We went to the Thomas the Train event. The train ride is short - only 25 minutes so if you want to test having your kid ride a train, this is a good event. It's a cool concept but wasn't executed very well. We went on the first train ride and most of the events were not set up. The toy train sets were set up but they didn't have any trains for the kids to play with. Definitely not worth the $20 per person. read more

Between the multiple stops to yield to other rail traffic and the high price, not worth it. While the site online says that you'll have about two hours at the stockyards, the actual time is less than half that due to delays. Just drive to the stockyards instead. It'll be cheaper to pay for parking and way faster and more enjoyable. read more

10 years in the area and always wanted to try this ride to Fort Worth. Sadly, not very exciting--and I'm a train buff. Would be more fun if the steam engine is returned to service. The antique diesel is okay but it just isn't the same experience. As others have already mentioned, it's a slow ride, not very scenic, and the schedule leaves little time to explore the FW stockyards. The "open" car was mostly enclosed and was hot and stuffy on a warm day. Staff member was very friendly and warned us about the car and schedule in advance. My recommendation if you want to ride a train to FW is to wait for the new TEXRAIL train to start. Faster, better schedule for sightseeing (multiple daily trains) and probably just as much fun for the kids. read more

Great experience! $26 to be on first class, pretty cheap :-) It was a treat for us during the holiday. It had a little delay when the train was close to the Stockyards. But later boarding to come back, made us having time to see the "bull run". That was fun! read more

Grapevine Vintage Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Grapevine, Texas

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We purchased tickets online for the Fort Worth stock yards trip which was to depart at 1pm. On that day, we went to the train station at 11:30am to find out the train already departed. The lady at the ticket both, who was very unfriendly, told us that they changed their schedule that day. We were not notified of this schedule change. They couldn't even give me a refund that same day. She told me she needed to send an email to the accounting department. Needless to say, we had 2 disappointed little ones who were looking forward to their 1st train ride and I am still waiting for my refund. read more

