Kids love trains. It’s no secret that mine do — whether it’s a Day out with Thomas the Tank Engine, catching a train ride at an amusement park, or admiring a painted sign (above), they’ve never met a train they didn’t want to ride. So when I saw that the Southern Michigan Railroad Society was having a free “Trains, Trucks and More!” day in Tecumseh, Mich., I knew we had to attend.
We decided to make it a day trip to Tecumseh — which is just under an hour’s drive from Ann Arbor. We first drove to the charming downtown area, where we found several of the Art Trail Tecumseh exhibits peppered along the main street.
Walking around looking at the sculptures worked up an appetite in us all, so we were happy to find the Dog House. I counted 30 different hot dogs on the menu, plus the restaurant had sandwiches, paninis, wraps and salads.
My husband went for the Popper Dog, with cream cheese, jalapenos and bacon; I went with a more traditional Reuben.
My son had the Big Kahuna with pineapple and bacon; my daughter, on the other hand, broke ranks and chose the grilled peanut butter and jelly.
With our bellies full, it was time to make our way to the Trains, Trucks and More!” event.
I enjoyed seeing the old farm equipment, but my kids’ sights were set on the trains. First we rode in the engine of this diesel engine…
Then we hopped aboard this car.
After the ride, we were able to go in and explore some of the old engines and coaches that were parked along the railroad tracks.
Under a tent, the society had put together displays of historical photos and videos, and even had a volunteer demonstrating model railroading.
My kids both enthusiastically took part in placing down the grass and bushes, with the help of the most patient man in the world, the volunteer who let rugrats like mine “help.”
The event took place from noon til 6 pm, and we spent a good two hours exploring all that there was to do. The kids learned a lot from the many volunteers on site who patiently explained the history behind the train coaches or how the diesel engines worked.