woods. The train cars are open air so dress for the weather. Another note, the entire area can get extremely muddy. Again, if there has been rain, wear appropriate shoes. Bathrooms are porta potties, there is sometimes a food truck but food & drink is limited. Also, the day we went the trains were delayed an hour. If you’ve reserved tickets it might be best to call early to see if trains are on time. Other than the train ride there may be a hour of looking at other stuff tops.

We love New Hope Valley. Short drive… morning or afternoon trip to see and ride the trains.

What an awesome family outing for less than $ 30! The train station is located in Bonsal outside of Apex and during the holiday they run a Santa train on the weekend. For less than $ 30 our family of four (including one under 2 yrs which is free) got an hour long train ride and a personal visit from Santa while on the train. Compared to recent family outings (Thomas the Tank Engine in Spencer, NC *cough, cough*), this was extremely affordable and well organized. The train ride just goes through the woods between Bonsal and New Hill with random Christmas «sightings» throughout (you’ll see a cardboard snowman or candy cane, etc which is exciting for the little ones). We will definitely be back next year unless my toddler is over his train obsession by then!

This is such a cute place to take the kiddies. You can go in and out of the railcars they have on display there. There is also a model train area for the kids to view. Then you board open air cars for a 1 hour round trip train ride. The children seem to really enjoy it and it is nice for adults also. Book in advance because it doesn’t ride all of the time, and get there early. Bring a lunch if you would like to sit at one of the tables whle you wait for boarding time.

Ride on a train. There’s nothing like a relaxing train ride through the pine-​tree scenic area around Bonsai outside New Hill. The bad news: the train doesn’t run that often and it books quite a while in advance. If you’re fortunate enough to get a seat for the hour long ride, you’ll be treated to some spectacular scenery in the open train and learn some railway history. The New Hope Valley railway is staffed mostly by volunteers who also staff the museum. An added treat for adults or perhaps the kids, is the opportunity to be a train engineer which would make a nice birthday present for anyone interested in trains. In looking at the train schedule, NHVR also offers Halloween themed train rides and Santa train rides which might really be fun. In general, if you’re looking for a different way to spend a couple of hours on a weekend, and like trains, you’ll probably like this.