Boulder City Halloween Express, A Mom’s Review

The Boulder City Halloween Express is a family-friendly Halloween event that takes place at the Nevada Southern Railway Museum in Boulder City, Nevada. The event features a train ride to a rail yard where there is a monster mash dance party, games, and treats.

This year, we were graciously hosted by Nevada Southern Railroad Museum to come and check out the Boulder City Halloween Express and share our experience with you!

So without further ado, here’s the details and our honest review when taking a 9 month old and 4-year old.

Boulder City Halloween Express

The Boulder City Halloween Express is noted to be a family-friendly Halloween attraction for ALL AGES. While they note “no masks please”, it is not enforced, so keep that in mind. If you’re looking for more Halloween fun, you’ll want to check out our ultimate list of over 125 Halloween events in Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City areas.

Put on those costumes (no masks please) and join us for a fall family adventure aboard the Boulder City Halloween Express!

Your non-scary journey begins with a 40 minute train ride to our railyard where you will disembark for a Monster Mash dance party. While there, enjoy refreshment, games, and of course a costume contest. After the one hour dance party concludes, you will re-board the train for the short 5 minute trip back to the station.

This event is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Nevada Southern Railway who support the museum in its preservation and education missions.

It’s important to note that this event is fundraiser for the Friends of the Nevada Southern Railway. It is run by volunteers, many of whom have volunteered there for years! BC Halloween Express is brought to you by The Friends of the Nevada Southern Railway, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, supporting the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City.

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Location

601 Yucca Street
Boulder City, Nevada

Directions

The Nevada Southern Railway Museum is about a 25-30 minute drive from Las Vegas depending on what side of town you’re coming from.

To get to the museum from Las Vegas, take I-215 E and I-11 S. Exit at US-93 S and turn left onto Yucca Street. The museum will be on your right. You can’t miss it!

Event Dates & Times

The event will take place on the following dates in 2023:

• October 13, 14, & 15
• October 20, 21, & 22
• October 27, 28, & 29

Train boarding times are at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 5:30 pm on Sunday.

Cost

Tickets can be purchased online in advance or at the door. We recommend buying online as there is only one person at the Ticket Sale booth and unless you arrive early to stand in line for tickets, you may be waiting a bit.

• First Class
  • $45-50/person
• Table Class
  • $45-50/person
• First Class Open Air
  • $40-45/person
• Coach
  • $30-35/person
• Coach Open Air
  • $25-30/person

Prices vary depending on package selected ranging from $35-$50 for adults and $25-$45 for children. You can buy tickets here. On the website, you will be able to choose your exact seats.

Our Experience & Pros and Cons

We were generously hosted by Friends of Nevada Southern Railway and given Coach seats in Car 603 (enclosed).

During our visit, we brought a nine month old and a four year old to experience the Boulder City Halloween Express. I personally felt that the train ride was a bit too long totaling 40 minutes with no eating or drinking for a nine month old, but our 4-year old enjoyed it.

After the 40 minute train ride, you head past the entrance to the railway to the Monster Mash Dance Party. There was music, dancing, a few games for kids and items for purchase. There was no real food, just sweets and treats from Chilly Jillyz or a boiled hot dog with plain Lays chips (that wasn’t hot), which I didn’t expect since it said refreshments were included. If you didn’t have cash, they also charged a $1 fee (also did not know).

The dance party was decent, however, they did not enforce the no masks rule, so both kiddos got scared when their was a Darth Maul mask and we ended up leaving early. They also had heavy fog blowing in the dance area, which was a turn off as I didn’t want my 9-month old inhaling that.

Pros

• Train ride is 40 minutes
• Dance party at the end is cute if you have older kiddos
• Cookie and water/juice included
• Cute costume contest
• Monster Mash Dance area was set-up nice

Cons

• Train ride is a bit long for younger kiddos and you cannot eat or drink on the train
• Train ride has a “sing along”, but only adults knew the songs, so kids were just sitting there the whole time
• Minimal Halloween decorations on the train
• If you want to learn any history about the train, you have to ask
• Slightly underwhelming overall for the price per person
• No food

Tips For Your Visit

If you decide to head to the Boulder City Halloween Express, here are some tips I recommend for families.

Eat Before You Go

There is no food on site and your ticket only comes with a cookie and water / Capri Sun. Chilly Jillyz is on-site with their food truck, but they are only selling sweets like cotton candy and ice cream. They had a boiled hot dog with a bag of plain Lay’s Chips for $6. But I would not recommend. It was not hot and they also charge for use of card.

You also cannot eat on the 40-minute train ride.

Book the 5:30pm Train to See the Sunset

If the train ride is important to you, which for us it was the main thing – go to the 5:30 time slot so you can enjoy the setting sun during the ride! The later time would be too dark to enjoy any outdoor scenery.

Bring a Jacket

Bring a jacket or sweater, as it can get chilly in the evening. You can bring a bag with you, so store it there! You can also bring your own snacks to the dance area if you want.

Bring Cash

If you plan on buying anything, bring cash. They sell souvenirs on-site, plus if you purchase anything from Chilly Jillyz, you will be charged $1 fee for using card (we did not know this beforehand).

First Class

The goodie bag for First Class included a water, water tumbler, rubber bracelet from last years Train of Terror, etc. I did not feel it was worth it.

Halloween Fun in Boulder City

Do you plan on snagging tickets to the Boulder City Halloween Express? Let us know if you’ve been before and if you thought it was worth it.

I hope this review helps you decide whether or not to attend the Boulder City Halloween Express.