EXPERIENCES

Donuts with Dad

June 18, 2023

Kick off your Father’s Day celebrations this year with a morning cruise on the Becky Thatcher Riverboat! It’s our annual Donuts with Dad breakfast celebration and we will be featuring a giant selection of delicious treats from the Beach Donut Shop in Clinton!

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Stars Above

Coming to Essex Station July 7-9, 2023

Stars Above is an outdoor family friendly circus, a modern take on the nostalgic small touring circuses from over two hundred years ago. Featuring an all-star cast of circus performers and musicians, the show centers around a day in the life of a traveling family troupe. Combining elements of contemporary and classical circus, Stars Above explores and celebrates our interwoven connections to loved ones, community, and what we’ve lost.

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Tacos & Tequila Cruise

July 21 & August 18, 2023

It’s time for Tacos, Tequila and Tunes aboard the Tacos & Tequila Cruise! Ride our vintage train pulled by our antique diesel locomotive to our riverboat where you will enjoy a Margarita, a taco bar and other light food and live music. Ticket includes train & boat excursion, (1)  Margarita, taco bar and other light food and music. Additional beverages are available for purchase aboard the boat.

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Family Pirate Adventures

July 29 & August 5, 2023

Join us and enjoy a 20 minute ride on the 1920’s era Essex Steam Train as it heads to Deep River Landing. There we find a band of pirates and their ship “The Becky Thatcher”. Ahoy and Avast Me Hearties! Come for a jolly roger of a good time as you join the crew of the pirate Captain Kidd. Hop aboard with the scurvy crew of the Becky Thatcher for a fully immersive, one-of-a-kind treasure hunt on the Connecticut River.

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Thar Be Pirates!

August 12, 2023

Let us show you a wicked good time as you join the crew of the notorious Captain Kidd for an exclusive adventure on the Connecticut River. Come, join a gathering of the legendary pirates of New England as they celebrate the most notorious dread pirate of them all aboard the Becky Thatcher, the famed riverboat overtaken by a rowdy crew for this very occasion.

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PREMIUM EXPERIENCES

Cigars, Whiskey & Blues

June 9, 2023

We would like to welcome you to the Essex Steam Train platform “speakeasy” where we will help you explore premium whiskey tastings curated especially for our 2nd annual event – back by popular demand!

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Murder Mystery: Til Death Do Us Part

August 4, 2023

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, but the wedding bells aren’t ringing for this not-so-happy couple when a member of the wedding party is murdered! With a raging bridezilla and an unenthused groom on the scene, it may be happily never after in this nuptial nightmare. Trade clues with your guests and help the hapless couple figure out whodunnit so they can say I do before the wedding hour passes them by!

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SOLD OUT – Hand on the Throttle

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about and actually operate a full size steam locomotive! Registrants receive home study materials covering railroad and steam locomotive safety as well as basic steam locomotive theory and operation.

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FAMILY EXPERIENCES

Rail Bikes

Rail Bike Adventure – 8 Mile Round Trip Adventure &

2023 – Limited operating schedule Of June 22, 25, 30 and July 1, 2, 3, 8 & 9 – On Sale June 1, 2023

Pedal a Rail-Bike for a 8 mile round trip adventure over moderate terrain from Essex Station south to Old Saybrook and return; passing along the Preserve (The Preserve is a 963 acre forest located in the towns of Old Saybrook, Essex and Westbrook. It was recognized as the largest remaining unprotected coastal forest between Boston and New York before its acquisition for conservation) while enjoying the stunning New England weather.

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