Sonoma Traintown…ALL ABOARD!!

“Please, do not sit there,” the conductor warned.

After nearly three years of riding the screeching, crowded, and smelly trains of London, I never thought I’d want to step foot into one again! However, with Bethypoo’s current train craze and glowing recommendations from parents in the neighborhood, we decided to give Sonoma Traintown a try.

Bethypoo and I have been on a miniature train cruise before – an animal-themed track near San Diego Zoo – and while we had a good time, I couldn’t see myself ever voluntarily taking Bethypoo on one again. “It’s like eating frog legs,” I explained to Mummy. “They don’t taste terribly bad, but I’m not ever going to develop a craving for them.”

“But Sonoma is just a 15-minute drive, and they have a petting zoo,” Mummy replied.

What a BLAST! After purchasing the train tickets and walking into the theme park, I immediately felt like a kid again! The mini Ferris wheel, the ¼ scale trains parked in a mini garage…I was smiling ear to ear! I think Bethypoo was infected with my enthusiasm as well, and tried climbing over a barrier for a hands-on experience with a train on static display. “I told you this place would be good!” Mummy said.

Unlike some of my rush hour London journeys, this train arrived on time and with plenty of space. We climbed into the car, and after a series of CHOO-CHOOOOOs from the engineer, we were off! We rode past miniature towns and gushing waterfalls, over streams via mini bridges, and through dark tunnels and a peaceful forest. Mummy was constantly reminding me to calm down, and I think Bethypoo even gave me a few disapproving glances, but I didn’t care!

Our stop along the way was at the petting zoo and a miniature 19^th-century town center. For a quarter, you can buy a handful of pellets to feed the alpacas and goats, and believe me, these guys were only interested in the food. As soon as they would finish our pellets, they’d move on to the next outstretched hand. I tried to reach out to an alpaca to rub its neck, but missed as it swiftly dodged my hand. Oh well. We visited the mini jail, church, and school in the town center, with Bethypoo waving and smiling at the other happy toddlers, and then boarded the train to finish our journey.

After our enjoyable time at Traintown, we had lunch near Sonoma State Historic Park’s Servants Quarters. According to California State Parks website, Sonoma is the “site of the northernmost Franciscan Mission in California and birthplace of the California State Bear Flag.” I couldn’t tell if Bethypoo was impressed at this little tidbit of info I relayed to her, but at least she didn’t seem bored with the stroll through history.

Overall, we had a great time, and intend to return to Traintown soon! Choo CHOOOOO!!!