Before I launch into the truly and incredibly lame aspects of this train excursion, I should begin by clarifying some misleading points on their website: 1. Do not be misled into thinking any of the train cars are air-conditioned. They are not. But you may trade the welcome breeze afforded by the 'open' cars for comfier seats within the 'closed' cars. GVR evidently does not realize the upper vent windows on old trains were put there to assist with ventilation; hence, these remain shut. 2. Aside from the train itself, and the aging "conductor" who punches your tickets, there is NOTHING rustic or "fun" about this trip. Not the tourist traps at either end, nor the staff (who seem mildly insane), nor the lack of amenities or even cold water aboard the train. 2b. Puffy must have cost too much to maintain, because the engine is now a diesel locomotive. Oh, be grateful... no ashes in the eyes (the windows don't close - you would suffocate if they did), but now you'll be breathing the loco smoke throughout. 3. Bring lots and lots of cash if you (a) do not want to die of thirst while the train waits for other trains to pass, (b) want to have your photo taken en route (by a Goth girl who drives a spanking-new BMW, ha ha), or (c) decide to take a taxi back from Fort Worth rather than endure 2 hours of 'rustic' torture in 101+ degree summer heat. Now for the bad points: 4. Toilet. Disgusting. I'd rather jump off the train and dig a pit in the sand. 5. The lady with the g.d. microphone, who also manages the ticket office with major attitude. Sassy, silly and quite obnoxious. If you didn't already have a headache from the engine smoke and noise, she comes at you relentlessly on the journey home with a "game" on the P.A. involving getting stopped cars to honk their horns. Great, now it's 105 degrees, you're running out of cash buying soft drinks or lukewarm bottled water to stave off death, and NOW you have to endure screaming children (and adults) pleading, "Blow your horn!!" and making obscene gestures out of the window at drivers with each crossing, while crazy mic lady chants, "100 points, 126.4 points, 1 million points, 100,000 points." WTF, lady?! STFU!! 6. Scenery. Let's see... there's a Wal-Mart, a Sam's Club, a bunch of McMansions, acres and acres of concrete, some other parked trains, innumerable crossings (see #5), men on lawnmowers, BBQ pits in back yards, etc. Save your $20 and drive down your own strip mall Main St. for an hour-and-a-half each way. 7. The "Holdup" -- pay three guys to stage a mock train robbery mid-way along the first leg of the trip. Arm two with pistols, one with fake cash to hand out to the passengers, and a mock Sheriff to collect it all. Thrill to the shrieks of terror by kids too young to understand why a masked man is pointing a loaded gun at Daddy's head, amid looks of genuine consternation by older kids, as adults titter nervously and photograph the misguided hijinx. Try not to crap your pants if you didn't see the men riding up on horseback (along the bike path, mind you) and they start firing their guns, because there ain't no changin' room, folks, and it's another 45 minutes to Fort Worth. 8. Did I mention tourist traps? Grapevine must've been named after something wine-makers do, but you can rest assured a decent vintage cannot be found anywhere in the town. Granted, we only wandered into D'Vine on Main St. to get out of the sun, and $30 later had tasted 4 ghastly "mixed" vinos, 1 full glass, and a cheese-fruit-and-crackers plate as a quick lunch. Swill, all 5 of the wines. 9. Tourist traps, part two. Feel abandoned for two or more hours as you pray for the train's eventual return, and sprint among (to avoid the blistering heat pockmarked by horse and cattle dung) such impossible-to-replicate stores as "The Candy Store", "The Boot Store" and "The Hat Store". Don't miss "The Fudge Store" or "The Cowboy Stuff Store" or "The General Store" for good measure. Watch all 8 of the longhorn steer amble (slowly, almost tormentedly) down the main drag - happily, away from the Armor-Swift meat processing plant at the head of the avenue - and take comfort in knowing their scheduled run, er, walk, portends the train's impending return to take you ... at an achingly slow pace ... back to Grapevine and the well-padded air-conditioned comfort of your rental car. (Not from around these parts? Buy lots of maps and know how to use Mapquest, because the Dallas metroplex sports a billion circuitous miles of roadway!) On a positive note, I love trains and never miss a chance to ride 'em. This is one occasion when I rather wish I had missed it. And if there's any advice I can share with the hardy souls to elect to ride the GVR, BRING SUNSCREEN and about 10 bottles of ice cold water. Oh, and earplugs. And possibly nose plugs. And did I mention the cash??? read more

My son had and awesome time riding on Thomas the train and getting new gear. The gear was pretty expensive and pictures but the food was okay pricing. I'm assuming it is all going to a good cause to I dont mind the donation!!! read more

2 hours and still haven't made it to the Stockyards..every delay you can imagine . Even going on the wrong track! Disappointed--1st negative review I've given and sure didn't expect it to be this one--I would NEVER recommend this read more

Not scenic at all boring over priced. One star for nice customer service and the lil bit of decent acting by the cowboys. The route shows garbage, people's backyards, some cows & horses here and there but mostly trees the whole hour. If you got $26 or an hour to blow go ahead. There's not even a narrative cause there's nothing to see. read more

We took the Trinity River Run, and this was a huge disappointment. All you see is garbage. The TRE to Dallas is much cheaper and not near as much trash. For the price of the tkts you would think they could afford to hire someone to pick up trash. read more

We took the hour long round trip from the stockyard in open air seating on a 99 degree day. I was pleasantly surprised that none of us minded the heat, the breeze was refreshing. If you have a little guy or gal who loves trains, this is a great ride for them. Professional photo was $12, and perfectly captured our family. read more

This was a joke! We took the train ride to the stockyards. Because of the constant delays we only had 1 1/2 hours to spend at the stockyards. All we had time to do was sit down and eat lunch. We were rushed to finish our meal so we ended up skipping the ride home and had to get a taxi to take us back to Grapevine! Cost us a fortune just do we could stay and see what we came to do. I'd never recommend it for anyone. read more

