Christmas Train Ride Locations (2026): A Complete Guide

Last revised: September 15, 2026

Christmas trains are Santa, North Pole Express, Holiday Express, and Christmas with the Clauses rides on tourist railroads and museums. Families board a real train, meet Santa, and ride for an hour or so. Many sell out. This directory is the 2026 map: state guides first, then railroad pages for dates and classes. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets. Confirm times and prices on the railroad’s own site before you book.

Licensed THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride events—the Rail Events production of Chris Van Allsburg’s book and the Warner Bros. film—are a different product. Those belong on the Polar Express hub. A North Pole Express or Santa train can be wonderful. It is not Polar Express unless that railroad is on the Polar list.

Virginia Scenic Railway's Santa Express, the state's only Christmas-themed train ride experience. Virginia Scenic photo.

On this page: What a Christmas train is · Christmas trains vs Polar Express · How to use these pages · 2026 rides that sell out · State directory · States without a 2026 page · Planning tips

What a Christmas train is

Most Christmas trains are a railroad’s own holiday show. You may wear pajamas. Elves and carolers work the aisle. Santa boards or waits at a North Pole stop. Cocoa and cookies are common. Steam is a bonus when that railroad has it for that date—not a promise. Rides run about 45 minutes to two hours. A few (Owosso, Parrish) are much longer evenings.

The 2004 Polar Express film sent holiday trains into the mainstream. Railroads that did not take the Rail Events license built their own products instead: North Pole Adventure, Santa’s North Pole Express, Christmas City Express, Santa’s Paradise Express. Those names are the operator’s. Use them. Do not call the ride Polar Express unless it is the licensed show.

Christmas trains vs Polar Express

Buy Polar tickets on the Polar booking page for that railroad. Buy a Christmas train on that railroad’s Santa or North Pole page. A daytime scenic ticket in December is a third product.

Examples on this hub that are not Polar Express:

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad North Pole Adventure (Ohio)—CVSR dropped the Polar license in 2021
Grapevine Vintage Railroad Santa’s North Pole Express (Texas)
Steam Railroading Institute North Pole Express behind Pere Marquette 2-8-4 #1225 (Michigan). The film used #1225. That does not make Owosso Polar Express
Strasburg Rail Road Santa’s Paradise Express (Pennsylvania)
Heber Valley Railroad North Pole Express (Utah)
Florida Railroad Museum North Pole Express (Parrish)
Nevada Northern Santa’s Reindeer Flyer (Ely)
Mount Rainier Scenic Christmas with the Clauses (Elbe, Washington)

Full Polar directory: Polar Express Train Ride Locations 2026.

How to use these pages

State guide — which Christmas trains are in that state, with a short Polar reminder if the state also has a licensed Polar host.
Railroad page — dates, classes, duration, and the operator link. Product URLs often end in -npe26.html or keep an older live slug (Strasburg is strasburgxmastrains.html).
The railroad’s own ticket page — the only place to buy.

Indiana’s Whitewater Valley is not listed for rides after the August 13, 2026, flood. Midland Railway’s Snowglobe Express in Baldwin City, Kansas, is dead; Kansas Christmas is Abilene’s Cowtown Santa Express (Ottawa Northern’s Santa Rocket needs a 2026 confirm).

2026 rides that sell out

These are Christmas trains with dedicated product pages. Windows below are planning notes. Open the product page, then the railroad, before you buy.

Cuyahoga Valley North Pole Adventure (Independence, Ohio)

Ninety minutes from Rockside Station through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Santa, elves, milk and cookies. Nov. 13–Dec. 22 as listed. Coach through first class about $60–$110. Ohio Polar is Dennison Depot, not here. State guide: Ohio.

Grapevine Santa’s North Pole Express (Grapevine, Texas)

About 45 minutes. Benches listed $90–$100 for two seats. Nov. 27–Dec. 30; sale Oct. 1. Select December dates from Fort Worth Stockyards. Texas Polar is Palestine and Galveston. State guide: Texas.

Owosso North Pole Express (Steam Railroading Institute, Michigan)

Pere Marquette #1225, about 4¾ hours Owosso–Ashley. Weekends Nov. 20–Dec. 20 as listed. Coach $85. Many dates sell out. Not Polar Express. State guide: Michigan.

Strasburg Santa’s Paradise Express (Ronks, Pennsylvania)

About 45 minutes through Lancaster County. Adult $47.70 / child $37.10 as listed. Night Before Christmas is the quieter companion. Steam is typical; read the ticket. State guide: Pennsylvania.

Essex Steam Train North Pole Express (Essex, Connecticut)

About 90 minutes. Nov. 20–Dec. 23 as listed (Tue–Sun in December). Coach from $60/$70. Online only. No 2026 licensed Polar in Connecticut. State guide: Connecticut.

Heber Valley North Pole Express (Heber City, Utah)

About 90 minutes. Nov. 19–Dec. 30. Coach adult $70 / child $40 as listed. Utah’s Christmas train. State guide: Utah.

Napa Valley Santa Train (Napa, California)

Thirty-six miles Napa–St. Helena. Evening season plus afternoon Dec. 21–23. Four classes; confirm live fares. California Polar is Sacramento, Jamestown, and Perris. State guide: California.

Christmas City Express (Duluth, Minnesota)

North Shore Scenic Railroad. Story plus about 30 minutes on the train. 2026 calendar was still unposted at compile—do not invent dates. Friends of the 261 North Pole Express from St. Paul is the other Minnesota product leaf. State guide: Minnesota.

