I had heard about the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden for years, but I had always thought that it was something just for kids. Until I had my son (who just turned two), I didn’t get excited about trains unless I was planning a trip to Europe. But now that trains are part of my daily conversation, a visit to the Holiday Train Show was in order. And we all enjoyed it so much that it’s going to be our new family holiday tradition.

While the Holiday Train Show is full of kids, a child is certainly not required to attend.  Sure there’s a quarter of a mile of track, but it’s really not all about the trains. Instead, the focus is on an fantasy version of Old New York constructed from of various parts of plants and trees. The artistry and craftsmanship of these classic landmarks is incredible — Paul Busse and his team at Applied Imagination have created a natural fantasy world where the famous Guggenheim spiral is a tree trunk. So you don’t need to be young or even young at heart to appreciate this wonderful show at NYBG.

The trains move rather slowly, which means that the kids are actually willing to stand still and wait for the train giving their adult companions ample time to examine the details of each little building and statue. If only every art exhibit had trains running through them, it would be a lot easier to take a toddler to a museum. The Holiday Train Show is open through Jan 13, so head to the Bronx if you can!