"DAY OUT WITH THOMAS®" INFORMATION

Day Out With Thomas® begins each day at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. - even on Sundays. If you have any other questions, call 704.636.2889 ext. 237.

Directions
• The North Carolina Transportation Museum is located in the central Piedmont of North Carolina, less than a five-minute drive from Exit 79 off Interstate 85, attached to the north side of Salisbury, and almost exactly halfway between Greensboro and Charlotte. In good traffic we are a 45-minute drive from the outskirts of Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston Salem, Statesville, and Albemarle.
• Our address is 411 South Salisbury Avenue, Spencer, NC 28159. Most GPS systems will have no difficult routing you to this address.
• Salisbury Avenue in Spencer is an extension of North Main Street in Salisbury. Both are also U.S. 29. By the time it passes our entrance, it is also U.S. 70 and N.C.150. U.S. 601 and U.S. 52 come near.

• A truly nice diaper changing room is available at no charge during Day Out With Thomas.
• There are no restrooms public restrooms in the diaper changing area. Restrooms are clustered next to Barber Junction Visitor Center, the red brick building near the Thomas train loading area, and in the far end of the Roundhouse. Porta-jons will also be available throughout the site.

Food
• Approximately ten food vendors will be on site – mostly area civic groups with very reasonable prices.
• If you prefer, you are permitted to bring your own food and still use the picnic shelters. You are also permitted to leave the site and return during the day, but please be aware that you may lose your parking spot.
• There are a few restaurants and some very nice shops within walking distance.

Gift Shop
• The BIG tent is our special Thomas the Tank® Gift Shop. Our regular museum Gift Station will also be open. Since the Gift Station is operated by the museum's support foundation, there is no sales tax.
• Both gift shops will accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express, as well as cash and checks - with proper identification.
• A branch bank (SunTrust) with a teller machine is across the street from the museum. A Cash Points station is located in the Food Lion shopping center about one block north of the museum.

• This event is the museum’s largest fundraiser of the year and is run by museum staff and volunteers. Funds go toward restoration projects and educational programming.

• The museum is located off I-85 at Exit 79.  If you travel a few miles south, you'll find a number of hotels available at Exit 76 (Innes St.- U.S. 52) including: Comfort Suites, Howard Johnson Express, Super 8, Studio Suites) and Exit 75 (Jake Alexander Boulevard-U.S. 601 Bypass: Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, Best Western, Ramada Limited). North of the museum, toward Lexingtong, there are hotels located off Exit 91.

• For more information about hotels and other attractions in the area, we recommend you contact the Rowan County Tourism Development Authority office at 1.800.332.2343 or 704.638.3100 or http://www.visitsalisburync.com/. 
 

Parking and On-Site Transportation
• Parking on site is free. Parking across the street from the museum is usually offered for a fee. We recommend that you arrive on site at least an hour before your Thomas train ride departs so that you have time to park, use the restroom, and get in line.  Parking may be more limited during peak hours (mid-morning to mid-afternoon) Saturdays and Sundays.

• A trolley will be available -- at no charge -- to carry you over the longer distances on site. It has three regular stopping points: Barber Junction Visitors Center, the information booth near the Sir Topham Hatt tent, and the Roundhouse. Staff members at those locations can call the trolley for you.

 

Tickets (Includes Museum Admission) 
• 2013 Thomas tickets are $24 per person for ages 2 and older for Saturday and Sunday events or $22 for Friday events. Museum members receive $2 off Saturday or Sunday event tickets with a valid membership ID number (limit six discounted tickets per membership). Tickets are on sale now. Ticket sales are final. Events are rain or shine.
• The Thomas contract stipulates that all credit card ticket sales must go through Ticketweb, 866.468.7630, which adds a service charge per ticket. This is still the best way to go if you need to use a credit card or lock down a time slot immediately.
•You may also purchase your ticket with cash or a check in person at the museum during our regular business hours of Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.We cannot accept a credit card for advance tickets purchased on site.
• There will be a limited number of tickets available for sale on the day of the event, but these sell out very quickly, so advance purchase is strongly recommended. Saturday and Sunday time slots are the most popular, so many train ride times on those days will sell out well before the event -- if you need a specific date and/or train ride time, you should plan to purchase your tickets as early as possible.

Train Ride
• Your ticket is for a day of "Thomas privileges." The time specified on your ticket is for the Thomas train ride itself, (8:30 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 5:15 p.m.) and that is the only activity for which you are locked into a particular time.
• We ask that you be in line half an hour before the train departs because tickets are checked at that point. The boarding itself moves very quickly. An appropriate number of people will be directed to a specific rail car, and from there it is first-come, first-served for the actual seating.
• If you have special needs (e.g. someone in a wheelchair) inform the loadmaster as soon as possible when you get in line.
• There will be a designated "parking lot" for strollers while you are on the train.

• The Thomas train boards near the two big silver water tanks, and the Thomas ticket booth is usually at the foot of these. "Will Call" tickets are also picked up at this booth. Bring photo ID.

• The caboose train boards near Barber Junction Visitor Center and the caboose train ticket booth is located near the boarding area.

Weather
• Weather in this area can vary at this time of year. Usually it is chilly in the morning and warm in the afternoon. We recommend dressing in several light layers, so you can adjust easily.

• Day Out With Thomas goes on rain or shine. Most of the additional activities are located under cover in the Roundhouse, and remaining activities can be moved indoors or postponed briefly.
• Transparent ponchos with the N.C. Transportation Museum logo will be for sale in the gift shop.