Halloween Train Rides in Mississippi (2026)
Mississippi's Halloween train this year comes from a model railroad museum on the Coast: TrainTastic in Gulfport sets up a Haunted Depot and outdoor Halloween train rides for two evenings, Oct 23 and 24. It is the only family Halloween train event we found in the state for 2026, and it lands in the pumpkin and costume group, built for children, with a spookier stretch after 6:30 PM for kids 8 and up. For everything beyond the state line, see our state-by-state list of Halloween trains for kids.
We did not find a heritage railroad running a Halloween ride in Mississippi this October, so families who want a longer train trip will be looking next door. Coast families have Wales West in Silverhill, Alabama, about an hour and a half east. Jackson families face a longer drive whichever way they go.
The short version
- Gulfport: Tricks, Treats & Trains at TrainTastic is the one Halloween train running in Mississippi this year.
Look inside the book
A dark tunnel, a brave corgi. Bring Rally along.
In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi rides into a dark tunnel, gets a little scared, and comes out to a big bright light and happy cheers. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to a Mississippi pumpkin train.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
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Like it so far? See the full book
25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
Compare every Mississippi Halloween train side by side
Every ride on this page in one table: type, dates left, the lowest posted ticket price, ride length, who it suits and whether tickets are still on sale. Tap a ride for the full details.
| Ride | Type | Dates left | Tickets | Length | Best for | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tricks, Treats & Trains at TrainTasticGulfport | Pumpkin and costume | Oct 23 to Oct 24 (2 dates) | From $10 | Not posted | All ages, toddlers welcome | On sale |
The rest of October at a glance
When each Mississippi Halloween train still runs
Pumpkin and costume ride Haunted ride Halloween night
Mississippi Halloween train calendar: what runs which day
Every remaining date for every ride on this page, from today through Halloween weekend. Green is a gentle pumpkin and costume ride, blue is a haunted ride. Tap a ride to jump to its details.
- Fri, Oct 23
- Sat, Oct 24
Gulfport: Tricks, Treats & Trains at TrainTastic
TrainTastic is an interactive model railroad museum on Pass Road, and for two evenings it adds outdoor Halloween train rides, trick-or-treating, a costume contest and games, and a Haunted Depot. The first 200 guests each night get a reusable treat bag. Tickets are $10, and TrainTastic members get in free.
Timing is the trick here. The museum says the train ride is family-friendly from 5:30 to 6:30 PM and turns a little spookier from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, and it recommends the Haunted Depot and that later ride for ages 8 and up. So with little ones, arrive at 5:30 and ride first. One more note: the museum's events list shows Oct 24 and 25, but its event page and booking system both say Oct 23 and 24.
Tricks, Treats & Trains at TrainTastic at a glance
- Type
- Pumpkin and costume ride: Evening family Halloween event at a model railroad museum; gentle early rides, spookier after 6:30 PM (8 and up)
- Dates left
- Fri Oct 23 and Sat Oct 24
- Tickets
- Both nights on sale as of Oct 14, neither sold out; the museum strongly recommends buying ahead
- Times
- 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM; gentle train rides 5:30 to 6:30 PM, spookier rides 6:30 to 7:30 PM
- Ride length
- Not posted; check the operator site
- What's included
- Outdoor Halloween train rides, trick-or-treating, a costume contest and games, a Haunted Depot, and a reusable treat bag for the first 200 guests each night
- Price
- $10; free for TrainTastic members
- Ages and scare level
- All ages welcome; the Haunted Depot and the 6:30 to 7:30 PM train ride are recommended for ages 8 and up
- Costumes
- Encouraged, and they should be family-friendly; there is a costume contest No costume? The Rally tunnel tee counts.
- Strollers
- No stroller policy posted; check the operator site
- Parking
- Not posted; check the operator site
- Where
- TrainTastic Interactive Model Railroad Museum, 615 Pass Road, Gulfport, MS
Tickets on the railroad’s site
Rally’s Spooky Train Ride: Halloween shirts
The tunnel page from the book, Rally on his red seat in the dark, is printed on black shirts in sizes for the whole family, from baby to 5XL. Skip the costume hassle: no masks to fog up, no capes caught in the train door, just a shirt that already says Halloween and layers under a coat on a cold platform. A matching set makes for easy pumpkin train photos. See everything in the Rally shop.
Adult tee
Sizes XS to 5XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Kids tee
Sizes S to XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Toddler tee
Sizes 2T to 5T, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Baby bodysuit
Sizes 3 to 18 months, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
How Far TrainTastic Is From the Coast and From Jackson
Approximate drive times without traffic; Friday evening traffic on the Coast can add a few minutes before a 5:30 PM start.
