Thank you to reader Shari Bartholomew for visiting Edaville with her family and writing this review! Check our newsletter and website next week for a ticket giveaway to Edaville!
Edaville USA (including Thomas Land and Dino Land)
Edaville USA (including Thomas Land and Dino Land)
5 Pine St, Carver, MA 02330
Open Tuesday to Sunday during the summer, Thursday to Sunday in September and October, and daily in November and December. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Hours vary based on season -- check http://www.edaville.com/opening-hours
Visited September 3, 2016
With a little train lover in our family, my husband and I have been wanting to visit Edaville for a while and we were excited to be able to end our summer fun with a trip there. Since we wanted to maximize our time there, we arrived just as the park was opening. It was a great plan - the parking lot wasn’t that full, we were able to easily head to the back of the park to Thomas Land without any crowds, and we didn’t have to wait in line at the beginning of our day! I had been concerned about going on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend but didn’t need to be. Although it did get crowded as the day went on, we never had to wait more than one or two cycles to go on any ride. Considering that there was no system in place for long lines by any of the rides (i.e. snaking ropes. etc.), we figured that meant they never get too busy.
The big draw these days at Edaville is Thomas Land, and with good reason - it’s definitely the newest and most inviting part of the park. It’s very clean and I loved all of the little details that made it really feel like you were on the Island of Sodor. The buildings looked just like the illustrations in our books - I’ve even thought of it fondly since our visit when I’ve read Thomas stories to my children. Our 5-year-old daughter especially loved all of the little figures near Knapford Station that she could pose with. They were the same height as her!
My daughter loved all of the rides, especially Cranky’s Crane Drop (she rode it twice!) and Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster. Our son (almost 3) was able to go on most of the rides as well. I think his favorite was Harold’s Lift-Off, closely followed by Sodor’s Cranberry Carousel. The one ride that I would sit out next time with him was Toby’s Tilting Tracks. It moves pretty quickly and in all directions - probably more than the average three-year-old is up for. He did better than I expected, but I still wish I had watched it before we rode. On a related note, I would definitely recommend that you ride Winston’s Skyline Express as your first stop in Thomas Land - it gives you a great vantage point of the whole area and can help you plan out the rest of your time in that part of the park.
We brought our own lunches and were pleasantly surprised to find many picnic tables in Thomas Land. We had a great picnic lunch while watching the rides, all while saving a little bit of money! The park sells refillable souvenir cups, which is another great way to save a little bit on your amusement park experience (especially since it was hot and muggy the day we were there!). If time is short, I might recommend skipping the stage show at Tidmouth Sheds. The voices of the trains are dubbed in, and Sir Topham Hatt had a tough time moving in his bulky costume. The show lacked the enthusiasm we expected, and I felt like we had wasted time that could have been spent elsewhere.
My kids loved seeing Thomas the Tank Engine (the original Edaville Railroad train with a Thomas locomotive in front) chugging around the perimeter of the park and waved to him every time he went past. When it was our turn, they really enjoyed the train ride. We picked up some drinks and a cookie beforehand, which was a fun treat to have while we were on the train and waiting for it to leave the station. It was interesting to see all of the cranberry bogs from the train (note that there is usually a cranberry festival at Edaville on Columbus Day weekend - a great time to see the cranberry harvest and ride the rides). You can take unlimited rides on the train during your visit to Edaville.
Our overall impression of Thomas Land was so favorable that we had high hopes for the other areas of the park as well. While we definitely enjoyed the rest of our day, my husband and I both felt like the other rides seemed more like ones you’d find at a fair as opposed to an amusement park. Most of the rides are dated and need some “freshening up.” I actually broke the seat belt on a ride when I was trying to strap my son into it. The attendant noticed immediately and showed us to a different car. I wasn’t actually concerned about our safety at any point but do hope that there are plans to update the older rides.
Some high points in the rest of the park: our whole family enjoyed riding the carousel together, and my daughter loved Big Eli, the giant ferris wheel that was built in 1953. My son loved the rides in the indoor amusement area (Ellis’ Playhouse) since they were geared towards younger children and he could ride all of them by himself. He also appreciated all of the train tables that he got to play with in the park, both in the playhouse and in the gift shop. He didn’t even really notice all of the souvenirs because he was so excited about the trains he could play with. We bought a big book of Thomas stories for the kids, and a postcard to glue inside the front cover. We also attached our tickets so we’ll remember the date we visited there. It’s something we’ll remember forever and our favorite type of souvenir to buy.
We only had a little time to walk through Dino Land, which is a forested area filled with life-size (or close to life-size) dinosaurs. A winding path takes you by all the dinosaurs, some of which move and roar.
All in all, we had a great day and I would definitely consider going again in the future. Edaville offers special weekend and seasonal activities. Most weekends offer a special theme or guest, such as Clifford the Big Red Dog, Madeline or a Halloween Bash. Starting October 1, the park will feature Pumpkins Aglow, with trick-or-treating throughout Edaville (costumes are optional), many hand-carved pumpkins, and a special display in Dino Land. From November 18 to January 2, the park will feature the Festival of Lights, with over 17 million holiday lights. A Dickens-era shopping area is being built at the front of the park. It should be a neat addition to the park; I’m not sure if it will be open all year or just at Christmas-time.
Admission is $37 for adults, $32 for seniors and children aged 2-3, and free for children under 2. There are discounts available on Groupon and VIP packages that include special events with visiting characters. I’d love to hear what your past experiences at Edaville were like; please feel free to share in the comments below!
One last piece of advice - we had a great dinner at Mamma Mia’s after we left Edaville. They had the most thought-out kids’ menu I’ve ever seen. My kids loved their meal which consisted of a bunch of fruits, veggies, cheese and black olives! It’s located at 73 Main St, Carver, MA 02330.
My family received free admission for the purposes of this review. All opinions stated here are my own.
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