Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

Saturday we took the kids to Calera to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. Jack is obsessed with trains, so this was a perfect day outing for us. We visited the museum, which is located in a restored depot station. They have all kinds of railroad artifacts and memorabilia as well as an outdoor stockyard filled with old engines, passenger cars and equipment. We took a one hour train ride in a 1950 diesel-eclectic locomotive through the woods of Shelby County. For a portion of the ride, we rode in a passenger car, but then moved to an open air flatcar. We had the best time and can't wait to go back! They also run train rides with steam locomotives (they weren't running the day we went) and you can also ride in the engine with the engineer or in the caboose with the brakeman. Thomas the Train also comes twice a year, and they have special events for Halloween, Christmas and Easter.