What to Know
- Irvine Park Railroad's 26th Anniversary
- Feb. 26 and 27, 2022 at Irvine Regional Park in Orange
- $2 train rides, a tribute to the price of train rides when the attraction opened in 1996
Various memes, quizzes, videos, and tributes regularly remind us that something we mistakenly thought occurred only a couple of months back actually happened a decade ago, two decades ago, or even further back.
And after we sit there for a moment, trying to wrap our noggin around the fleeting nature of time, and wondering what we can do to slow it all down, we remember that enjoying interesting experiences, and good times with the people we love, is a central part of the whole slowing-down-time ritual.
So keep that in mind when we say what we're about to say: Though it might seem like it, 1996 didn't happen a couple of years ago; it has now been a quarter-century, plus a year, since we rocked the chunky platform shoes, the baby doll dresses, and the velvet, charm-laden chokers. (Miss them all, we really, really do.)
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But, as mentioned, having some fun? It can slow the march of the months, or seem to, for a few memory-making hours.
And Irvine Park Railroad has regularly delivered on that fun-having promise. The attraction has given families an airy day out, one filled with scenic spins on a charming choo-choo, kid-cute activities, and a snack bar brimming with nostalgia-nummy foodstuffs like hot dogs and ice cream.
The Orange-based destination, which is located in Irvine Regional Park, wants to keep the fun times going over the final weekend of February, but with a celebratory discount thrown in: Train tickets will be $2, all weekend long, a sweet tribute to how much train admission was in 1996.
Which was, yes, the year the Irvine Park Railroad first began to ride the rails.
The rolling back of prices is an annual February tradition at the train, which is also widely loved for its Easter celebrations, its pumpkin patch in the fall, and those adorable visits with Santa when Christmas is near.
But note: You'll need to use your $2 ticket on Feb. 26 or 27, for the anniversary special is only good during the anniversary weekend.
To read more about the special two-day festivity, and choo-choo back to another time, where kidly joy, sweet sunshine, a train ride, and lemonade to follow it make for a grand day out, chugga-chugga by the railroad's site now.
Happy 26th anniversary, Irvine Park Railroad!