Drive times, no traffic
- Gulfport
- about 15 min from Gulfport and Biloxi; about 2 hr 40 min from Jackson
Mississippi Evenings in Late October: Mild on the Coast, Cooler Up North
On the Gulf Coast, late October evenings usually sit in the 60s and the air stays humid, so a costume over a T-shirt is plenty for TrainTastic's 5:30 to 7:30 PM hours. Inland, evenings run cooler, in the 50s.
That gap matters for Jackson families making the drive down. A child who leaves home in a sweatshirt may be too warm by Gulfport, so dress in layers you can peel off in the car, and pack the costume separately if it is a heavy one.
Gulfport Notes Before You Go
- Tricks, Treats & Trains runs only two evenings, Friday Oct 23 and Saturday Oct 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Ignore the museum's events list, which shows Oct 24 and 25; the event page and the booking system both say Oct 23 and 24.
- Tickets are $10, and TrainTastic members get in free. The museum strongly recommends buying ahead, and the first 200 guests each night get a reusable treat bag, so arriving at 5:30 helps on both counts.
- TrainTastic is at 615 Pass Road in Gulfport. Parking details are not posted, so check the operator site before you go.
- Costumes are encouraged and should be family-friendly, since there is a costume contest. Bring a bag or bucket for trick-or-treating in case the treat bags run out.
- With kids under 8, plan to ride before 6:30 PM; the museum recommends the later, spookier ride and the Haunted Depot for ages 8 and up. No stroller policy was posted.
- If your kids want a pumpkin train too, Wales West in Silverhill, Alabama is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Gulfport and runs every night Oct 16 to 18 and Oct 23 to 30, closed on Halloween.
If Your Little One Is Unsure About the Haunted Depot
Tricks, Treats & Trains is built for kids, with trick-or-treating, games and a costume contest, but TrainTastic splits the evening in two. From 5:30 to 6:30 PM the outdoor train ride is family-friendly; from 6:30 to 7:30 PM it gets a little spookier, and the museum recommends that later ride and the Haunted Depot for ages 8 and up.
For a nervous three- or four-year-old, that makes the plan simple: arrive at 5:30, ride the train and trick-or-treat in the first hour, and skip the Haunted Depot. Tell them ahead of time that the decorations are pretend and that leaving is always allowed. Older siblings who want the spooky part can ride again after 6:30 while you stay out front with the little one.
In our book, Rally wakes up early, sees the suitcase, and packs his favorite things: his turtle toy, his green bone and his yellow ball. For a family driving down from Jackson to a 5:30 PM start, that is the move. Let your child pack a small bag of favorites for the car, add a cooler layer for the humid Coast, and slip in a few of our free Rally coloring pages.
Rally came from my mom's imagination, and why I wrote her story down is on our story page.
Pumpkin Trains and Ghost Trains Just Past the Mississippi Line
Coast families have an easy pumpkin train to the east: Wales West in Silverhill, Alabama is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Gulfport, with a kiddie-friendly Pumpkin Patch Express on Oct 16, 17 and 18 and every night from Oct 23 through Oct 30. Details are in our Alabama Halloween train guide.
Heading west, we could not confirm a family Halloween train anywhere in Louisiana this year; the Audubon Zoo's Boo at the Zoo in New Orleans is on, but its 2026 materials do not mention a Ghost Train, as our Louisiana Halloween page explains. North Mississippi families should look at our Tennessee pumpkin and haunted trains instead.
A train book for the ride
For a long ride on a full-size train, our guides to the City of New Orleans through Jackson with kids and the Crescent through Hattiesburg cover a very different kind of train day.
Free for train families
Print the Rally coloring pages before you go
Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. They fit in a folder with a few crayons for the line at the depot or the drive home.
Get the free coloring pages for Gulfport
A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents, including one dark tunnel he is brave enough to ride through. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonMore for train families
- Halloween train rides in every state: pumpkin trains and haunted rides by state
- City Of New Orleans with kids: a different kind of train day
- Crescent with kids: a different kind of train day
- Every Amtrak route with kids: find a train by city or station
- Halloween books for toddlers for the drive home
Sources
- TrainTastic Interactive Model Railroad Museum: Tricks, Treats & Trains
Checked against each railroad’s own pages and ticket calendars on October 14, 2026. Dates, prices and policies change, so confirm with the railroad before you go.
Halloween Train Questions From Mississippi Coast and Jackson Families
What Halloween events are there for kids in Gulfport, Mississippi?
One family Halloween event in Gulfport is Tricks, Treats & Trains at TrainTastic, an interactive model railroad museum on Pass Road. On Oct 23 and 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, it adds outdoor Halloween train rides, trick-or-treating, a costume contest and a Haunted Depot. Tickets are $10, members free. The first hour is the gentle part; the museum recommends the later ride and the depot for ages 8 and up.
