Activities

Iron Horse Express

Train Rides

No matter where you are in Deadwood — whether on the ninth hole of the Gold Mine course or inside the ice cream shop wrestling with the decision of strawberry versus peach — if you have a toddler in tow, there is one sound that will likely bring your activities to an abrupt (albeit temporary) halt: the train whistle.

The Iron Horse Express, an Allan Herschell Company original, powered by a Ford commercial industrial engine, takes visitors on a half-mile ride through wooded portions of Deadwood that have been peppered with props, including a variety of animal statuary. From the open-air cars, passengers are sure to spot a wolf, a fox, a bear or two, and even an armadillo. The train fires up every 30 minutes starting at the top of the hour. It costs $3 per person to ride, and children aren’t the only ones who enjoy it: You’re never too old to claim a seat on the Iron Horse Express.

Our train is #47 one of 49 that were produced by the Allan Herschell Company before the company’s competitor, Chance Manufacturing, bought them out in 1971 and discontinued the Iron Horse because it was more expensive to produce than their train lines.

Allan Herschell was an industrialist born in 1851 in Scotland. He moved to the U.S., founded the Tonawanda Engine and Motor Company and while on a visit to New York City in the early 1880’s, his life changed forever when he saw the first public amusement ride, a carousel known as a a steam-riding gallery. In 1915, he cemented his legacy in amusement park rides by creating The Allan Herschell Company. The company not only created carousels, but now took on the design and production of all types of amusement park rides. When he retired in 1919, the company went to his long-time employee, John Wendler who kept the company’s reputation for excellence and innovation intact.

NON-THEMED TRAIN RIDES:

Summer train hours: Saturdays 2 – 9pm.
Admission:
Adults: $5
Children 12 and under: $3
Children 3 and under: Free

Please see our FAQ page for more info.

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Dinosaur Canyon Coaster

Kiddie Coaster

Round up your friends, family and kids and soar through our Dinosaur Canyon on Deadwood’s kiddie coaster designed for laughter and screams.

Dinosaurs in Eastern NC?

You may wonder if it’s true. But, that’s only if you forget that Deadwood is a magical place where the past is very much alive.

It’s not enough to bring back the lives of some of the most notorious villains of yesteryear, Derek and Ira set out to bring back the most notorious villains of all time — dinosaurs.

This whimsical coaster ride through Dinosaur Canyon will shake you up and, undoubtedly, put a smile on your face.

Dinosaur Canyon Coaster rides are $3. 

During winter months, the coaster is closed on Thursdays.

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Gold Mine Mini-Golf Course

Miniature Golf

You could say that Deadwood started with a hankering for a game of putt-putt.

In 1989, Derek proposed a father/son project as Ira recalls. “We were standing in the backyard one Sunday afternoon and Derek said, ‘Let’s build a miniature golf course.’”

“I said, ‘OK.’”

As casually as some fathers and sons might plan a daylong fishing trip, Ira and Derek pledged to transform their backyard into an obstacle-filled, multihole putting green.

They began building their golf course on the weekends. “As soon as we completed a hole, we played it to death,” Ira says, emphasizing that the course was originally intended solely for his family’s entertainment.

That changed as the project neared completion, and residents of the rural community talked the Prices into opening the course to the public in April 1992. From that point on, the project slowly has grown to include all that Deadwood is today.

Gold Mine Mini-Golf price is $3.