The admission to the annual train display at Amato's toy store? A bag of nonperishable food items for the local food pantry.

That's all it will take to get inside to view the wonder. There are special showings of lighted displays in the dark, too – here is the link for showtimes, directions to their two locations, and more information.

Between Christmas and New Year's Day it is easy to get overwhelmed. Take time to get outdoors or go see a special holiday exhibit. Walk, explore, ride while the weather cooperates as it won't last. Here's a place with room to roam at any time of the year. Yes, it has special features that include a train.

There are 250 acres of paths, fields, woodlands, ponds, picnic areas, hills – and now-dormant gardens at Wickham Park, which is located in Manchester and East Hartford. It is a most beautiful place to walk and wander at any time of the year. Hidden treasures such as this train and tunnel are featured in one of the gardens (ask directions at the gate).

Don't miss the panoramic views from the very top of the park where there is a lodge, a popular spot for weddings and gatherings, but at this time of the year you may get to enjoy the space pretty much all to yourself. Admission to the park is $4; $5 weekends and holidays. This is a very special place that is managed and kept immaculate by members of a non-profit private foundation.

A small nature center contains artifacts found on site – including native American implements and stone tools.

From the official site: “Olmsted Associates, Inc., landscape architects based out of Brookline, Mass., created the park's original design. The plan called for the mansion on the property to be used as the home for the park superintendent. Extensive maintenance costs, however, led to the home being torn down in 1964. The maintenance building, which now houses the park's offices, was originally the Wickham's carriage house. The log cabin, built in 1927 as a meeting place for family and friends, burned to the ground in 1989. A replica now stands on the original location, which overlooks Hartford. The park opened officially on July 1, 1961, one year after the death of Edith Wickham.”

Then there is a seasonal display of trains of Connecticut Cellar Savers, Inc. Society for the Preservation & Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus, 634 Main St., Portland, Conn. Open Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – until the second week of January. Free and open to the public; donations go directly to the upkeep and programs of the Connecticut Cellar Savers Fire Museum. Static toy train displays and local railroad history are also a part of this annual event. The largest layout has push buttons so that visitors can enjoy the whole experience.

There are also buttons to push at the Eli Whitney Museum's exhibition of American Flyer Trains features classic toy trains. These beautiful and functional trains were produced by New Haven's A.C. Gilbert Company. View the display on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. – through Jan. 18. Free. Make a toy wooden train in their workshop and take it home for a fee of $10, which includes the materials, instruction, tax. Ask about the many other fun make-it yourself workshops offered for children and families.

For the school vacation week, why not make tracks for Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill? Presentations include Living Dragons on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 1 p.m., when Riverside Reptiles will present a 45-minute program recommended for ages 5 and up. Tickets will be available free with admission beginning at 9 a.m. on the day of the show. Space is limited to 100 visitors. Questions? Call the park at (860) 529-5816. Ask about the special programs (and any fees) during school vacation week that will include films, track talks, animal programs and activities in the craft area.

Walk or drive to enjoy Hubbard Park's displays in Meriden. Free. Take in the 200,000 white lights and more than 300 lighted characters – including a horse family (our favorite), a replica of the Meriden traffic tower, a world globe, bears, swans. Look for lighted figures in the trees, on Silver Lake and – well, discover the secret spots on your own visit. Drive slow (you won't be alone).