Connecticut Trolley Museum welcomes visitors to ‘Winterfest’Date: 12/15/2016 EAST WINDSOR, CT. – A holiday tradition returns for its 40th season, as the Connecticut Trolley Museum continues its annual Winterfest on Dec. 16, 17, 18 and 23 from 5 to 9 p.m.
During this celebration, the visitors center and trolley route located on the grounds of the museum at 58 North Road in East Windsor, CT, are transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with holiday decorations, caroling, hot chocolate and of course, visits with Santa.
The highlight of the event is the 20-minute ride through the museum’s grounds in a festively decorated open or closed electric trolley while the motorman leads the group in singing traditional Christmas carols.
“There are Christmas lights set up above the track and it feels and looks like you are riding through a tunnel of Christmas lights,” Gina Maria, one of the volunteers at the museum, told Reminder Publications. “You get a really unique and special treat if you ride the open car, but it can be chilly, so dress warm!”
In the visitors center, riders are treated to a holiday-season-only display of seven working model trains set among what Maria called an “abundant amount of Christmas lights.” They can also purchase a cup of hot cocoa, warm cider or popcorn at the Trolley Shack to help them warm up after their trolley ride.
“Santa is also on hand to greet the visitors, take a picture and each child gets a gift from Santa,” during their visit, she added. Santa’s last visit to the Museum will be Dec. 23 as “He heads back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve,” she said.
Tickets for the Winterfest “Tunnel of Lights” trolley ride – which are sold at the visitors center just prior to each departure – are $12 adults, $10 for seniors 62 years of age and older, $8 for children from 2 to 12 years of age and $3 for children younger than age 2. There are no advanced ticket purchases for this event.
The Connecticut Trolley Museum will also be open for Winterfest and “Tunnel of Lights” rides the week of school vacation, Dec. 26 to 30, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Operated by the non-profit Connecticut Electric Railway Association, Inc., the Connecticut Trolley Museum was established in 1940, and now preserves 70 pieces of rail equipment dating back to 1869. Winterfest and the “Tunnel of Lights” are one of the fundraising events that helps to support the museum’s mission.
For more information about the museum, including directions, visit www.ct-trolley.org.
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