We have done the polar Express train ride twice now, second time was even better then the first! They really stepped it up to make it a wonderful experience for everyone in every class. The double decker the kids love, its the cheapest seats but kids love sitting upstairs! And now they get hot coco and a bell like the coco class. Coco class is great! Comfy seats and much closer if you need a bathroom emergency while on the train, if you have a little one getting from the back to the bathroom is quite a ways and some kids would t make it.

My ride on the coal fired train was very memorable. I road in a double decker train car. The ride was pretty smooth compared to a few other car I walked through. Our car was warm, nicely upholstered and decorated cute. Getting onto the train the steps are not standard height . They are little taller so beware of that. I loved being on the train! There are 2 golf style shuttles to take you to your train car if walk is hard for you.

Ive watched GWR studios on YouTube and he enjoyed the ride!!!

Ive got to say...we this place. Great displays and always fun to see the trains...big or small. Hope my son can get a job there one day when hes older!

The Magic of this will never be forgotten. Our Family Loved Every Minute, and are planning a return for next year. The volunteers were Amazing!

Very fun time. Polar Express experience pretty nice. I think for the cost of tickets it could be a little more. You get a card with a bell and hot coco plus the ride on the train to a little town. It was set up with shops, heating barrels, and a haunted house ? Some decorations, not many. I enjoyed the trip and would do it again, but it needs more to balance price of ticket.

A too short 4 hour experience that was a complete joy! Very friendly staff and a good time for all. Embark on a one hour train ride to the Village of Ashley, MI. A two hour layover allows people the chance to wonder through the various businesses and shops that have been set-up with a Christmas theme for the guests (you!). There was a ferris wheel, reindeer, face painting along with food, specialty shops and of course Santa Clause (and Mrs Clause) and some elves. The train people ride on is the Pere Marquette which is the train that the train in the Tom Hanks movie Polar Express was modeled after. Theres singing, hot chocolate while on the train. A great way to get in the Christmas Spirit. Highly recommend for a good time with family, kids and grand kids.

A group of 12 of us took the North Polar Express. We had 2 kids with us. Everyone of us had a blast. The volunteers on our trair car were the best. Hot Chocolate along with games and singing. We would gladly do it again!!!! In the words of our 5 year old granddaughter. The best day ever!

An absolutely phenomenal experience to take a ride on the Polar Express. The completely volunteer staff is welcoming and gracious, and the step back in time is well worth the price of admission, but be sure to buy your tickets early! It sells out fast.

Very friendly staff and amazing sounds from the train. The ride was very smooth! We had an amazing time, our first time together.

Its a wonderful place to visit when it comes to railroad preservation but for me,it has been the best volunteering experience I have ever had. Seriously,as a volunteer,you are limited more by what you are capable of than positions avaliable in most cases,which is very wonderful. Highly recommend putting in the time and effort here. :)

We went for the North Pole Express experience. We (the adults) were not as thrilled as the kids (the kids liked the experience of just riding the train). I understand it is run by volunteers.... But if you dont want to be happy and spread holiday cheer, stay off the holiday train. Our crew didnt even interact with us. Just asked if we wanted cocoa. They literally just handed things to us, no talking, no smiles. It was just disappointing because we were hoping for singing, dancing, anything!! They all hung out in the front and chatted amongst themselves. We also were disappointed that we had to buy a ticket for our child with special needs who cannot sit in a seat by herself (she sat on our laps the entire time). It was an expensive excursion of which we enjoyed the train ride and seeing the 1225, but we will not spend that much money on it again.

Great time and our toddler thoroughly enjoyed the train ride

The train is awesome. People were quite nice and helpful. The Christmas village thing in Ashley was very cool too. Only downfall is the cost of the tickets, but most of the people working are volunteers and the money goes to keeping the steamies alive. So its well worth it.

Went last night with a group of 12. 5 Children and 7 Adults. We rode Dasher. The kids loved the train but the village is awful! All it lacks is a beer tent! No singing or games or fun volunteers on our train! One young man did his best but no other interaction! Expected way more for a $1200. Night out! Huckleberry railroad and village is way more nostalgic and way cheaper!

Super cute. The double decker cars are single file sitting up top, so you know. That was our only issue. But the people working for the train were great, the town we went to was small but cute. Could of used more time there too, definitely pick what you want to do most and do it first!

