Manhattan
Let's Get Social!
  • ACTIVITIES
    • Calendar Weekend Events in Manhattan Weekend Events in Brooklyn Weekend Events in Queens Weekend Events in Long Island Weekend Events in Westchester Weekend Events in Rockland/Bergen
  • After-School
    • Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Long Island Rockland Westchester
  • Education
    • Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Long Island Rockland Westchester
  • Camp
    • Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Long Island Rockland Westchester
  • Special Needs
    • Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Long Island Rockland Westchester
  • Advertise


    • Home Family Activities Articles
    Incredible New Oddity at Ripley's!

    Incredible New Oddity at Ripley's!

    By Christina Vercelletto

    It's a curious kid's fantasy land, Ripley's Believe it or Not! Times Square Odditorium. And you'll never guess what they trotted out now.

    Ripley's Believe it or Not! Times Square Odditorium is unveiling a train. What's so weird and wonderful about that, you ask?

    Well, it's 22 feet long, 13 feet wide, and 9 feet high.

    And made of out of matchsticks. Over 1 million of them, each placed by hand, one at a time, by "matchstick artist" Pat Acton. True to his painstaking work habits, he hand-delivered the train from his studio in Iowa and installed it himself. This is his biggest work to date, taking him about 3,000 hours over 14 months to finish.



    The exhibit officially opens at 2 pm on July 29; the first 200 general-admission ticket holders will receive a special giveaway and the chance to meet and greet Mr. Acton.

    And as if this display could get any more unique, the "steampunk" style classic locomotive has aspects of a plane, like wings. What more could a kid ask for, being able to climb onto it? They can! Wee visitors can enter the child-sized engineer cab, with a fully operable throttle, brake, and forward levers.

    All aboard!



    More Family Activities Articles:

    Latest News:

    Family Activities:

    Have a Laugh:

    Christina Vercelletto

    Author:

     Christina Vercelletto is a former editor at NYMetroParents, Parenting, Scholastic Parent & Child, and Woman’s Day. She lives on Long Island with her kids, a chiweenie, Pickles, and a 20-pound calico, Chub-Chub.

    See More

    Featured Listings:

    Steve & Kate’s Camp

    Steve & Kate’s Camp

    Locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, At Steve & Kate’s Camp, kids take chances and take charge, shaping their day, their way. More choices and fewer expectations create more possibilities...

    Center for Architecture Summer Programs

    Center for Architecture Summer Programs

    New York, NY Summer Programs give curious kids an opportunity to dive into an architectural topic of interest and test out their own design ideas. Each program exp...

    China Institute's Immersive Summer Program

    China Institute's Immersive Summer Program

    Financial District, Manhattan, New York Whether your child is new to the language or a fluent speaker or somewhere in between, they will love our summer day camp program! Designed for child...

    Play On! Studios

    Play On! Studios

    Upper West Side , Play On! Studios offers drama camps and classes on the Upper West Side for kids in grades Pre-K-8. Young actors will rehearse and perform in a full pr...

    About Us

    NYMetroParents, the parenting division of Schneps Media, publishes eight regional print magazines around the greater New York City metro region, as well as the website nymetroparents.com.

    Read more...

    Join Us

    This Month's Issue

    NYMP Cover
    Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy SE Link