BLOWING ROCK — Tweetsie Railroad, North Carolina’s first theme park, pulls out of the station on Friday with its 2011 season. Tweetsie Railroad will host special events including fan favorites Day Out With Thomas, the July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza and the annual Ghost Train Halloween Festival along with new events including a visit from Barney the Dinosaur and Cool Summer Nights, a new evening program debuting this season.
Guests can also enjoy the always entertaining K-9’s in Flight Frisbee Dogs, Grammy award-winning performers Riders In The Sky and a day of adventure with Dora from “Dora the Explorer” and her cousin Diego from “Go, Diego, Go!”
Tweetsie features live shows, amusement rides, the Deer Park Zoo and concerts. Visitors can experience a three-mile Wild West adventure behind Tweetsie Railroad’s historic steam locomotives.
At Tweetsie Railroad’s very own Western town, visitors can experience firsthand the lives of North Carolina’s cowboys and Indians of the past. One can also take a scenic chair lift ride back in time and experience the gold rush while panning for gold at Miner’s Mountain.
Tweetsie’s live entertainment includes Diamond Lil’s Can-Can Revue, Hopper and Porter’s Musical Celebration, Miner’s Mountain Magic and Tweetsie’s Country Clogging Jamboree.
Special eventsfor the 2011 season
• Letterland — May 10, 11, 12. For three days, Tweetsie Railroad will be transformed into a magical place of Letterland based off of United Kingdom’s best-selling alphabet book, Letterland ABC. The reading system teaches young children the alphabet and phonics skills by bringing the letters to life!
• Day Out With Thomas – June 3-12All aboard as Thomas the Tank Engine chugs through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Children will have the opportunity to meet and take pictures with Sir Topham Hatt, listen to Thomas and Friends’ storytelling, and enjoy activities in the Imagination Station.
• Dora the Explorer and Diego — June 24-26Enjoy meet and greets throughout the weekend with Dora and her cousin Diego, popular characters from the hit Nickelodeon pre-school series.
• Cool Summer Nights – July 2, 9 and 16
This new program will be for three special evenings July 2, 9 and 16. On these days, the park will keep special evening hours, staying open late and featuring movies, live music, a chuck wagon dinner and more.
• Tweetsie’s Fireworks Extravaganza — July 4
Celebrate Independence Day with a great day of family-friendly fun! Watch as the night sky is illuminated with a dazzling fireworks display, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever! The park will remain open until 9 p.m.
• A Day in the Park with Barney — July 15-17
Meet everybody’s favorite purple dinosaur when he visits Tweetsie Railroad. Join Barney in his sing-along, clap-along show that’s filled with loads of Super-Dee-Duper™ fun!
• K-9s in Flight Frisbee[0xae] Dogs—July 23-31
This team of canines will amaze you as they jump, flip and catch flying discs in ways that defy gravity. Don’t miss out on the action-packed thrill of these incredible dogs as they perform live at Tweetsie each day.
Riders In The Sky — Aug. 6-7
Come hear America’s favorite cowboys, Riders In The Sky, as they fill the Blue Ridge Mountain air with sweet sounds. Known for their rich blend of Western harmony and comedy, the multi Grammy award-winning quartet has captivated audiences of all ages since 1977.
• Tweetsie’s Railfan Weekend—September 10-11
Travel through the Blue Ridge Mountains on Tweetsie’s historic locomotives as the park hosts its seventh annual Railfan Weekend. Celebrate the rich history of steam locomotives and tour the famous Tweetsie Railroad Train Shop, where steam locomotives from across the nation are repaired and restored.
• Ghost Train Halloween Festival — Friday and Saturday nights September 30 – October 29
All aboard the Ghost Train for a spooktacular ride with engineer Casey Bones. There is also a haunted house, the freaky forest, trick-or-treating and other Halloween-themed attractions to provide a night of thrills and chills for the entire family.
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Tweetsie Railroad will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting April 29, and seven days a week from May 27 until returning to the weekend schedule from August 21 through October 30, including Labor Day Monday. The 2011 season ends Sunday, October 30.
The park’s regular hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but will be open until 9 p.m. on July 2, 4, 9 and 16 for Cool Summer Nights. In addition, the park will be open at 8 a.m. both Saturdays (June 4 and 11) for the popular Day Out With Thomas event. The Ghost Train Halloween Festival will take place Friday and Saturday nights September 30 through October 29 from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Daily admission is $34 for adults and $22 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free. Print at home tickets and Golden Rail Season Passes are available at Tweetsie.com.
Tweetsie Railroad is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains on U.S. Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. For more information about the 2011 season at Tweetsie Railroad, visit Tweetsie.com or call 877.TWEETSIE (877.893.3874). Find Tweetsie on Facebook or follow Tweetsie on Twitter @TweetsieRR.