My grandchildren and the entire family were on the Polar Express this past weekend. We all had aWonderful time, especially the grandchildren. The Conductor and young lady on our train were friendly. There were trivia games, snowball pass and carols sung. Hot cocoa was just warm and perfect for the little ones to drink. Arriving in Santa Village we found small shops, friendly people and lots of things for the little ones to do. You could purchase food in various cafes or food trucks. It’s just carnival food but you only have 2 hours, not enough time to sit in a restaurant. The small carnival rides and pony rides were fine. Remember This Is For Children!!! Not Adults!!The down side was the Mud and too many people dropped in the village making for very long, long lines to see Santa or take a picture by the train. We were unable to do either due to the long wait.Would like to go on this adventure again but during the day. We took the 5pm train and it was difficult to get around to see the whole village and too late for the children.

Went here for the Polar Express train ride and it was fantastic. Directions were clear if you read them, organize very well. Christmas village was also great, lots of options for food, crafts and other activities. Will definitely plan this again next year.

Grandkids loved this !! After a hour train ride to the little town, you get to shop & take pictures & eat if you desire, you get two hours there, and then back on the train to go back.

Most excellent visit. We were very happy to visit with John as our tour guide. The gift shop was fun and there are lots of things for kids. Leaving the shop, we had a cart ride back to the turntable area where I snapped the picture and we saw the Polar Express. There was quite a bit of work going on by volunteers and they were prepping it for firing the boiler. This is a huge area and a tribute to what happens when a dedicated group of people put their minds and backs into making something happen. I understand the Christmas trips are all booked - how great!!!! Would love a revisit sometime!

It was one of those perfect days.

Very cool and unique experience for my 5 year old. The people working(volunteers) were very friendly and did a great job. The parking in Owosso is convenient, the train station is right across the street if you pay $10. Otherwise there is plenty of parking throughout the area thats free of charge. We rode in the Holly car which was one of the basic accomodations on board but it was still comfortable. The train was decorated nicely & we sang Christmas carols on the ride directed by one of the volunteers while drinking hot cocoa & eating candy canes. We also walked through several of the other train cars to visit the gift & snack car. The gifts were reasonably priced & so were the snacks. The North Pole aka the Village of Ashley does a great job of getting into the spirit of Christmas. We visited the Grinch right when we arrived followed by a carousel & ferris wheel ride. After that we played kids games to win a prize & watched a magic show which was funny & entertaining. We enjoyed a small lunch at one of the several options they have for dining. Overall this little trip will make a great memory for families, especially the little ones, & I definitely recommend it.

For children The polar Express is a great experience. For adult there are lots of historical exhibits.

If you love trains, this is a wonderful place. We got to see the real polar express.

Awesome walk through history.Didnt go in, just walked the trail around.

Did the North Pole Express. Do this if youre looking for a short train ride for the kids. Dont expect an exact Polar Express experience. They serve hot chocolate but without any fanfare. The town of Ashley, the North Pole, is just a big money grab. We will try it again, at night, to see if the experience is any better.

Finally went on the North Pole Express and was amazed at how many people came out along the route to wave at the passing train throughout the hour long trip! All of the volunteers at the station, on the train and in Ashley went out of their way to be helpful, friendly and cheerful. Having done this once, I dont think well do it again, though. Thought it was overpriced for what it was.

The North Pole Express never disappoints. The service was fantastic. The train is awesome. Everything was organized and moved along really fast.

We had a great time on our second North Pole Express trip this year. Three families of kids in our group had a wonderful experience. It was an experience that they will remember for a very long time. I cant say enough good things about the efforts of SRI staff and the communities of Owosso, Ashley, and everywhere in between. I highly recommend the experience for kids and fans of the Polar Express movie and book.

This is beyond amazing! The staff/volunteers make this experience outstanding!

The train ride for the Polar Express was phenomenal. The volunteers were helpful and seemed to genuinely enjoy being there. Even though there were 900 passengers, the lines to check in were super fast (10 mins or less). We did Coach class, which gave us comfortable seats and hot chocolate on the way to Ashley. 100% worth the cost.

Loved riding The Polar Express. The entire experience was great. Will definitely go again next year!!