A must try if you are in Grapevine. Christmas time is the best time to ride this train. I usually take to the stockyards to chill and shop. The train drops you off and picks you up a little later so it makes for a good day. There is a some horses that ride up and jump on for some train robbery action. They usually give the young ones a little something. You can pick outdoor seating or indoor seating for a little more $. I always get the indoor seating and have a great time. read more

I am not gonna lie... With the exception of saying "now I have done this" -this won't happen again! The ride is ok if you pay the extra for first class - if u r going to do this in the summer pay the additional money for first class! I can't imagine how hot it was in coach- just sayin! Numerous delays on the way and we had 1 hour to walk the stockyards. You are better off driving!!!! We won't do this again on a bet! read more

They should make it known that adults without small children won't enjoy this. Multiple stops, 20 minutes dedicated to a fake train robber who gets on the train to hand out fake money (dinner theater flyers) and gave the kids deputy stickers. After countless delays they only give us an extra 10 minutes in the stockyards, only an hour to eat and walk around. If you don't have a small child don't bother, just drive and save yourself the outrageous cost of a ticket for this slow, 2 hour long amusement park ride. read more

This train ride was amazing. It has the feel of the "vintage" they advertise. We took a ride to fort worth and had some time to walk around. This was fun and entertaining for us. We enjoyed this ride because we just got to talk and spend some time with each other while enjoying the scenery. The ride was about one hour there and one hour back. The train goes fairly slow. We enjoyed the trip. read more

Not the place you want to be stuck in for 4 hours during the not so cool month of August. Yes , there was a disclaimer about long delays on the ticket but a lil proactiveness would have gone a long way. read more

We went on the one hour fun train and my 3.5 year old son loved jt! I didn't think it was THAT great (still liked it though) because the views aren't nice..mostly just driving by strip centers and houses.. But kids will still love it!! read more

Train ride was nice and relaxing. Too short s time in giant gift shop village. You can shop or eat...not both. Since you can't bring food or drinks, though you could see many did, it was a long trip with hungry kids. You should use restroom, eat and bring some snacks before getting on train, or spend too $ on popcorn candy and soda. read more

I should have read the reviews before hopping on the train to nowhere. The staff was very friendly. There was an older gentleman dressed up as a train conductor who was very friendly and did a great job walking around and entertaining. However the train ride itself was horrible. We took the one that left out of Fort Worth. It was stopped for 30 minutes while we waited for another train to pass. We then ventured out about 10 minutes and slowly watched the views deteriorating as we drifted from historic Fort Worth and through the ghetto. It was such a rip off. I'm sorry I had higher expectations for this. I was expecting a narrates train ride through historic Fort Worth and instead got a train ride through the slums. At the end of the trip we were drenched in sweat and made it back late. Barely on time to watch the stock yard show which was the main reason we visited. We got back right when it was starting so we had to view it from the back. The train schedule said we should have been back 15 minutes earlier. read more

Horrible! I'm stuck on this train, stopped, as we speak. So far, it's been 2 hours 40 minutes and we are only 5 minutes away from the stockyards. What was supposed to be a fun family event with my 2 and 3 year olds, and my siblings (we are all visiting from other states) is turning into a complete waste of a day. We had to cancel our lunch reservation, which we held off eating beforehand, and now of course the kids are getting antsy. By the time we arrive we will just have to stay on the train to catch a ride back. PLEASE, do yourself a favor and do not waste your time or money on this train ride. *UPDATE - WE SAT ON THE TRAIN FOR HOURS THEN THEY SAID WE ARE TURNING AROUND, SO WE NEVER MADE IT TO THE STOCKYARDS - UNBELIEVABLE! Kids were so excited, as this was the only thing they were looking forward to during our visit from Hawaii (we go back tomorrow am). On a positive note, we are going back home to Hawaii! Aloha:) If you or anyone you know wants to live there, I'm a Realtor so look me up! read more

