Rolling Along

Holiday Junction
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave.

Open Nov. 10 to January 8, 2024

Free for Members; $10 for non-Members or $5 with any other Museum admission.

www.cincymuseum.org/holiday-junction

From the child with their eyes peeled for visitors from the North Pole to the teen counting every LEGO brick to the grandparent watching model trains zip through a mini metropolis, Cincinnati Museum Center’s signature holiday experience, Holiday Junction, brings families together in ageless joy.

This year the beloved Duke Energy Holiday Trains are celebrating their 77th season. Since their debut downtown in 1946, the trains have been delighting generations. Track-level views reveal intricate details of the display, where over 300 rail cars and 60 locomotives steam past anxious passengers waiting to board while cars sit with snow to their hubcaps and the perfect trees strapped to their roofs.

Holiday Junction features bursts of winter whimsy that greet you as soon as you enter the door. The Northern Lights display serves as the perfect backdrop for family photos as wispy green lights dance behind you and snow-rimmed trees surround you. The history of the Duke Energy Holiday Trains is also told through an interactive storybook filled with photos of the iconic trains over the decades.

The Holiday Scavenger Hunt features hidden objects in the garden railway layout begging you to walk around, peel your eyes and scour every detail tucked away in the snowy hills.

Of course, no holiday is complete without a visit to Santa. Santa makes his grand arrival by helicopter courtesy of UC Health on Friday, Nov. 24. The jolly elf will settle in by the fireplace on the Mezzanine in the Ruthven Gallery.