My son was crazy about trains. So, we thought about renting a train ride for his 4th birthday party.  Then, we had a better idea! The party started at our house, with cake and some free play while the adults did some planning.  Then, we all went down to the Amtrak station and bought tickets on A REAL TRAIN to the next town, about 20 miles away. A few parents went along on the train, and the rest jumped in their cars and raced the train to the next stop.  We got all the kids seated, and then went down the aisle like flight attendants, handing out snacks and drinks. As the train pulled in, we collected all the trash, counted noses (you don't want to send some munchkin off cross-country by accident!) and then herded them out the door.  As the kids stepped off, each got a party favor, and that was that. Tickets for kids on such a short trip are very inexpensive. A few dollars a head.  We invited the whole preschool class for much less than a McParty, and people were still talking about it a year later. The tricky part was making sure there were enough cars to meet the train and get everybody home again.  Child safety seats were especially hard to work out just so. Plan ahead for who is riding and who is driving.  Also, once the train pulls out, it's too late to say "Oops! I forgot the napkins." Plan the snack service carefully.  Toy trains are cute, but the real thing is way better, and may even be cheaper!