“We have a separate thing to say come out and this time of year and you get these extras along with our regular family-oriented fare,” he said.
The attraction is open now and runs through Oct. 31.
“We’re family friendly. We make people smile. Nobody hates trains except at a railroad crossing. People like trains and trains are fun to see, and there is a lot to look at, there’s a lot to listen to, and there’s a lot of interactivity,” Balfour said.
He said it’s important as a family to establish things you can do together, and to create memories.
The Halloween fun at Jack-O-Lantern Junction features an indoor, no-scare walk-through trick-or-treat maze featuring kid-friendly ghosts, skeletons, cobwebs with multiple treat stations. Kids go through the maze and receive free trick-or-treat candy.
“The biggest thing that we’re changing this year is we are rearranging some of the rooms in the kids trick-or-treat walk-through maze, which is our no-scare maze, Balfour said.
Witches are popular for Halloween, for example, and guests will go in and see a broom parking area, where there are a bunch of witches brooms lined up. There’s also witch laundry hanging on a clothesline with a pointy hat on it.
“The whole thing is really designed to be kid-friendly,” Balfour said.
EnterTRAINment Junction is also re-doing the exterior decorations on the outdoor train rides to make them even more fun, he said.
“We set up little scenes that you can go past, and something’s happening, more like a story,” Balfour said. “One area is set up like a costume party. It’s very visually colorful and bright to see.”
The weather is always climate-controlled inside EnterTRAINment Junction, so visitors won’t have to be concerned about the weather. Guests will be greeted by an autumn glow and can expect Main Street to be decorated with all the colors of the season. If children would like to come in costume, they are welcome to dress up.
“We do have a lot of kids that come in, and they wear their costumes, especially for the mom’s with the little kids. You spend time or money getting a costume and the kids can wear it more than once, and if it’s going to be a bad weather Halloween, mom and dad don’t want to walk around in the weather, the kids can come in and trick-or-treat in their costumes,” Balfour said.
Jack-O-Lantern Junction features a Halloween crafts’ area for kids, a talking pumpkin, and a Halloweenville miniature animated display. Outside, there are Halloween themed hand-cranked train cars and an electric train ride (weather permitting).
EnterTRAINment Junction’s other celebrated attractions will also be open, including the world’s largest indoor model train display, a giant kids’ play area, an amazing interactive replica of historic Coney Island amusement park, the “weird and wacky” A-Maze-N FunHouse with a mirror maze, a tilted room and other illusions, the world’s most complete collection of marbles and the American Railroading Museum.
During Jack-O-Lantern Junction, the main train display has areas that are decorated for Halloween and there’s a “ghost train.”
While visiting, guests can stop by Junction Hobbies & Toys. The shop features a selection of classic and nostalgic toys, including the area’s largest collection of Thomas the Train merchandise, G-Scale and HO trains and accessories, Legos and more.
Each year, more than 130,000 guests visit EnterTRAINment Junction. October is one of the biggest months, following July and December. December is the single, biggest month.
HOW TO GO
What: Jack-O-Lantern Junction at EnterTRAINment Junction
Where: 7379 Squire Court, West Chester Twp.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
Cost: Attraction pricing starts at $9.95, children ages 2 and younger are free; Free parking.
More info: Visit entertrainmentjunction.com.or call (513) 898-8000
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