Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad & Bill Mason Carousel

Easy and fun activity for the kiddos. We biked the Los Gatos Trail and then once we crossed paths with the cute train station we decided to park the bikes and take our son on his first train ride. The 10 min ride was perfect! The locomotive was a bit loud for our 10 month old but we covered his ears whenever it had to pass us and sat at the back of the train when it was our turn to ride, this worked like a charm.
Maybe pass on getting food from the concession stand nearby. The men got hot dogs and they said they were pretty lousy. My sparking lemonade came in a can and the mouth of the can was dirty. Not too big of a deal but hopefully they’ll improve on the grub someday.

A must for kids! Our baby loved it. We parked just outside the park so we didn’t pay for parking. The train ride is $ 2 and free for kids below the age is two. The wait can get long so make sure you have something to entertain the kids while waiting. There is a carousel too but we didn’t try it, our baby is still too small for that. We will keep coming back though! They also have discounts for large groups. So if you are celebrating a birthday party at the park, you can buy your guests the train rides for cheap: D

What an excellent park! Came here on a Saturday and it was busy! Lots of kids. We went to the train ride and the carousel as well. Lots of bike friendly paths. Love how the food/​snack bar was very reasonable.
Parking is $ 6, which is a bummer, but worthwhile if you’re planning to spend the day there. We will be back for sure!

Cost is $ 2 for either the train ride or carousel ($ 1.50 if you buy 50 tickets at a time). The carousel is enclosed in a building which does a good job of protecting this lovely antique from the elements. The intricate paintings on every surface and the lovingly restored horses are a feast for the senses. The music is from a restored instrument that could have been used in an old fashioned circus. The ride was twice as long as most carousels that I have been on. The larger horses have a step next to them to make them easier to mount and all horses have a buckle belt to help secure small children to their steed.
The train ride was relaxing and enjoyable. It crosses a lovely creek, glides under large trees, traverses meadows covered in clover. It also provides passengers with a comprehensive look at this large, multipurpose park. There are two distinct playgrounds at opposite ends of the park, many picnic areas, snack bar, the train and carousel rides, sports fields, and huge open areas for the sheer joy of running across an open meadow.
Final fyi – they charge $ 6 per car to park here, but there is free street parking along the perimeter of the park.

Looking for an affordable half a day trip with your little ones? Well then, this is the place to go!
We started at Oak Meadow Park to play in the playground, then walked our way up to the trains. My kids did not know that we were going to ride the trains so it was a great surprise.
Tickets are only $ 2, under 2 are FREE, such a great deal! My kids were excited and full of smiles and as soon as the train started to move, their excitement grew! Such precious moments here, this place is truly a gem!
Afterwards, we bought snacks and took a family walk. By the time we got to the car and started to drive home, it was nap time! Perfect half a day little trip =)

so much fun for $ 2 !!! best deal in town !
I like trains, and we were on our way back from Santa Cruz, and we stopped to see this little railroad, and it is just super cool.
We were the only folks there who didn’t have kids, but we had a great time watching, riding, and smiling the afternoon away on the train and carousel.
beautiful day in the park, sunshine, train whistling along the tracks, I will come back here with my nephews and nieces.

$ 2 for a ticket, toddlers 2 and under free for a real train ride? What a deal! And what charming, old-​timey fun — there is also the carousel with gorgeous horses and cranked-​up calliope music (although anyone riding a horse needs a ticket regardless of age). A really lovely, slow-​paced way to while away a Sunday with little kids.

The Christmas train is FANTASTIC! You can see almost all the Vasona lights but at a nice distance that really let’s you take it all in. The staff is amazingly nice. Recommend going Wednesday or Thursday for short lines. We went Wednesday and there was no wait! The staff said weekends can get crowded. I can’t believe they only charge $ 5. We are from Southern California and annually do the Irvine Christmas train for which they charge $ 12 plus credit card fees and you have to book months in advance. This was MUCH better and they only charge $ 5! Amazing!!!
Also highly recommend the snack bar. Regular or peppermint cocoa, sweet treats and other yummy goodies all super reasonably priced. Cocoa was $ 1.50!
The carousel was included with the train ticket and was so charming. It was so quiet Wednesday night we were able to take a few great pics of our 1 year old on the horses.
Totally charming Christmas adventure. Highly recommend.

