Toot-Toot for $2 Rides at Irvine Park Railroad

Choo-choo-sing an outing that will please the littler tykes in your family unit, as well as the grown-ups, too?

It's not always so simple.

And then? There's the money you'll almost certainly spend, to make sure everyone has a lively, let's-do-that-again kind of time.

But sometimes everything comes together, and at a place that has become a go-to for parents seeking a sweet, sunshine-dappled day for their kids. It's the Irvine Park Railroad, the small and charming train that toot-toots around Irvine Regional Park in Orange.

And on Feb. 29, and March 1, too, the attraction will be sounding the whistle in honor of its 24th anniversary. How? By once again throwing back to 1996 prices, a tradition the train honors each year on its anniversary.

That means train rides for two bucks, hoo and rah.

But the two-buckery continues beyond the tracks, with several concession stand snacks also rocking the $2 price tag. So your brood wants cotton candy and ice cream and hot dogs, too?

They're all two dollars each.

What can you do beyond riding the train, though, and getting cotton candy fingers, which are the best kind of fingers a person can get?

Irvine Park Railroad also features a host of other kid-cool activities, from carnival games to panning for gold. They're all ticketed, so check out how many tickets each pursuit will take.

Live music will also fill the six-hour event, lending to the anniversary-ebullient atmosphere. Will you rock some 1996 fashion? Why not?

Something to keep in mind? Parking has a fee, too, so best fold that into your family-fun budget.

So how many $2 train rides can you take over one sunshiny Saturday or Sunday? Prepare to find out at this nostalgic, 1996-y celebration.