Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad — Attraction in Lebanon

Honest Review

So just recently, I saw this Polar Express Experience on Facebook so I decided to take a trip from Marysville to Lebanon with my mom, son and niece to meet up with my sister and her son who live just outside the area.

First thing is parking. It’s a bit chaotic and the lots close by are private property and don’t allow parking for the event. There is street parking with a 2 hour limit which is not bad.

Second is ticket verification. You buy your tickets in advance and select your seats. However, instead of doing digital or e-tickets, you have to enter the gift shop and show proof of purchase at the checkout. They hand you an index card with the members of your party. Personally I feel that part is very unorganized and it doesn’t allow you a good opportunity to shop their trinkets and keepsakes because the shop is very small and the line was out the door and up the sidewalk. Which was a bummer overall.

My expectations vs the reality of the experience had me disappointed overall and here’s why.

The cost of the experience was overvalued. Ticket cost was $40 for standard and $45 for deluxe it was slightly cheaper for children but not by much.

I was expecting a keepsake mug with the LM&M Polar Express Experience logo from the hot chocolate stand as part of the admissions price but instead they served hot chocolate in a disposable paper cup.

They have a photographer on the train that is a 3rd party. They print two photos and offer them for purchase at $20 each which I personally think should be part of the admissions price, the photos they’re inserted on a little book with the history of the train etc.

The decorations on the train are nice and it is heated until it’s moving. I lost feeling in my toes during the ride. There are no decorations or outdoor lights during the ride so the experience is inside the train only which made it slightly boring. While on the train they had balloon animals which I guess was fine but it became overwhelming quick and balloons are not friendly for all ages as I have a 1 year old and balloons are an extreme hazard when popped and accidentally ingested. They handed out one cookie to all the children which is nice. The cookie tasted fine. They had Santa visit everyone and you could take photos freely with him as well which is great for the children. Then they have a bellboy type pass out a golden ticket and a bell to each child. They turn the lights off read a bedtime story and then they clip the ticket. All of it seemed to be random and thrown together to help pass time with no actual method. There is music playing during the trip and it would’ve been nice to have the polar express playlist but it was just a Christmas mix. They also had alcohol for the adults but it was a little baby bottle of baileys for $5 would’ve been nice to have a variety of liquor.

The ride is around 45 minutes loading to take off is ongoing but the train started about 15 minutes after 6 pm and unloading took about the same amount of time.

Things they could do better on is having an experience keepsake for the adults (like a custom mug when receiving hot chocolate), decorating the route of the train with lights and reindeer and other Christmas surprises so the kids can get more excited and have something to see during the experience. Having more method and organization with the on train activities (Santa passing bells like in the movie, receiving a punched golden ticket when getting on the train.) Allowing more opportunity to explore the gift shop without a massive lined up crowd waiting on verification of ticket purchase. Doing a digital, printable or e ticket option to alleviate the line in the gift shop and for quicker boarding.

With an updated experience the cost will definitely be worth the value of...

I wasn't familiar with the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad not being from the area. We went for the first time doing the Pumpkin Patch Express. I'd already seen some reviews beforehand, but I'd like to share my own experience and luckily, I don't agree with all of them but some I understood. Overall, it was fun experience to ride the train and visit the city. It's a beautiful historic district and there were a lot of great photo opportunities. I had no complaints about the train itself. It wasn't hot and the windows did open (of course that may be much different in the summer months). We didn't pay extra for the deluxe coach, and I'm glad we didn't. Coach was just fine and it was in decent shape. I agree with another review that it would be cool to receive a commemorative ticket as part of the experience, but they just write your name down on an index card. Also important!!! - if you're in a group but buying separately, reach out to let them know who all is in your party so that you're all assigned to the same car. Luckily I had to call and reschedule for me and my group, otherwise we may have been assigned to different cars. Moving on to my experience with my child - I brought my 2 year old and he seemed more interested in walking around freely than being on the train! All kids are different and go through different stages, so you can't necessarily generalize how your own 2 year old might do. I was disappointed he was lumped into the 2-12 year old age range for pricing which was significantly higher than infants. Sure, he's no longer an infant, but you certainly can't compare a 2 year old to a 12 year old. I suppose part of that had to do with "taking up a seat," but he certainly wasn't in his own seat the whole time. Maybe they could consider another subgroup of pricing for the toddlers/small children. I know some people have complaints of where you go for the pumpkin patch express which is a small landing next door to soccer fields, but to be honest, if you want a whole pumpkin farm experience, then that's where you should go. I think it was satisfactory given that a main focus is the train. The pumpkins were cute, there was a small hay maze, a little bounce house for kids, and some cornhole-type games too. I also enjoyed the local products they had for purchase. After the layover, the train continued forward for a little bit though I'm not sure why. There were plenty of trees and a little river it looked like, but nothing I was super impressed by scenery-wise. There were a lot of homes and some businesses. While I overall had a good time, it would be nice if the train ride itself was more scenic, and I think young children might be the best age to do this experience with. Like I said, every child is different, so this is just my personal opinion! I think it's a cool activity and I like how they have so many different event! When my little guy is a few years older, I'd love to go back and try...

My husband and I visited the LM&M Railroad for the first time to attend their Valentine's Wine & Cheese Train. Parking for the railroad is a little archaic (street parking, for the most part), but otherwise the entire experience was great. Their little office for tickets was packed and had a small gift shop that included train sets and other memorabilia. Our reservation was found without a hitch, and we walked across the street to the train. They had standalone bathrooms outside the train with a trash can and benches, and I used the women's restroom and it was clean and well-stocked.

We boarded early (5:30, the ride was to start at 6:30). Immediately, they gave us wine glasses and a goodie box of snacks in these nifty and cute little closeable containers. I didn't think I'd like the wine (I usually hate rose wine, but this was actually sweet), but I really enjoyed it. My husband and I both have dietary restrictions, but there were still snacks in the box we could enjoy, which was nice.They included everything from grapes, olives, and cheese to chocolate-covered pretzels, pastries, and crackers.

The train was decorated with a Valentine's theme which really helped the atmosphere. The ride itself was a lot of fun; the train swayed back and forth on the tracks just enough that it was hilarious watching tipsy happy people try to navigate back and forth between the bar and their seats without falling over. Classic "romance" songs were playing in the background, all of them appropriate. The ride lasted from sunset to early night and was a Point A to Point B to Point A type of affair. Lastly, they handed out these cute little conductor hats made out of thick paper that you could make and put on. Mine didn't fit (my husband's did), but we found it hilarious nonetheless since I looked ridiculous.

My husband and I love to try different train rides from various railroads (on vacation and locally), and this is one of the best we've been on. I'm a "train guy" while my husband simply likes to relax and support my interests, but being child-free means we like to avoid the rides aimed toward children (Easter, Christmas, etc.). If you're looking for something fun and romantic to do with your partner, we would highly recommend the railroad for couple activities as well. This is one railroad we'll be returning to...