OMG What an amazing ride and day. Had the best time with family and friends. Ashley was great too with like shops, reindeer, Santa, the Grinch ️️ sweets, great hamburgers. Just a lot of joy.

I had the pleasure of Hands On the Throttle here operating the 1225 steam locomotive back and forth repeatedly in the yard. Had a blast and learned a lot. Met many wonderful, friendly folks passionate about saving our railroad heritage. This could turn into a yearly event for me. Just had many bonuses beyond what I expected.

A magical place to spend time with your family for the holidays.

Absolutely great experience! Very friendly and knowledgeable volunteers made the Polar Express experience fun and memorable.

You really travel back in time when you tour the many cabooses and passenger cars. Everything here is well preserved and taken care of. The volunteers here are knowledgeable and informative about railroad history and how it was to work for the railroad. The best part about this place is Pere Marquette 1225! This is a great place to bring your kids.

You go for 30 min, you come back for 30 min, recline the seat, and sleep. I would recommend for children. It had air conditioning the seats were newer, we were looking for an old locomotive we could let the windows down and go for a ride faster then 30mph.

Very professional. Even though the main attraction was not operating, it was put on display so we could photograph it. Everything else went as planned and we still had a great time. Looking forward to next year and more trips with PM1225.

Love riding trains! But the cost to ride the North Pole Express compared to what youre getting is, well, not worth it! The train was very very old and while it ran well, it wasnt the cleanest nor was it decorated much for the holidays. The people were friendly enough but, still not what I or my mom and sisters were expecting. And, much to our surprise, the cars got worse and worse as you walked towards the caboose of the train. Ashley was cute but, again, not what we were expecting based on what was described. There was not one place to eat that wasnt carnival style or where they werent simply warming precooked food up in a microwave. There was noone tending the outdoor fires to keep people warm. Many of the staff in Ashley seemed very unhappy, and the animals they had looked sad and mistreated or were trying hard to escape! The vendors were ok but nothing to write home about. Ultimately, and sadly, I do not recommend it.

Regarding the Polar Express ride; great experience for our 4 and 6 year olds. Make sure you bring kids activities for the 2 hour round trip train ride. Also make sure you eat before you go, dont expect to get any good food in Ashley

Loved the North Pole Express. Great fun for the entire family.

Fall color tour train ride out of Kalkaska was great. Nice time to look out the windows and make new friends. Very relaxing and even had some entertainment. Stopped off in Petosky for a leisurely lunch. Return trip was just as nice as the first leg. Highly recommend this outing.

Wonderful experience for the little ones. Wish the stay in Ashley was maybe 3hrs instead of 2. Great time though and staff and volunteers are amazing.

We absolutely love going to visit and ride the North Pole Express!! The staff us so friendly! We live the train experience!

If you like steam powered trains, its awesome. Even if you dont, still pretty cool. Great for kids. Lots of different things to do and check out.

This is one experience we will never forget! Our grandkids thought it was magical!

The staff and volunteers were great! Each one we encountered smiled and interacted with the guests, and especially the kids. Everything was very well produced!

It is a step back in time with all the beautiful steam engines. The staff is all so welcoming and understanding. I love that they volunteer their day and genuinely are thankful to be paid in smiles and hugs. Thanks for all you do saving a piece of history.

The trip to the north pole was a fantastic time for my 8 and 4 year olds. The parents loved it too, especially the magic show!

Amazing experience, the history of the 1225 locomotive & the North Pole with all the children on board, the cars could have been a lot more clean glad I took disinfectant wipes highly recommend will definitely go back again

If your doing the polar express its awesome. They do a great job (dad of a 5 year old)

Great place to learn about Trains.

Such an awesome experience. The volunteers are incredible and you can tell they love what they do.

Great time taking the polar express to the north pole!

I suggest you stop in to check out the fun history and best merchandise. If you have kids they will love the 1225 steam train ride to the North Pole in the winter. The animated movie the Polar Express used the train in it which makes for a good story a fun experience. Museums need to be supported and be treated as one of the best ways to teach our children of the past. Never forget how we got here and who and what made that happen.

Great, great, great! The locomotive and train were spectacular! Amazing experience!️

If you have never been to see 1225 your missing out polar express fun for all ages! And to see one of the real work horse at work steam on 1225!