What are Halloween things to do with kids near Biloxi, Mississippi?
One Halloween option for Biloxi families is TrainTastic's Tricks, Treats & Trains in Gulfport, about 15 minutes away. It runs Oct 23 and 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, $10 a ticket, with outdoor Halloween train rides, trick-or-treating and a Haunted Depot. For a pumpkin train, Wales West in Silverhill, Alabama is about 1 hour 30 minutes east, with evening rides most nights through Oct 30.
Is there a Halloween train near Jackson, Mississippi?
Not close by. The nearest one in our research is TrainTastic's Tricks, Treats & Trains in Gulfport, about 2 hours 40 minutes from Jackson, a $10 family evening on Oct 23 and 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Pumpkin Junction in Calera, Alabama is about 3 hours 30 minutes away, but its final weekend is Oct 17 and 18, and some Saturday trains were already sold out online.
Is there a Halloween train ride anywhere in Mississippi this October?
The one we found is TrainTastic's Tricks, Treats & Trains in Gulfport on Oct 23 and 24. It is an evening event at a model railroad museum with outdoor Halloween train rides, trick-or-treating and a Haunted Depot, $10 or free for members. Our research did not turn up a heritage railroad running a Halloween ride in Mississippi this year, so families wanting a bigger train trip can look to Alabama.
Where is the closest pumpkin train to the Mississippi Gulf Coast?
The closest one in our research is the Pumpkin Patch Express at Wales West Light Railway in Silverhill, Alabama, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Gulfport. Kiddie-friendly trains leave every half hour from 4:20 to 6:50 PM on Oct 16, 17 and 18 and every night Oct 23 through 30, and the $25 ticket covers the train rides, a hayless hayride, playgrounds and a bounce house. Wales West is closed on Halloween.
Do TrainTastic members pay for Tricks, Treats & Trains in Gulfport?
No. TrainTastic says members get into Tricks, Treats & Trains free, while non-members pay $10. If you plan to visit the Gulfport model railroad museum again during the year, compare the cost of a membership with the price of tickets for the whole family. Either way, the museum strongly recommends booking ahead for Oct 23 or 24.
Can kids wear costumes to TrainTastic's Halloween nights in Gulfport?
Yes. TrainTastic encourages costumes for Tricks, Treats & Trains and holds a costume contest, and it asks that costumes be family-friendly. Since Coast evenings in late October usually sit in the 60s and stay humid, a lighter costume will keep your child comfortable through the 5:30 to 7:30 PM event, especially on the outdoor train ride.
Is the Haunted Depot at TrainTastic too scary for a toddler?
It may be. TrainTastic recommends the Haunted Depot, and the spookier train ride from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, for ages 8 and up. Toddlers are better off with the family-friendly train ride from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, plus trick-or-treating and the costume contest. Arrive at the start, ride early, and skip the depot unless an older sibling wants it.
Is there a Mississippi Halloween train running this weekend?
Not in Mississippi. As of October 14, TrainTastic's Tricks, Treats & Trains in Gulfport does not start until Friday, Oct 23, and both of its nights were on sale. For this weekend, Wales West in Silverhill, Alabama runs its Pumpkin Patch Express on Oct 16, 17 and 18, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Gulfport, with nothing sold out. Check that railway's ticket page for your night.
Is a 5:30 PM Halloween event in Gulfport too late for a toddler's bedtime?
It can work, and the early start is the best part for little kids. Tricks, Treats & Trains runs from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, and the first hour, until 6:30, is the family-friendly stretch of the train ride. A family that arrives at the start can trick-or-treat, ride and head home before a typical toddler bedtime, and before the spookier part begins.
What should kids wear to an evening Halloween event on the Mississippi Coast?
Something light. Late October evenings on the Gulf Coast usually run in the 60s and feel humid, while inland Mississippi cools into the 50s. For TrainTastic in Gulfport, a costume over a T-shirt is usually enough. Families driving from Jackson should dress in layers they can peel off in the car, and pack heavy costumes separately.
Is there a Halloween train near north Mississippi?
We did not find one in north Mississippi for 2026. The only Mississippi event in our research is in Gulfport, on the Coast. North Mississippi families are generally closer to Tennessee's Halloween rides than to the Coast, so compare drive times from your town before choosing, and check the operator site for whichever ride you pick.
Rally’s Spooky Train RideThe no-fuss Halloween costume
Skip the costume hassle. Wear Rally.
No itchy masks, no last-minute store run, no meltdown on the platform. Pull on the tunnel tee from the book and you are dressed for a Mississippi pumpkin train, warm under a jacket, and matching in every photo.
Who is riding?
Shop the kids tee
Adult
Kids
Toddler
Baby