The Tweetsie Blog

A Granddaughter Remembers

2012-01-12T20:46:30Z

I was my grandmother's admiring grandchild. As a youngster, I studied every expression on her face, every piece of jewelry and garment she selected to wear for the day, and every way her past left its mark on her.

I had to ask her one day, "Granny, what is that grayish spot on your knee?" "Its old coal soot!" she replied.

Granny reminded me that her father had been a train engineer with Norfolk & Western Railroad during the early 1900's. As a child, she loved to ride the trains pulled by the coal-powered steam locomotives of the time, especially when driven by her dad.

One day, she was sporting a skinned knee from a fall as many children do on occasion. During the day’s train ride, the steam locomotive was building up power, and as usual a little of the coal soot sifted out of the puffing smoke and onto the passengers. Granny's skinned knee received a good sprinkling, which was eventually healed over. The shadow of soot remained there on her knee for the rest of her life. It was a fond reminder to her.

Granny loved trains! Her dad was the apple of her eye for many reasons, and she thrilled at the memory of him driving while she rode. Tweetsie Railroad was always so much fun for her as it was the perfect way for her to relive those times with her family.

About four years ago, I started a new hobby of genealogy. Granny would be proud at the amount of research I've done. As a result of my hobby, I've developed a keener appreciation for the past. I jump at any opportunity to experience, first-hand, a piece of America's history. So, I had a Golden Rail Season Pass at Tweetsie this past year; and, every time I’d go, I’d see Granny’s thrill for trains in every young child’s eyes.

Michelle Ligon
Boone, NC

Photograph of ET&WNC's Engine #8 at Blevins, Tennessee depot, 1910
The Cy Crumley Collection

Our Tweetsie Visit

2011-09-16T22:00:24Z

I admit it. I thought my 3-year-old might be too young. But both my husband and I remembered Tweetsie from our childhoods and in our minds, we had waited long enough. Besides, Andrew loves trains. And carousels. And petting zoos. So we went for it. We got there just as it opened, started at the top and worked our way down the mountain.

Loved the all-inclusive price-no digging for tickets and coins, no compromising on which rides and activities we could or couldn't do. We just hopped on whatever we liked and took a spin or two (or six in one case). The ride operators were super-they came by and made sure each person was fastened in and reassured the parents of little ones that they could have the ride stopped at any time. As it turns out, my husband and I were the ones turning green while our three-year-old shouted "Faster, faster"! (Note to self: Bring his older cousins along to go on the "big-kid" rides with him next time.)

The adorable mouse train was a nice, low-key entry to our son's first train ride and since he enjoyed it so much, we took him on the big train, which was just as fantastic as I remembered. We took a breather, watched some clogging and grabbed lunch, then went back for another round at some our favorites-panning for gold and gems, another cruise on the turnpike track, the mouse train again. Then we waved goodbye to our new friends at the petting zoo, and headed back to our car, happy and exhausted, and already looking forward to next year's trip!

Laura Byrd
Raleigh, NC

You Must Be THIS Tall

2011-07-06T19:28:33Z

Life is measured in milestones. First words … beginning steps … birthdays … graduations. And while I certainly use the same technique to measure my own children’s growth and development, I also use a different system. I call it The Tweetsie Method.

As we walked along Main Street during our most recent visit to Tweetsie Railroad, I wondered if my son, LJ, now 10, and my daughter, Julianna, 8, would still find the same magic there that they always have.

The kids made a beeline for the Turnpike Cruisers, and LJ confidently marched up to the You Must Be This Tall to drive alone sign. The previous year, he had come within an inch or two of clearing the mark, and this time it wasn’t even close. He stood proud and beaming as the ride attendant waved him through to his own shiny green car.

I, on the other hand, had a flashback. I saw the 3-year-old toddler who sat wide-eyed as I bumped around the track. I pictured the 5-year-old Kindergartener who gripped my hands in his as I steered the path. And I envisioned the 7-year-old little boy who jerked into the safety wall as he managed the steering wheel and I controlled the pedals.

And then I watched. I marveled as this young man – my son – maneuvered easily around the turnpike, focused intently on the path ahead, never once looking behind.

It wasn’t a first word, a birthday, or a major life event. But to me, this was a milestone. A Tweetsie Milestone.

And there have been many. Staying awake long enough to watch Tweetsie’s Fourth of July fireworks from the car rooftop; moving up from the kiddie rides on Miner’s Mountain to the big kid rides at the Country Fair; LJ and Julianna getting up the nerve to enter the Black Hole at the Ghost Train Halloween Festival; and me getting up the nerve to let them ride the chair lift by themselves for the first time – that was a big one.

