🎄 2026 holiday season

Polar Express Train Rides Across the USA — 2026

The Polar Express runs on 25 U.S. heritage railroads for the 2026 holiday season. We track official season dates, ticket-release dates, price ranges, and where Polar Express discount tips are mentioned 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

23 of 25 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

Price: $49.99 - $84.99

See dates & book →

CA

🎄 Sacramento, CA

California State Railroad Museum

Dates: TBA

Price: $80.00+

See dates & book →

🎄 Perris, CA

Southern California Railway Museum

Dates: Select dates in November & December 2026

Price: $40.00 - $85.00

See dates & book →

CO

🎄 Golden, CO

Colorado Railroad Museum

Dates: November 6 – December 23, 2026

Price: $72.00 - $475.00

See dates & book →

🎄 Durango, CO

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

Dates: November 20, 2026 – January 2, 2027

Price: $67.00 - $101.00

See dates & book →

IN

🎄 French Lick, IN

French Lick Scenic Railway

Dates: November 6 – December 23, 2026

Price: $47.00 - $117.00

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

Price: $49.99

See dates & book →

MA

🎄 Hyannis, MA

Cape Cod Central Railroad

Dates: TBA

Price: $54.00 - $122.50

See dates & book →

MD

🎄 Baltimore, MD

B&O Railroad Museum

Dates: TBA

Price: $47.00 - $90.00

See dates & book →

🎄 Cumberland, MD

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad

Dates: November 20 – December 24, 2026

Price: $40.00 - $375.00

See dates & book →

MO

🎄 Branson, MO

Branson Scenic Railway

Dates: November 12, 2026 – January 2, 2027

Price: $39.00 - $106.55

See dates & book →

🎄 St. Louis, MO

St. Louis Union Station (The Polar Express)

Dates: TBA

Price: $19.99 - $120.00

See dates & book →

NC

🎄 Bryson City, NC

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Dates: November 5, 2026 – January 3, 2027

Price: $33.52 - $92.45

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

Price: TBA

See dates & book →

NJ

🎄 Phillipsburg, NJ

Delaware River Railroad Excursions

Dates: TBA

Price: $38.00 - $48.00

See dates & book →

NV

🎄 Carson City, NV

V&T Railway Commission

Dates: Thursday through Sunday, November - December

Price: TBA

See dates & book →

NY

🎄 Utica, NY

Adirondack Railroad

Dates: November 22, 2026 – TBA

Price: $39.00 - $68.00

See dates & book →

🎄 Kingston, NY

Catskill Mountain Railroad

Dates: November 13 – December 30, 2026

Price: $38.00 - $55.00

See dates & book →

🎄 Medina, NY

Medina Railroad Museum

Dates: TBA

Price: $49 - $65

See dates & book →

OH

🎄 Dennison, OH

Dennison Railroad Depot Museum

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

Price: $53.00 - $85.00

See dates & book →

OK

🎄 Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma Railway Museum

Dates: TBA

Price: $54.00 - $92.00

See dates & book →

OR

🎄 Hood River, OR

Mt. Hood Railroad

Dates: TBA

Price: $49.00 - $109.00

See dates & book →

TX

🎄 Galveston, TX

Galveston Railroad Museum

Dates: November 13 – December 23, 2026

Price: TBA

See dates & book →

VT

🎄 Burlington, VT

Vermont Children's Trust Foundation

Dates: December 5 and 6, 2026

Price: TBA

See dates & book →

WI

🎄 Green Bay, WI

National Railroad Museum

Dates: November 20 – December 13, 2026

Price: $35.00 - $50.00

See dates & book →

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.