# Christmas train rides near Milwaukee, 2026

> In 2026, Santa train rides near Milwaukee run Nov 27 through Dec 21, from $18. Happy Holiday Railway at Illinois Railway Museum starts Nov 27, tickets $25–$30. Everyone past their second birthday needs a ticket. Daytime Christmas Trains at East Troy Railroad Museum starts Nov 28, tickets $36–$43. Ages 0–2 need a $13–$16 ticket.

- Last checked: 2026-10-30
- 8 Christmas trains with 2026 dates
- Canonical page: https://littlesweekly.com/milwaukee/christmas-trains/
- Santa visits (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/milwaukee/santa/index.md
- This week (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/milwaukee/index.md
- City index for agents: https://littlesweekly.com/milwaukee/llms.txt

## What to know

- **Happy Holiday Railway**: Nov 27 through Dec 21 (Union, IL (7000 Olson Rd) · about 75 miles away). Ages: Everyone past their second birthday needs a ticket. Tickets: $30 adults, $25 kids.
- **Daytime Christmas Trains**: Nov 28 through Dec 20 (East Troy, WI · about 30 miles away). Ages: Ages 0–2 need a. Tickets: Adults $41–$43, kids 3–14 $36–$39.
- **Santa Express**: Nov 28 through Dec 12 (North Freedom, WI · about 105 miles away). Tickets: $30 adults, $18 children.
- **Santa's Special Evening Trains**: Nov 28 through Dec 19 (East Troy, WI · about 30 miles away). Tickets: Adults $69–$79, kids 3–14 $59–$72.
- **Santa's Trolley Express**: Nov 28 through Dec 20 (South Elgin, IL · about 75 miles away). Ages: Every passenger needs a ticket, whatever their age. Tickets: $50 per person from Nov 1.
- **Holiday Express Model Train & Flower Show**: Dec 5 through Jan 3 (Madison, WI · about 70 miles away). Ages: 5 and under free. Tickets: $10 general, $6 ages 6–12.
- **CPKC Holiday Train in Sturtevant**: Dec 8 (Sturtevant, WI (9900 East Exploration) · about 25 miles away). Ages: All ages. Tickets: CPKC's schedule doesn't list a cost.
- **CPKC Holiday Train in Wauwatosa**: Dec 9 (Wauwatosa, WI (Harwood Ave railway crossing) · about 7 miles away). Ages: All ages. Tickets: CPKC's schedule doesn't list a cost.

## Train rides

- **Happy Holiday Railway** at Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL (7000 Olson Rd) · about 75 miles away. When: Next: Fri Nov 27, Sat Nov 28, Sun Nov 29, Sat Dec 5 and 6 more. Time: Departures 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; fireworks at 5:45 p.m. Nov 27–29. Price: $30 adults, $25 kids. Ages: Everyone past their second birthday needs a ticket. Type: Santa train. A 40-minute ride with Santa on board, cocoa and cookies, and an animated light show. One quiet car skips the show if that suits your kids better. Official page: https://www.irm.org/event/happy-holiday-railway/ (checked 2026-10-30)
- **Daytime Christmas Trains** at East Troy Railroad Museum, East Troy, WI · about 30 miles away. When: Next: Sat Nov 28, Sun Nov 29, Sat Dec 5, Sun Dec 6 and 4 more. Price: Adults $41–$43, kids 3–14 $36–$39. Ages: Ages 0–2 need a $13–$16 ticket. Type: Santa train. Official page: https://www.easttroyrr.org/daytime-christmas-trains1.html (checked 2026-10-29)
- **Santa Express** at Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, WI · about 105 miles away. When: Next: Sat Nov 28, Sun Nov 29, Sat Dec 5, Sun Dec 6 and 1 more. Time: 10, 11:30 a.m., 1 and 2:30 p.m. Price: $30 adults, $18 children. Type: Santa train. Official page: https://www.midcontinent.org/train-ride-information/santa-express/ (checked 2026-10-29)
- **Santa's Special Evening Trains** at East Troy Railroad Museum, East Troy, WI · about 30 miles away. When: Next: Sat Nov 28, Fri Dec 4, Fri Dec 11, Sat Dec 12 and 2 more. Time: 5 p.m. Price: Adults $69–$79, kids 3–14 $59–$72. Ages: Not listed. Booking: Not listed. Type: Santa train. Official page: https://www.easttroyrr.org/santas-special-evening-trains.html (checked 2026-10-29)
- **Santa's Trolley Express** at Fox River Trolley Museum (boards at Blackhawk Station, Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve), South Elgin, IL · about 75 miles away. When: Next: Sat Nov 28, Sun Nov 29, Fri Dec 4, Sat Dec 5 and 7 more. Time: Weekends from 10:30 a.m.; Friday evenings from 5:30 p.m. Price: $50 per person from Nov 1. Ages: Every passenger needs a ticket, whatever their age. Booking: Each departure booked separately; all sales final. Type: Santa train. Official page: https://foxtrolley.org/visit/special-events/santas-trolley-express/ (checked 2026-10-29)

