🎄 2026 holiday season

Polar Express Train Rides Across the USA — 2026

The Polar Express runs on 24U.S. heritage railroads for the 2026 holiday season — we track each operator's official season dates and ticket-release timing so you can book the right night at the right station without scraping every operator's site.

Most operators put tickets on sale in spring for the December run, and the most-popular weekends sell out within hours. Bookmark the dates below.

Map — where Polar Express runs in 2026

22 of 24 pinned (an operator without a known lat/lng still gets its own page).

By state

AZ

🎄 Williams, AZ

Grand Canyon Railway

Dates: November 6, 2026 – January 3, 2027

See dates & book →

CA

🎄 Sacramento, CA

California State Railroad Museum

Dates: TBA

See dates & book →

🎄 Perris, CA

Southern California Railway Museum

Dates: Select dates in November & December 2026

See dates & book →

CO

🎄 Golden, CO

Colorado Railroad Museum

Dates: November 6 – December 23, 2026

See dates & book →

🎄 Durango, CO

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

Dates: November 20, 2026 – January 2, 2027

See dates & book →

IN

🎄 French Lick, IN

French Lick Scenic Railway

Dates: November 6 – December 23, 2026

See dates & book →

🎄 Connersville, IN

Whitewater Valley Scenic Railroad

Dates: November 13-15, 20-22, 27-29 and December 4-6, 11-13, 18-19, 2026

See dates & book →

MA

🎄 Hyannis, MA

Cape Cod Central Railroad

Dates: TBA

See dates & book →

MD

🎄 Baltimore, MD

B&O Railroad Museum

Dates: November 28-29 & December 5-6, 12-13, 19-22, 2026

See dates & book →

🎄 Cumberland, MD

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad

Dates: November 20 – December 24, 2026

See dates & book →

MO

🎄 Branson, MO

Branson Scenic Railway

Dates: November 12, 2026 – January 2, 2027

See dates & book →

🎄 St. Louis, MO

St. Louis Union Station (The Polar Express)

Dates: TBA

See dates & book →

NC

🎄 Bryson City, NC

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Dates: November 5, 2026 – January 3, 2027

See dates & book →

🎄 Spencer, NC

North Carolina Transportation Museum

Dates: November 6-8, 13-15, 20-22 & 27-29 and December 4-6 & 10-23, 2026

See dates & book →

NJ

🎄 Phillipsburg, NJ

Delaware River Railroad Excursions

Dates: TBA

See dates & book →

NV

🎄 Carson City, NV

V&T Railway Commission

Dates: Thursday through Sunday, November - December

See dates & book →

NY

🎄 Utica, NY

Adirondack Railroad

Dates: November 22, 2026 – TBA

See dates & book →

🎄 Kingston, NY

Catskill Mountain Railroad

Dates: November 13 – December 30, 2026

See dates & book →

🎄 Medina, NY

Medina Railroad Museum

Dates: TBA

See dates & book →

OH

🎄 Dennison, OH

Dennison Railroad Depot Museum

Dates: December 3-6 & December 10-13, 2026

See dates & book →

OK

🎄 Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma Railway Museum

Dates: TBA

See dates & book →

OR

🎄 Hood River, OR

Mt. Hood Railroad

Dates: TBA

See dates & book →

VT

🎄 Burlington, VT

Vermont Children's Trust Foundation

Dates: December 5 and 6, 2026

See dates & book →

WI

🎄 Green Bay, WI

National Railroad Museum

Dates: November 20 – December 13, 2026

See dates & book →

Also licensed for 2026 — dates not announced yet

These railroads are licensed to run The Polar Express in 2026 but haven't published season dates or prices yet. Each page below updates as soon as the operator announces.

Polar Express discounts — what to watch for

A few operators publish quiet discount programs — military, senior, multi-night, or season-pass — and most have a single "presale" window the week tickets go live. Each operator page below lists the discounts we found on its source page; if the discount field reads "none", that's because the operator didn't publish one for 2026.