Weekends November 24th through December 17th
(Duluth, MN) — November 2023 — The Christmas City Express is a storybook experience recommended for families with children under 10 and the young at heart. The performance begins in the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, where you’ll be treated to a classic book reading of the new Christmas City Express story, enjoy carolers, and a visit from a special guest! Then climb aboard the train for a short 30-minute ride up to Lake Superior. Onboard, enjoy complimentary hot chocolate, cookies and holiday tunes.
The museum is included with your tickets during/after performance, not beforehand, its only about 20 minutes of time to explore. If you come earlier in the day or the next day (prior to 3pm) you can tour the museum for 50% off.
Tentative Show times:
Friday 4:15, 5:15, 6:15, and 7:15 pm
Saturday 3:15, 4:15, 5:15, 6:15, and 7:15 pm (Saturdays $2 more per ticket)
Sunday 3:15, 4:15, 5:15, and 6:15
Full experience is about 90 minutes: Performance first, then a short 30-minute train ride.
COACH SEATS: $30.00 for passengers 3 and up, 2 & under free.
DOMECAR SEATS: $40.00 for all passengers (ages 0+)
Space is very limited. Reservations are strongly encouraged for this show. If space is still available, tickets may be purchased starting at 3 pm the day of the performance at the North Shore Scenic Railroad ticket office.
Domecar seats are available. For just $10 more per ticket, you can ride upstairs in our “new to us” domecar and enjoy comfy booth seating under the 85-foot glass dome.
There will be a $2.00 fee on peak days (Saturday).
Wheelchair Information: The performance of the story is accessible, however the train ride is not, due to the historic nature of the equipment. Boarding the train requires about 4 steps up to the level of the train. Limited mobility patrons should consider extra time for walking to the train from parking.
Bring a letter for Santa! The big-man himself is part of the show. We encourage all riders to bring a letter for Santa. Optionally, if you include your return address you will get a fun reply that will come in the mail after the event.
Want to visit the Lake Superior Railroad Museum too? The museum closes at 4pm on Fridays & 3pm on Saturdays when the Christmas City Express shows are on. You can come earlier in the day to explore the museum and enjoy 1/2 off admission as a combo with your train ticket.
The Bentleyville Shuttle Train (not this event) operates on Saturdays. The Christmas City Express does pass by Bentleyville, but does not stop there. The Bentleyville Shuttle Train departs from Fitgers Station (Not the Duluth Depot, but about 1-mile away). More info about the Bentleyville shuttle train can be found here.
Music is a big part of the show. Each night, we feature local performers who come to share some holiday joy to passengers before and after the performance of the Christmas city Express. Some returning passengers might want to book on a night they know they band, or remember them from previous years…
Tentative Music Performance Schedule (part of the show):
11/24/2023 (Friday) | Greg Tiburzi |
11/25/2023 (Saturday) | Greg Tiburzi |
12/1/2023 (Friday) | Sterling Strings |
12/2/2023 (Saturday) | ZOZATRAS |
12/3/2023 (Sunday) | Greg Tiburzi |
12/8/2023 (Friday) | CSS Jazz Band |
12/9/2023 (Saturday) | Duluth East Choralaires |
12/10/2023 (Sunday) | Solid Gold |
12/15/2023 (Friday) | Lyric Opera of the North COR Carolers |
12/16/2023 (Saturday) | Accordions 4 |
12/17/2023 (Sunday) | Dana Carolls Music Studio |
12/22/2023 (Friday) | ZOZATRAS |
12/23/2023 (Saturday) | ZOZATRAS |
The above music performer schedule is subject to change without notification.
More about the train can be found in this video:
All Aboard! Learn more and check train schedules for all excursions here.