## Model-train holiday displays

- **Holiday Express Model Train & Flower Show** at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, WI · about 70 miles away. When: Dec 5 – Jan 3. Time: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. daily; closes 2 p.m. Dec 24, closed Dec 25. Price: $10 general, $6 ages 6–12. Ages: 5 and under free. Booking: Tickets at the door. Type: Model trains. Large-scale model trains run among hundreds of poinsettias. Official page: https://www.olbrich.org/calendar/holiday-express (checked 2026-10-29)
- **CPKC Holiday Train in Sturtevant** at CPKC Holiday Train, Sturtevant, WI (9900 East Exploration) · about 25 miles away. When: Tue Dec 8. Time: 7–7:30 p.m. Price: CPKC's schedule doesn't list a cost. Ages: All ages. Booking: No tickets listed; it's an outdoor trackside stop. Type: Model trains. The lit-up Holiday Train stops near Racine for a half-hour show with Allen Stone. Wauwatosa gets its stop the next afternoon. Official page: https://gis.cpkcr.com/arcgis/rest/directories/arcgisoutput/HolidayTrain/U.S._Holiday_Train_Route.pdf (checked 2026-10-30)
- **CPKC Holiday Train in Wauwatosa** at CPKC Holiday Train, Wauwatosa, WI (Harwood Ave railway crossing) · about 7 miles away. When: Wed Dec 9. Time: 4:15–4:45 p.m. Price: CPKC's schedule doesn't list a cost. Ages: All ages. Booking: No tickets listed; it's an outdoor trackside stop. Type: Model trains. CPKC's lit-up Holiday Train pulls in for a short trackside show. Allen Stone plays this stop. Official page: https://gis.cpkcr.com/arcgis/rest/directories/arcgisoutput/HolidayTrain/U.S._Holiday_Train_Route.pdf (checked 2026-10-30)

## About this list
- Published by Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/). Free weekly lists for kids ages 0–6. Lists refresh Monday and Thursday. The email goes out Thursday evening.
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## FAQ

### Is there a Polar Express train ride near Milwaukee in 2026?
Not one we could confirm with 2026 dates on an official page. The closest thing on this page is Happy Holiday Railway, Daytime Christmas Trains and Santa Express.

### Where can kids ride a Santa train near Milwaukee?
Happy Holiday Railway (Union, IL (7000 Olson Rd) · about 75 miles away): Next: Fri Nov 27, Sat Nov 28, Sun Nov 29, Sat Dec 5 and 6 more. Daytime Christmas Trains (East Troy, WI · about 30 miles away): Next: Sat Nov 28, Sun Nov 29, Sat Dec 5, Sun Dec 6 and 4 more. Santa Express (North Freedom, WI · about 105 miles away): Next: Sat Nov 28, Sun Nov 29, Sat Dec 5, Sun Dec 6 and 1 more. Santa's Special Evening Trains (East Troy, WI · about 30 miles away): Next: Sat Nov 28, Fri Dec 4, Fri Dec 11, Sat Dec 12 and 2 more. Plus one more on this page.

### Where can kids see a model train holiday display near Milwaukee?
Holiday Express Model Train & Flower Show at Olbrich Botanical Gardens: Dec 5 – Jan 3, $10 general, $6 ages 6–12. CPKC Holiday Train in Sturtevant at CPKC Holiday Train: Tue Dec 8, CPKC's schedule doesn't list a cost. CPKC Holiday Train in Wauwatosa at CPKC Holiday Train: Wed Dec 9, CPKC's schedule doesn't list a cost.

### Do Christmas train rides sell out?
Many do. One of the eight here asks you to book ahead or warns that seats sell out. Each card says what the operator posts about tickets.

### Which Christmas train near Milwaukee is shortest, cheapest, or easiest with a toddler?
Cheapest ticket: Santa Express, from $18. Those come from the ride length, price and age notes on this page.

### How do you check these train rides?
Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page and links to it. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 30, 2026, and we recheck them every week through December. [How we choose and check](https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/).