I remember visiting Tweetsie when I was a child, and now, it’s become an annual tradition for my own family. The beauty of the park is that, although it remains frozen in time with the steam engine, arcade games, and good old-fashioned Southern Hospitality, there’s room for children to grow and discover new adventures each and every visit.

I can only hope LJ and Julianna continue the tradition when they are parents someday. What a Tweetsie Milestone that would be.

Penny Rogers
Raleigh, N.C.

Tweetsie Memories from Camp Sky Ranch

2011-04-29T14:37:43Z

I attended Camp Sky Ranch as a 10 year old kid in 1957...The first encounter I had with Tweetsie was a trip away from camp. We would all pile in the back of a 1946 Ford truck with straw on the bed board and sing all the way to Tweetsie. The only buildings there were the station, and the water tower along with a small building to back the engine into at night. We would ride down the track about a mile and a half and back to the station. For the 6 years I attended camp we made a trip to Tweetsie. My Dad worked for the RF&P railroad and I guess I got the railroad grit in my blood from him. Tweetsie has always been special to me but only many years later would I find out that Number 12 was built on my mother’s birthday.
Ken Karns
Former Sky Ranch Camper

Top 10 Reasons to Buy a Tweetsie Season Pass!

2011-04-25T17:02:26Z

10. A full season of Tweetsie’s Wild West fun - a season pass pays for itself with just 2 visits!

9. Which theme park ride will be your favorite? Planes, trains or automobiles, we have 'em all!

8. Enjoy the Blue Ridge Mountains view while taking a chair lift up to Miner's Mountain for more exciting Tweetsie adventures.

7. Free parking for the July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza – watch Tweetsie light up the Blue Ridge Mountain sky.

6. One night admission to Tweetsie's Ghost Train® Halloween Festival on the night of your choice.

5. Free admission to ALL Tweetsie special events including the NEW Cool Summer Nights at Tweetsie!

4. Climb aboard Thomas the Tank Engine and meet Sir Topham Hatt during Tweetsie's annual Day Out With Thomas™

3. With up to $15 off admission at Biltmore Estate, check out Napoleon's chess pieces in America's largest home.

2. Come meet everyone's favorite purple dinosaur when Barney™ visits Tweetsie July 15, 16 & 17.

1. Classic family fun your kids will love again and again!

Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure premiere in Blowing Rock

2010-11-02T17:44:58Z

After filming at locations throughout the High Country, including Tweetsie Railroad, Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure will premiere at Blowing Rock School on November 6 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Approximately one third of the motion picture, which is based on the popular Mandie children’s book series, was filmed at Tweetsie Railroad in April 2010 including scenes in the park’s Old West Town and Tweetsie’s historic steam engine No. 12. Set at the turn-of-the-century, the movie is filled with rich history about Mandie’s Cherokee Indian heritage and life in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, which made Tweetsie Railroad an ideal setting.

“There were several reasons we chose to film at Tweetsie Railroad,” stated Joy Chapman, one of the film’s producers. “Tweetsie offered so much that fit in perfectly with the Mandie stories including the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the authentic Main Street and an early 1900’s steam locomotive. In addition, the Mandie book series is geared towards children and perfect for family reading, and it doesn’t get more family-friendly than Tweetsie Railroad!”

Several of the film’s stars will attend the November 6 premiere which benefits Blowing Rock C.A.R.E.S., a non-profit organization helping local families in need of food, non-perishable items and clothing. Attendees are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items. Tickets are available for purchase at Blowing Rock School (828-295-3204) for $8 each ($5 each if pre-purchased).

Both the first movie in the Mandie series, Mandie and the Secret Tunnel, and Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure will be available for purchase at the premiere, and drawings will be held to win autographed photos of the film’s cast, including Lexi Johnson as Mandie.

The Mandie books, authored by the late author Lois Gladys Leppard, have been charming the hearts of young readers for almost 20 years and over seven million copies are in print.

About Blowing Rock C.A.R.E.S.

Blowing Rock C.A.R.E.S. is a non-profit organization helping local families in need of food, non-perishable items and clothing. The organization also works with parent teacher groups including the PTO to fill the educational needs of teachers and children including classroom supplies, books and field trips. For more information, visit www.blowingrockcares.com.

About Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie Railroad is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains on U.S. Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. For more information about the upcoming 2011 season at Tweetsie Railroad, call 1-877-TWEETSIE or visit www.tweetsie.com. Become a Fan of Tweetsie Railroad at www.facebook.com/Tweetsie or follow Tweetsie on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TweetsieRR.

Tweetsie: An Important Institution in North Carolina

2010-10-04T23:04:56Z

As a huge fan of trains, especially the kind you can ride, in North Carolina; Tweetsie is an institution for me. Tweetsie is a special place where families, friends and loved ones come together to enjoy good, clean fun full of nostalgia and adventure.

I can remember visiting the park as a child with my parents and grandparents. Some of my earliest memories of trains are of Tweetsie. I believe it was my grandfather who introduced me to the magic of steam engines and when I took to the trains with fervor, he was the one who nurtured it, embellished it and encouraged it. My parents supported it too and I have fond memories of my father taking me to the train depot in Greensboro as a very young child. So, naturally we visited Tweetsie as often as possible.

As a teenager there were many things that became less important to me. I believe most of us look back at those years and wonder what in the world were we thinking. My love of trains took a back seat to cars, friends and let’s face it…girls. I remember getting a call from my mother when I was a freshman at Appalachian State University. She was calling to ask what she should do with my model train collection. I had boxes and boxes of engines, cars, tracks, stations…it was quite a collection. Not knowing what I know now, I told her it was fine with me if she wanted to get rid of them. I get depressed just thinking about it.

Growing up is a strange thing. All of a sudden the things that meant so much to you as a child become important again. Tweetsie reminds us of these things and keeps those dreams alive.

When I got married and we started talking about having children I knew that it didn’t matter whether that first child was a boy or a girl. That child would have a train. So, needless to say, I had already purchased a fine HO model train set before my son was even born. This was in 2002. That boy had no choice but to love trains…and he still does.

I couldn’t wait for him to be old enough to enjoy Tweetsie. When he was almost 2 years old we took him there for the first time. The timing was perfect. As we walked through the gates and approached the tracks for the first time…he heard it…that whistle. My son had never seen a real train, much less the one and only Tweetsie. That big, green engine came around the bend puffing and chuffing with smoke billowing into the air. My son completely went nuts. He was laughing and screaming like crazy as old #12 pulled into the station and we were all so excited to hop on and ride. That first train ride for him was a magical experience. Surprisingly, the skits and Fort Boone, etc. didn’t seem to phase him. His interests lay with the train and particularly…that engine. We were able to take him on some of the other fun rides that day and we had such fun doing so. But, whenever he’d hear that whistle he was ready for another ride.

It was then that I realized what Tweetsie means to me…and probably millions of other people.

Tweetsie is about bringing families together and the nostalgia of remembering your dreams as a child while sharing the experience with your own children and grandchildren. Make no mistake; the train is the focal point of the experience. However, the park has so much more for families to enjoy. The people there have obviously gone to great lengths to make sure they have something for everyone. One of the things you will notice most about the people at Tweetsie is the friendliness. Every person operating a ride, everyone in the stores, all the folks sweeping up trash, the engineer, the people who take your tickets when you come into the park…every single person there is nice to you. That speaks volumes these days when it’s so hard to have a positive customer service experience. Tweetsie understands that it’s about families and friends and making sure it’s fun for everyone.

My son is eight years old now and I have a daughter who is four. My family has visited the park at least once or twice a year since that first visit and there no signs of that stopping. My son still marvels at Tweetsie and now cherishes his own model railroad collection. He refuses to ride the train without his cowboy hat, cap gun and holster and would love to hop off the train at Fort Boone and take a few shots at the bad guys. My four year old now wants her own model train and loves to ride Tweetsie with her pink cowgirl hat and vest. Both thoroughly enjoy the train ride, but also get very excited about the ferris wheel, car ride, airplanes, mouse train and everything else the park has to offer.

One of my goals in life is to make sure my son and daughter understand the importance of family and spending time together. Tweetsie is one those family experiences that illustrates that importance and provides us with the opportunity for good, clean fun…the old fashioned way. Hopefully my son will remember that throughout HIS teenage years and will pass it on to his family someday and that is why Tweetsie is an important institution in North Carolina.