It is $ 2 for the carousel and $ 2 for the train ride. If you buy more than 50 tickets, then each ticket is $ 1.50 the ticket is good for either the train or carousel. Both attractions were pretty enjoyable. I took a group of 6 – 7 year olds and they loved it! It’s definitely worth the rides!

I’ve got a picture of myself, age 2, standing next to the steam locomotive… I’m 40 now, and have pics of my kids standing next to the train. You had me at «toot, toot.»
In all seriousness, there are few better ways to spend a weekend day with kids than going down to Oak Meadow/​Vasona Park and riding the train. First, the tickets are like $ 2 a piece. I just wrote a review on a restaurant that charges $ 14 for hamburgers. That’s SEVEN train rides. The ride itself is 7 – 8 mins around a big loop in the park, but let’s be real — you’re here to relax and stare off into space while your kids clap every time the whistle blows. Then you do it again. Then, you walk over and pay $ 2 or whatever for a sno cone.
Read between the lines — for $ 25, you’re riding the train 2x with a family of 4 and buying everyone a snow cone. Superman status, on a damn budget. And you’re getting some Vitamin D out here in the sun, while you’re at it.
I’m not AS excited about the carousel. Yes, my kids loved it and we went around in circles for a while and they were thrilled. For me, it’s a bit of a transition going from Great America or Beach Boardwalk carousels to the Bill Mason Carousel.
Overall, if you’re in the Los Gatos, Campbell or San Jose areas, it’s a great place to hang out for 4 hours. Ride the train, buy a snow cone and bring a bag of bread to feed the ducks. Well, I guess you’re not supposed to feed the ducks, but since I can’t eat them… I might as well feed them.

What a great way to introduce your kids to trains or as I call it, «Choo Choo». At $ 2 per ticket, the experience is priceless. Once I saw Gavin’s face filled w/​curiosity and excitement, I knew that coming to Los Gatos to spend the entire day there was the right choice.
It was his birthday weekend. As I have mentioned before, since no party celebration was in place, I wanted to focus the entire weekend on him — parks and zoos and the likes. Little did he know, I pried him away from Oak Meadow Park just for this but he did not know, got angry, kicked me thus resulting in a cracked iPhone. I wanted to cry and scream…
After I paid for the tickets (accepts cash and checks), the line started to grow by the second. The folks in line were a diverse bunch. I was highly irritated. On one hand you have the Chinese family that spoke in their native language extremely loud then you have the not so pleasant families that cursed frequently and had to step a few feet away from the line just to smoke. Seriously?
I let him choose which one to sit.
Once the train started to move, he was in awe.
It’s a short ride but the memories will last a lifetime.
In the end, I bought him a train set that he now goes, «Choo choo!»

I really wanted to have my 100^th review be someplace special and I really can’t think of any place that I love more right now than this.
Quick history lesson: Billy Jones was an old Railroad man who built a miniature railroad on his farm that ran through his orchards; as far as I can tell he did it because he loved kids or because he was really bored. History tells us it was A; my money’s on B, but I digress. Subsequently following his death a bunch of really swell people –after raising some money– got the Town of Los Gatos to move it to the corner of Oak Meadow & Vasona Lake. Years (and millions of happy children) later it’s thankfully still here.
My 2-​year old son loves this place. As I’m sure any 2-​year old little boy would. I mean what’s not to love? Everything about this place is great. Where else are you going to go and get this kind of entertainment for $ 2? Not to mention the location; Oak Meadow and Vasona Lake are great parks just by themselves. You couple that with an authentic train ride and some cheap eats and you got yourself Parent Nirvana.
How anyone could give this place anything less than 5-​stars is really beyond me. This place is a true gem and needs to be revered.

The railroad is great to take kids to, our little one wanted to keep going on it. Can’t beat the price too.
The only issue is the black smoke from the engine (I feel bad for the driver!) but it’s not terrible and it’s because this train is the REAL thing.

