Train Town -- Sonoma, California

If you have a boy -- or a husband -- you know that trains are a universal obsession with the tykes. We are fortunate enough to live a short drive from one of the most amazing "amusement parks" for families blessed with the boy chromosones -- Train Town in Sonoma, California, just north of San Francisco.

Train Town has been around forever -- the tunnels have a date in the late 1950s pressed into the concrete -- and I have been visiting almost every year since I was first taken there as a toddler, about a dozen years after it was founded. I went often as a kid; renewed my visits when I was a nanny; and then again when I was a mom. When my kids get too old I may have to borrow little ones until I get to tote my grandkids...!

The place is magical to kids, but it's even more magical to their parents and grandparents... the wonder on the kids' faces is like a tonic to the weary soul, and the sheer enjoyment of the experience brings a smile to everyone's face regardless of how old they are!

Of course, with a name like Train Town, there's bound to be trains everywhere -- and don't worry, there are! The main attraction is a train to ride on -- a steam locomotive with a nice loud whistle toot that alerts you to tunnels and the arrival in the station, or the town we get to visit during our ride. The little old-fashioned town has grown since I was small -- there are animals to pet and feed, and small buildings to explore, including a school, saloon, jail and fort. All along the train route there are lots of bridges, huge lakes and waterfalls and rivers, and then there's even an actual people-sized amusement park with a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and roller coaster, just to name a few of the attractions! There's an old train set up for climbing on and exploring, and a set of stairs that you can climb to take in the view from way high up above the station, taller than the fountain and in a good position to see the wheel house and many of the rides.

We took Grandpa along, and he enjoyed the visit as much as the kids -- although he sat out the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, for some reason. (Daddy and I both rode the Ferris wheel, one with each kid, but then we did rock paper scissor about the merry-go-round and he won, choosing a nice steed for his ride. I took pictures. And yes, I cheated.)

I'm including lots of our pictures, because they tell the story better than I ever could... and the phone number and address of the place, because you WILL want to go visit, I promise!

Train Town Railroad Rides, Petting Zoo and Park, 20264 Broadway, Sonoma, California. (707) 938-3912. Have fun!