Whether small or large, trains awaken a sense of adventure in us, even if the journey – or the sight of a train – only lasts a few seconds or minutes.
And the sound of “All aboard!” equally evokes the idea of travel, and those words can be heard again every day throughout the summer in Nut Tree Plaza.
Why? Because the famous train No. 5 has been restored and is available for young and young-at-heart passengers on its oval 2-track track.
The train has been a popular destination for locals and tourists for many decades at the open-air shopping and entertainment center off East Monte Vista Avenue and Nut Tree Road, just a stone’s throw from Interstate Highways 80 and 505 and the nearby Nut Tree Airport.
The iconic No. 5 train, which carried its first passengers in 1953, has been completely repainted and equipped with an environmentally friendly, low-emissions biodiesel engine, said Jeannie Lonnquist of NewMark Merrill, the Southern California-based company that manages the Nut Tree shopping center, in a press release.
Current train hours are 10am-3pm daily, weather permitting. Summer hours for the Plaza and Carousel rides are 10am-7pm Sunday through Thursday and 10am-9pm Friday and Saturday.
Visitors will want to have their photo taken with two life-size statues, Amelia the cow and 17-foot-tall Patch the giraffe, near the carousel and train station. The entertainment area at Nut Tree Plaza also includes iconic rocking horses “that both children and adults enjoy riding,” she added in the release.
And just as the No. 5 train continues its runs through the Plaza, the tradition of free arts and crafts for children continues every Saturday and Sunday near the ticket booth.
Train and carousel tickets are $4 each. Children under 2 ride free on their first ride. An all-day wristband costs $25. Buy five tickets and get one free. Seniors ages 65 and older ride for $2. Every Thursday, active and retired military members can purchase a $2 ticket to ride any day of the week.
From its origins as a roadside fruit stand in 1921—synonymous with the town of Vacaville for millions of travelers east and west on I-80 for many decades—The Nut Tree evolved into a popular California destination when the owners of the former Nut Tree restaurant introduced the train ride experience in 1953.
The Nut Tree, a 360,000-square-foot retail and entertainment center, consistently ranks in the top 97 percent of all shopping centers in the country in terms of foot traffic per square foot, Lonnquist noted.
The open-air center, with 68 retail stores including PetSmart, Nordstrom Rack, Kirkland’s, Ulta, Old Navy, Best Buy, Michaels and HomeGoods, 17 restaurants and the Nut Tree Plaza entertainment area with train and carousel rides and other free family-friendly activities, attracts 4.5 million visitors annually, Lonnquist noted in the statement.
For more information about the train and carousel rides and other activities, visit nuttreevacaville.com/events, #NutTreeVacaville, Facebook or Instagram @nuttree.vacaville.
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