What a great way to spend a sunny weekend afternoon. My 5 year old son LOVED this train ride. For $ 2 a person, this was a really good deal. The train took us through Vasona Park and was a decent length for a train ride. The line up to get on wasn’t long either, we just had to wait for the train to come back in order to board.
We didn’t go on the carousel, but 5 stars all the way for the train.

We generally love visiting Vasona Park. The Railroad and carousels are just bonuses. The lines are never that big and they are quite close to the parking lot (take the first parking lot from the entrance — the signs are subtle).
You do pay $ 6 for parking and then each ride is $ 2. Kids younger than 3 ride free. The carousel was just okay — we personally prefer the beautiful carousel at Yerba Buena in the city but then having a train ride and a carousel right next to each other is a first.
The restrooms near the rides are not the cleanest. We are excited about revisiting this place as summer sets in.

I cant put any more stars up for this one.
my son loves trains and he was excited to see this one. This was the main reason we came down to this park, but it was a great day spent down that way.
$ 2 a person, if you kid is under 2, they are free! Nice little ride in the park.

I was looking for a place that offer train rides for younger children and found this on Unilocal.I wished I would have known about it earlier when I lived closer to this park but it was still worth driving 30 miles. My two years old son was so excited when he heard the whistle of the train. For 2 $ you get a wonderful ride through the park. What I like in comparison to the SF zoo train it is not as that fast in speed.
The carousel ride is also 2 $ and I loved the old fashioned crafted ride as well as my son enjoyed it as well.
The play grounds are amazing. So much to do for children (airplane, trains, climbing structure for older and younger children).
Parking is either street parking for free or for a fee inside the park. If you decide street parking make sure to leave room as they tend to not leave much space behind ya…

My family LOVES Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and has made a trip here nearly every weekend this season. Our two-​year-​old son cuckoo for trains and asks all the time to go to «train town» (that’s what he calls Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad). It’s so cute: Every time the engineer blows the whistle, our little one imitates him pulling the cord. We usually get in two rides in the morning and head home for a nap. It’s worth the visit every time.
There’s two diesel train engines (good for cold weather) and a real steam engine they run on weekends. Lots of history to read about on the website or at the park. It’s such a nostalgic treasure for my hometown, though. The non-​profit that runs the train, with the help of many traintastic volunteers, coordinates some fun events throughout the year. Recently, the organization hosted Flapjacks and Railroad Tracks — super delicious and fun. Can’t wait to do it again.
The line for the train isn’t too bad and usually there’s barely a line for the carousel. Ride are $ 2 per person, children under 3 are free. Parking is $ 6 at either Vasona or Oak Meadow, or you can park for free on University Avenue and walk. Both parks have really nice playgrounds, however, I’m a bit bias for Oak Meadow since I spent a lot of time at that playground while growing up. The Los Gatos Creek Trail runs through Vasona and near the railroad tracks, plus there’s a ton of bike paths throughout the parks to enjoy.
I hope the next generations preserve the legacy of Billy Jones and keep the steam train running for their kids, too. Woooooooooo, woooooooo!

Vasona Park itself is an awesome park where you can easily spend half the day visiting the various playgrounds, walking the trails, and having a picnic. To make it even better, they have the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and Carousel!
Both have been around for a long time, but they do an awesome job of maintaining them. Every time that I visit the park, both the train and merry-​go-​round have plenty of kids and parents waiting in line. Luckily, the wait isn’t too bad.
Prices are reasonable at $ 2/​person. Also, they have seasonal events (like riding the train to see the holiday lights). There’s also a concession stand in the same area with hot dogs, burgers, drinks, and ice cream.

We paid $ 6 to park our car. We picnicked at a table in the expansive park near a large grassy area adjacent to the carousel and train entrance. There were lots of families having lunch, riding bikes, and hanging out together.
My son and Baby Daddy rode on the carousel ($ 2 each), while I snapped photos and watched.
We rode on the train ($ 2 each) and it was pretty exciting for our 2-​year-​old. We passed a stream, squirrels, dogs, cyclists, and a playground. My son got most excited when he saw a tractor, which totally cracked me up. Boys!
The train and carousel were fun and memorable. Sadly the boy didn’t nap on the way home. I’m sure we’ll be back.