I would give it more stars if I could. A great place to take children of all ages, but especially the little ones.

Grand kids loved the train ride. We did the afternoon ride, next time we will do the morning run, couldnt see the scenery in the dark.

The real pole ex. What care, time, and organization it must take to put on the North Pole express and the small village of Ashley, I cant imagine. The hobo on the train is one of the best parts. The historic steam enigine is unlikely to be topped.

Wish the North Pole Express could take you to Frankenmuth. The train was impressive, although the cheap seats (all they had left 2 months in advance) were in a double decker from the Detroit transportation authority, and not authentic to the rest of the train. I was really expecting Ashley, Mi into be a picturesque little town, but it was not. It was basically a few metal barns and a tiny shopping strip that consisted of a nut roaster/store and a 2nd hand store. It was not nice.My three year old liked the train, so Im glad we went, but this will not be the yearly tradition Id hoped it would become... Unless they change the destination.

Overall a good experience. I liked that seats were assigned and we could leave our things on the train. It also made for less confusion getting on the train. The volunteers were cheerful and accommodating. The kids loved it. Town people were very nice.

Disappointed for the money we spent (and that was for the coach car experience) - so glad we didn’t pay for First Class. The Christmas Village in the town of Ashley was just a couple dozen trailers fixed up to be their shops and stores. Food trucks offered expensive food for the quality (my daughter and I ordered the same hot dog lunch and had to throw it away - the sauerkraut tasted like plastic and the bun tasted like paint varnish). However, my 2-1/2 year old nephew LOVED the entire trip and that made everything else WORTH IT! The train staff and volunteers were lovely and I think they really like what they do.Will we go again? No.Do we have some wonderful memories? YES!!

It was awesome it was the Polar Express they had everything set in the early 1900s Also this is the train they used in the movie Polar Express.

This was an amazing experience. I will sign up and go again for sure.

North Pole Express- what an unforgettable experience! SRI volunteers are all so nice and caring, and you can tell they really love to be there!

Nice little place if youre into trains.

We went on the SRIs Polar Express Christmas train to Ashley, MI. It was kind of disappointing. It was $380+ for 2 adults and 3 kids, the train car was a dirty commuter car converted from MARC in Maryland -- and I had to sit in that, separated from my wife and kids, for an hour, to go what is a 30 minute drive. They serve you overheated hot chocolate (water + cocoa mix) and its pretty bad.It took us to the Christmas village where you spend an hour standing in line for Santa in the mud, and have to take a picture with your phone. Then you can take a picture with the train and if youre lucky spend $50 for sub-par carnival-grade food with nowhere to sit because they dont have enough tables. We were able to squeeze in a couple other things, but it was definitely not great.Finally, on the ride back, they give you a sleigh bell -- its advertised as being a lot cooler than it is, similar to a bell from the Polar Express. It was definitely not, just a cheap 3/4ths inch bell similar to the ones you can pick up at Michaels in bulk.Its a cool one-time thing for the kids, but I wont be doing it again.

This will become a regular holiday tradition. We had a great time.

Who doesnt love the Polar Express

All around enchanting we all just loved it

Annual North Pole Express trip is so worth it! Keeps getting better every year!

Killer train old timer .Great to visit when in owosso M.I. .

We went as a group and had a blast!!Absolutely great time....!

I liked when nkp 765 AND pm 1225 did a double header

We took our grandsons today and we all had a blast. Everyone who worked there were extremely friendly, knoledgable and truly love what theyre doing. We rode on the caboose which had a great view and history. George who was our host was ful of information and great with the kids Well be back!

Best north pole experience around great for kids of all ages

Good family fun. Went for Polar express. Great experience. Cute town with activities for littles. Love it. Bring the whole family!

Just visited today for the very first time. The website makes it look so magical. And for the price we paid it could have definitely been more magical! What a bore. The most exciting thing was knowing we were on the train. And getting to see it in action for roughly 5 minutes before leaving the town of ashley. We felt rushed the entire visit in ashley. Bathrooms are few and far between so if ya gotta go you better just hold it because theres 20 minutes or more knocked off your time. The food was mediocre carnival style food. Santa came out to give the first gift of christmas and nobody could even hear him. Im glad my kids had the experience...but for the price and the 2 hour drive...Id never do it again. Very disappointed.

