Tweetsie Railroad fun

Thomas the Tank at Tweetsie Railroad

We took a 3 day trip to the North Carolina mountains last week and went to Tweetsie Railroad. For those of you unfamiliar, Tweestie is a family owned amusement park that has been around since the 1950's and the headlining attractions are the historic #12 and #190 steam locomotives.

I have very clear memories as a kid of riding the #12 around the park, and then the "Indians" would "attack" the train and the cowboys would fight them and save the day. Those whooping and hollering Indians scared the tinkle out of me back then! Of course, that is not the most politically correct scenario today so now they do a kinder, gentler version of the Indians and the cowboys having a little scuffle at the old Fort, but they shake hands and all is forgiven in the end. Ah, history re-writes itself again :)

Highlights from the trip:

• Miss Kim (aka Mimi), our former nanny, drove over, spent the night with us and played with us at Tweetsie. Will and Eliza Grace were both so excited! We love and miss you, Mimi!
• Eliza Grace rode her first tilt-a-whirl and her first Ferris Wheel.
• We practically had the entire park to ourselves on Monday and Tuesday
• Will road his first tilt-a-whirl...for 6 seconds...then we had to ask the man to stop the ride, and since we were the only ones on the ride, he thankfully did
• Will steered his first "old-fashioned" car and we only got stuck on the metal side once
• It was over 100 degrees back in Cary but it was only a mere 97 in Blowing Rock
• Best conversation of the trip, which took place during the middle of the tilt-a-whirl ride:

Eliza Grace: "Whoa, I am having sooo much fun!"(said in a slightly forced and shaky voice)

Me: "Are you really having fun or are you just trying to convince yourself?"

Eliza Grace: "Just trying to convince myself!"

Anyhoo, this was Will's first visit to Tweetsie and we had a great time, as you can see from the following:

Our little cowgirl

On the Mouse Mine train (not sure what drugs were taken during the creation of that psychedelic ride but the kids liked it!)

Riding the stage coach
Whoa horsey! Willby and Mimi

Will and Jacque on the tilt-a-whirl just before it started. He seemed pretty happy about it then

I know I sat on those same horses when I was 7 years old!

This was a bit scary for me but Will laughed the entire time around the course. These cars are not on rails so you do have about a 4 foot wide span you have to steer through and he fought me every time I tried to turn the wheel!

Mimi and sissy on the train