Boulder City is about 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas, and it just became the easiest holiday day trip on the calendar. The Nevada State Railroad Museum there opened a brand new visitor center in September, and its two holiday trains went on sale Nov. 1.
Here is the part nobody expects this early. One of those trains is already gone for the whole season.
The Night Train Is Sold Out, All of It
The North Pole Express is sold out for every 2026 date, according to the museum's own page. It runs Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 28 through Dec. 20, with departures at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The ride itself is a 30 minute trip, and the full experience runs about 90 minutes. Passengers hear a reading of The Night Before Christmas, then get hot chocolate and cookies, photos with Santa, games, and a snowball fight with giant cotton snowballs at Santa's Railyard.
- North Pole Express: sold out for 2026, all dates.
- Price it was: $35 for adults and $30 for children age 3 and older, with members getting $5 off.
- What it funds: the ride is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Nevada Southern Railway.
So if the night train was your plan, do not drive out hoping for a walk up seat. The museum is clear that all 2026 tickets are sold out.
The $12 Santa Train Is Still the Move
The Santa Train still has the same dates, Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 28 through Dec. 20. It is a vintage car ride to Henderson and back, with holiday music while Santa and his helpers walk the train, hand out candy canes, and stop for photos.
| Santa Train detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Departures | 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. |
| Tickets | $12 per person, $6 for museum members, veterans free on the Santa Train |
| Where | 1000 Boulder City Parkway, Boulder City |
That is the whole lesson here. The $35 night ride sold out in about a week, and the $12 daytime ride is the one you can still book, so grab it now, not after Thanksgiving.
Go Now for the New Visitor Center, Not Just the Train
You do not have to wait for Nov. 28 to make the trip worth it. The museum is open Thursday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with museum admission at $5 for adults and free for children.
The new visitor center is about 9,000 square feet, built for $25 million and funded through Conserve Nevada Bonds. Inside is nearly 3,800 square feet of exhibit space, hands on exhibits, a projection map theater, a research archive and reading room, and a shaded platform for the train rides.
Regular weekend trains already run Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., from September through June. Those rides cost $15 for adults and $6 for children, and veterans ride free with ID.
- Want the holiday ride? Book the Santa Train online today and pick an early departure, then tour the visitor center after.
- Want a quieter trip? Go on a Thursday or Monday, tour the new exhibits, and skip the weekend train crowds entirely.
- Want the gift stop? The museum takes part in Museum Store Sunday on Nov. 29, its first since the visitor center opened, and the store is inside that new building.
Short drive, real train, brand new building most locals have not seen yet. That is a pretty sweet Sunday.
