Steam Railroading Institute — Attraction in Owosso

This could be SO much better. There was generally such a lack of attention to detail. The adult car tickets are so expensive we were expecting a lot more. For example, when we boarded the train we were really expecting to be greeted by the conductor with some enthusiasm and joy reminiscent of the film the train markets itself to be imitating. We were not. Very ho-hum. Also, the step stool up and down off of the train is treacherous, there were employees standing there but they could have at least offered a hand to those stepping down or up. Once on the train the table seating was really uncomfortable, plus it would have been nice to have been served hot chocolate in an actual mug and not styrofoam cups. If they had provided our complimentary mugs at the beginning instead of at the return trip we could have used those to drink from instead of drinking out of nasty little partially-filled styrofoam cups. Also, it would have been nice if someone was walking up and down the aisle once or twice with a thermos to offer hot chocolate refills, marshmallows and whipped cream. Once at the town it was clear by our first stop at the fire station lunch that the town was going to be sadly disappointing. The food (the chicken and dumpling soup) was marginal at best. Many of the shops listed were actually just a table in a room with other 'shop' tables. The wide, barren concrete street itself had no holiday presence at all, construction barriers blocked the road instead of putting a little thought in to it and placing, for example, a few Christmas trees in planters or something. My husband and I took the horse drawn carriage ride and the two drivers barely even said hello much less introduce us to the horses who pulled the carriage, or even just greeting us with an enthusiastic Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays would have been a friendly gesture. Come on, a nice person could be on the carriage ride to sing a Christmas carol or something. The two drivers silently took us around a pretty sad town block with abandoned, boarded up homes and one house even had a huge tree crushing part of it that clearly had been there for years. Definitely not close to the beauty and grace of some other holiday events we have been to in...

I’m giving this polar express experience 5 stars because we made it fun and enjoyed the night and it was very cute. This was our first experience and it promised to be magical. The train was very cool, very old and the seats were quite comfortable. The table was convenient in the middle and we were glad there were bathrooms on board. There was no entertainment as promised in our car but the train ride was my favorite part still. The village could use some work. I’m not really sure what the point of it was, it was small shops selling odd goods and not good food and a cheap fair-like atmosphere when the tickets were very expensive to go there. With all the hype this experience promises and for how hard it is to get tickets, it seems like more effort could be put into the destination and better vendors could be brought in easily. There wasn’t even a Christmas tree. Small towns can be wonderful and beautiful, but you can’t overcharge people to go to a small town that has basically nothing to offer. The crafts were outdated and in many cases low quality, the food offerings were not sufficient at all and the surrounding atmosphere was not full of Christmas magic as promised. The people were so friendly and kind and the train volunteers were wonderful, Santa was great. But I can see this experience dying off in the future if a more relevant destination is not found. I have told friends and family that it was fun because we made it fun, and that children would enjoy it more than adults, but it’s definitely not a must do. It just seems like the destination town could be improved greatly. Perhaps new, updated event planning and coordination with the community and outside vendors could be brought in to improve the experience. Strolling magicians, carolers, reindeer, a big tree, more than one horse drawn carriage, characters, good food, talented vendors that are selling currently relevant items, etc. Think frankenmuth crossed with crossroads village and greenfield village all rolled into one. Even a fraction of one of those would be an improvement. As well as a greater, well managed presence on...

Just ok ... and not worth the money spent.

We're 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. It's 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 wasn't the most expensive ticket, mind you) the cost of this adventure was way too high for what you get. We won't be doing this again anytime soon ... at least not until they upgrade and make Ashley Village actually feel like a...