Scott Dickson

Meet Tweetsie Engineer Scott McLeod

2010-09-17T17:39:00Z

As an engineer at Tweetsie Railroad, North Carolina’s oldest theme park which is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I have the pleasure of not only operating beautiful antique steam locomotives, but also working in one of the most scenic and stunning areas of the country. I meet people from all walks of life each and every day, from a 5-year-old aspiring cowboy to grandparents who ride the train and remember times long past. I arrive around 7:30 a.m. each morning, and our team checks the tracks, gets the coals hot and prepares for a Wild West adventure as I lead Tweetsie theme park guests on a three-mile loop filled with cowboys, Indians, the occasional bandit and breathtaking mountain landscapes.

I’m also a member of Tweetsie’s acclaimed steam locomotive repair shop, where we preserve a lost art which includes repairing and restoring locomotives for other theme parks and museums. I started at Tweetsie as a cowboy 13 years ago, and looked up to the same talented crew that are now passing down years of railroad knowledge to me. But it’s the people that I get to meet at Tweetsie that I love the most. I’m covered in soot at the end of each day, but I also shake hands, give hugs and make people smile. And that makes me smile even more.

Join me at Tweetsie Railroad – it’s an institution, a tradition, and my “officeviews” are like no other.

Summer’s last flight to Tweetsie Railroad

2010-08-24T16:48:39Z

“Slow down, tiny girl!” I called after my youngest daughter, who had taken to her first trip to Tweetsie with a gusto she usually reserves for eating chocolate and hopping over cracks in the sidewalk. She was barreling down the hill, arms and legs flying around her as if untethered to any socket, a 3-year-old Gumby looking for her next adventure. She had more to see and do – specifically, the Ferris wheel – and Mom and Dad’s fears of a skinned knee, and the crying that would inevitably follow, were not going to bring her down.

But she did have a partner in her enthusiasm, as she always does: her 5-year-old sister, who backs her up in all her endeavors. Since we became a family of four, they’ve been each other’s final puzzle piece. And this summer has been particularly sweet. At home, they’ve built towers and they’ve built fortresses, and sometimes they’ve built towers inside fortresses. They’ve played hide-and-seek and chased each other in circles for what seems like hours, letting loose great squeals of delight. They’ve told each other knock-knock jokes until they’ve collapsed from fits of laughter – even if they are the only two in the world who understand the punch lines. They have hugged and they have fought and then they’ve hugged again and made up. They’ve been best friends.

They’ve had firsts: loose teeth, big-girl beds and plunging underwater to swim for the first time. And in a few days, many things will change for them. My oldest will start kindergarten, a big new place with new faces who won’t always understand her the way her sister does. My youngest will go to her first day of preschool, where she’ll make friends who have nothing to do with her sister’s orbit of activities. They’ll each grow up in their own ways. They’ll be independent, but buoyed by each other all the same.

So to be here, at Tweetsie, on one of the last days of a memorable summer, watching them urge each other on – “You did it! You went on the Tilt-a-Whirl! You were so brave! Mommy, wasn’t she brave?” – was a gift. We think of a place like this as one that is permanently paused on childhood, where every day is like sitting at the top of the Ferris wheel, looking at the possibilities all around. I find that this is the kind of place where my children grow up the most, where they feel safe to test their fears, stretch their dreams, expand what they are capable of, and begin to fly away.

I have a picture from our day that says it all for me: two wild-haired, blonde-headed adventurers, piloting an F-80, with joy and determination on their faces. In their eyes, you can see their belief in all they can do, and in all that they haven’t yet done. I could sit up here at the top of my figurative Ferris wheel and watch that scene unfold forever – though I know that I can’t.

Slow down, tiny girls? Not a chance. Not when the ride is this much fun.

Beth McNichol
Durham, NC

A Note from John Carter of WBTV

2010-07-26T19:53:21Z

One of the greatest thrills I've ever had was working with Fred Kirby while I was a marshal at Tweetsie. I'd grown up watching Fred on WBTV...and to meet him, then actually get to work with him, was one of the greatest things I could ever imagine. He was bigger than life! And when he was at Tweetsie, it was like being around a rock star! People, especially children, loved Fred. He was so warm and genuine and he truly loved children. And no one cared about children with disabilities more than Fred!

He cared about them in a way that showed so much love. What a treasure he was. Later, when I came to work at WBTV, I was thrilled when I once again go to work with Fred. We often ate lunch together in our cafeteria...and the stories he could tell! He was a wonderful man and a true gentleman.

He had such a wonderful demeanor. He had an incredible sense of humor and his laughter was contagious! We think of him often and the joy he brought to so many. Thanks so much to Tweetsie for so many marvelous memories of a man who was as big a star as there is!

John Carter, Anchor, WBTV News