Also with product pages: Florida Railroad Museum North Pole Express, PSRM Campo North Pole Limited, Nevada Northern Santa’s Reindeer Flyer, Mount Rainier Christmas with the Clauses, Conway Scenic Santa’s Holiday Express, Tweetsie Christmas, New Hope Santa trains, TVRM North Pole Limited, Friends of the 261 North Pole Express.

2026 state directory

Thirty-seven rebuilt state guides. Hosts in the middle column are Christmas trains. If Polar runs in that state, it is named only as a pointer to the Polar page.

State	2026 Christmas hosts (examples)	Guide
Alabama	Heart of Dixie North Pole Express; NARM Santa Train	Alabama
Arizona	Verde Canyon Magical Christmas Journey. Polar is Williams	Arizona
Arkansas	Arkansas & Missouri Holiday Express Pajama Train	Arkansas
California	Napa Santa Train; PSRM Campo North Pole Limited. Polar is Sacramento, Jamestown, Perris	California
Colorado	Georgetown Loop Santa; Royal Gorge Santa Express. Polar is Durango and Golden	Colorado
Connecticut	Essex Steam Train North Pole Express	Connecticut
Florida	Florida Railroad Museum North Pole Express (Parrish). No 2026 Polar host	Florida
Georgia	Blue Ridge Holiday Express	Georgia
Illinois	IRM Happy Holiday Railway; Fox River Santa’s Trolley. Polar is Monticello	Illinois
Indiana	Nickel Plate Reindeer Express. Skip Whitewater Valley (flood). Polar is French Lick	Indiana
Iowa	Midwest Central North Pole Express; Boone Santa Express (confirm 2026)	Iowa
Kansas	Abilene Cowtown Santa Express Nov. 20–Dec. 23. Ottawa Northern: confirm 2026	Kansas
Kentucky	Bluegrass Scenic Santa; Kentucky Railway Museum. Polar is Stearns	Kentucky
Maine	WW&F Victorian Christmas; Seashore Christmas Prelude. Polar is Portland	Maine
Maryland	Walkersville Southern Santa Trains. Polar is Cumberland	Maryland
Massachusetts	Shelburne Falls Moonlight Magic; Edaville Festival of Lights. Polar is Buzzards Bay	Massachusetts
Michigan	SRI North Pole Express (#1225); Coopersville; Huckleberry	Michigan
Minnesota	North Shore Scenic Christmas City Express; Friends of the 261 NPE	Minnesota
Montana	Charlie Russell North Pole Adventure (Lewistown)	Montana
Nevada	Nevada Northern Santa’s Reindeer Flyer; Boulder City. Polar is Carson City	Nevada
New Hampshire	Conway Scenic Santa’s Holiday Express	New Hampshire
New Jersey	Black River & Western Santa Express. Polar is Whippany and Phillipsburg	New Jersey
New Mexico	Cumbres & Toltec Santa’s Holiday Express (Chama Dec. 5–6)	New Mexico
New York	Adirondack Christmas Train; Thendara Santa Train. Polar is Medina, North Fork, Utica Polar, Catskill Polar	New York
North Carolina	Tweetsie Christmas. Polar is Bryson City and Spencer	North Carolina
Ohio	CVSR North Pole Adventure. Polar is Dennison	Ohio
Oregon	Portland Holiday Express; Garibaldi Candy Cane; Sumpter Valley. Polar is Mount Hood	Oregon
Pennsylvania	Strasburg Santa’s Paradise Express; New Hope Santa trains; Colebrookdale	Pennsylvania
South Carolina	South Carolina Railroad Museum Santa Train (Winnsboro)	South Carolina
Tennessee	TVRM North Pole Limited; TCRM Santa Express	Tennessee
Texas	Grapevine Santa’s North Pole Express. Polar is Palestine and Galveston	Texas
Utah	Heber Valley North Pole Express	Utah
Vermont	Okemo Valley Holiday Express, Chester Depot Dec. 19–20. Polar is Burlington Dec. 5–6	Vermont
Virginia	Virginia Scenic Railway Santa Express (Staunton)	Virginia
Washington	Mount Rainier Christmas with the Clauses. Polar is Chehalis	Washington
West Virginia	Potomac Eagle North Pole Express; Christmas at Cass. No 2026 Polar host listed	West Virginia
Wisconsin	Mid-Continent Santa Express; East Troy Christmas trains. Polar is Green Bay (sold out)	Wisconsin

Information compiled September 15, 2026. Calendars move. Confirm on each railroad before you buy.

States without a 2026 Christmas page

No Christmas-train hub is published here for Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, or Wyoming. If a tourist railroad posts a 2026 Santa or North Pole train, tell us.

Delaware has no 2026 Christmas hub on this site until a host is confirmed. Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Rhode Island have licensed Polar Express rides—use the Polar hub, not this directory.

Planning tips

Peak weekends and first-class seats sell out. Several 2026 sales are already open.
Buy the named Christmas product, not a regular scenic ticket for the same weekend.
Pajamas are welcome on many trains. Bring a coat for the platform.
Arrive as early as that railroad asks—often 30–60 minutes before departure.
Steam is a bonus. Read the ticket listing.
Do not book Whitewater Valley. Do not look for Midland Snowglobe Express.
If you want the golden ticket and the silver bell, you want Polar Express.