Just ok ... and not worth the money spent.Were a family of four (mom, dad, and two daughters ages 4 and 6). We paid $90 per ticket for the Cocoa Class (Dancer) car of the train. These tickets included unlimited hot cocoa with specialty toppings, a souvenir bell and mug, the train ride to and from Ashely Village and the 2-hr stay at Ashely Village.The only parts we truly enjoyed were our car (Dancer), the train ride itself, and our crew (they were pleasant, spoke to everyone and generally cordial). We loved the train too. That said, the cocoa was just okay (nothing special about it at all) and there were no specialty toppings as advertised. You could get more cocoa (my husband had a 2nd cup, but you had to ask for it .. there was no one asking the passengers if they would like more).The visit to Ashley Village was awful ... very worst part about the trip. Ashley Village did not remind me of anything Christmasy at all. Its like you take a nice train ride and then get dumped in Carny-ville. Instead of feeling like stepping back in time to an old Christmas village, it was shacks of uninteresting things, shacks of awful food, a few dinky amusement carny rides for the kids and people on stilts, etc. It was just such low quality in every aspect. Within 10 minutes of being there we were ready to go and wondered what the heck we were going to do in this weird place for another hour and fifty minutes.I have a lot of respect for the old trains and am glad they are being cared for and providing great rides for families. As for the Ashley Christmas Village, they REALLY REALLY need to work on that. There should be fresh painted buildings, wreaths and garlands every where and at least a Santa that walks the streets outside and maybe has a sleigh. Ashley Christmas Village leaves A LOT to be desired.At $90 per ticket (which wasnt the most expensive ticket, mind you) the cost of this adventure was way too high for what you get. We wont be doing this again anytime soon ... at least not until they upgrade and make Ashley Village actually feel like a Christmas village.

We were there just for the Polar Express, it was very nice.

It was real family fun, but....the train travels in reverse the entire trip back. For people with motion sickness it could be a issue.

A fantastic old train. Everyone should see it.

Fun and educational, went during the slow summer hours my kids greatly enjoyed the museum and train cars. Only thing to make this a 5 star would be riding the trains!!

Great for kids. Cannot see much on the way on the evening train

Good little museum. Prices are fair. The 1225 is one of the best family experiences around. Took the kids on the 1225/polar Express excursion. They do an amazing job, and my 3 yr old still talks about it a month later, as if its the highlight of his whole life.

Misleading- the steam train is one car that pulls the rest of the plain train. Town was NOT decorated and not worth the 100$ price tag per ticket. Not much to do for kids other than facepaint, feeding goats and talking to Santa. HORRIBLE carnival food (no restaurant choices, Campbell’s vegetable soup is only veg choice). Would be worth it if the train ride was an actual reproduction of the Polar Express and if the town was like Bronners or Greenfield Village

Awesome train ride but Ashley not to impressed.

Being a steam enthusiasts and a historian I found the museum quite nice. You have to be interested in Old equipment.

We had a great time!!

Cool place for all you train lovers. Home of the Polar Express!

Just awesome. Worth the time.

It is great that the SRI puts on events like the one last Saturday for children of all ages. My granddaughter had so much fun. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Thanks SRI!

Great old steam engine and train ride.

We loved it, took our 4 year old granddaughter and had a wonderful time!!

The train is pretty good. That is all.No bathrooms on the train...you get to Ashley and they have 2 urinals and a stall for 900 people..half are male. Ashley is a terrible place. They have less than 300 people who live there and they nickel and dime everything you do. BRING CASH TO ASHLEY. Magician was free. Be hungry for some overpriced hot dogs when you get there. My kids were bored in Ashley. I expected better decorations and a little more effort put into it. Nope. Will we be doing the PE ride again? Nope, not until they do something better in Ashley.

The volunteers are wonderful and provide a good learning experience. You can see how passionate they are about the trains and the railroad.

Had a wonderful trip on the Polar Express!

Whats not to like about the steam engine in the movie Polar Express. If you have seen the movie and want to see and ride on the real thing this is the place. Adults and kids alike will be thrilled. The movie engine is very exact to the 1225 at the Institute.The sounds in the movie were recorded from the real thing. A must for movie and steam engine fans.