Bad experience. Delays, delays, delays. They have a disclaimer about the possibility of delay due to other train crossing or track repair but I had no idea it would be this bad. If you are considering this excursion you need to know it is NOT a 1.25 hour ride. It is not a dedicated rail line for this tourist trap. It crosses and in some cases shares lines with major rail carriers. Obviously the major carriers are going to get the right of way. Apparently they have no ability to communicate with the other trains because on the return ride we boarded, got maybe 50 -100 yards down the track and stopped for another train crossing. We were waiting for 30 minutes. It would have been nice to know that ahead of time so we wouldn't have to board yet. All told the delays added about two hours to our round trip. Not fun. Got shorted at stockyards. read more

Great experience. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. In the hot summer time get first class tickets as it has cushy seats and air conditioning. Would not recommend open air seating in the summer months. read more

Highly disappointed. We are currently stuck on the train. We have been stuck for 2 1/2 hours. We had plans based on the train arriving when promised, but instead the day is ruined. read more

Train is fun and nice when it is moving, but it had several delays on the way back. Added 2 hours to the trip.

I really don't want to give this horror show any stars! Purchased four first class tickets as a Christmas surprise for family visiting for Christmas. At first a bit disorganized...was my receipt my ticket? No! Nothing said that. Got on train .. all the crew is interested in is flogging cheap popcorn and cheap bottled city water and if course the photographs they also want you to buy. Silly millinennials taking selfies and no body wants to see them. After loping along we get to a trestle over the freeway just leaving north richland hills and the train stopped above the freeway. No idea what is going on. The idiot conductor wannabe thinks he's doing stand up and gives me a load of bull when I ask him whether we were going to make the cattle drive...because we were already quite late. Claims "maybe" then proceeds to keep flogging crap. Then I realize that were being kept on the train until the idiots who actually purchased photographs paid for them. It was all upsell. 2 bucks for a very small bag of old nasty popcorn?? Keep me on the train until you sell photos? We sat there on the track for almost two hours and then they decided to tell us they were "sorry" and we should call for friends or UBER to come pick us up because it was going to take another hour and a half to get a bust there???? I certainly wasn't going to tide in an Uber. Waited until buses came. This was NOT the steam train, but the diesel. There is no reason not to have a reasonable backup plan. This is run by the City. Maybe they should spend more money on their tourist attraction than on that crap py garbage art the stuck all over town. They are a bunch of cheap, money grabbing individuals and I as a local will never ever spend another dime in Grapevine. They're just a bunch of yokes with no business running this thing. read more

Do not do it!!!!! Not Worth it!!! take your car or a Uber to stockyards ( btw amazing place to walk and have fun) the train ride is just NOT WORTH YOUR MONEY AND TIME...be prepared to be sitting in a stopped train during more than a hour!! I purchased coach tickets and even dough was spring time it was HORRIBLE! no AC, all windows shuttled close with glass, very poor ventilation...I am not even sure it is legal to transport people in such conditions.....please read the other reviews in this site and if even after read them you still want to give it a try PLEASE DO NOT BUY COACH TICKETS! read more

Had a fun time with the family. They are having a holiday celebration and the kids with us enjoyed the reindeer. Thanks for a new experience! read more

I took my twin 3 year old grandkids on Saturday 9/5/15. It was fun for the first hour, until we somehow started stopping every 10-15 minutes. In total, the ride each way was more than 2 hours. This COMPLETELY RUINED the day. I would never recommend this train ride to anyone, ever. Horrible experience inexplicable experience. read more

The train was fine - comfort was fine & Stockyard were just what we wanted. The ride itself (due to down railroad crossings) took 2 hours instead of 1 which only left is 1 hour at the Stockyards, really not enough time to do much. We decided to Uber back and even with the extra 1 1/2 hrs of messing around at Stockyards we still beat the train back to Grapevine. It's a fun day but I won't do it again until everything is back up and running. . . . read more

I would give it a big fat zero if I could. Absolutely worst day!! They say one hour each way from Grapevine to Ft. Worth but its taken 2 plus hours each way on hottest day. This is a terrible waste of an entire day! Do not waste your money or time!!! read more

I remember this as a kid going on the steam train, and its a great way to spend some time with your kids. It picks up in Grapevine and goes to the stockyards in Ft. worth. This is also the host track for when Thomas the train/Tank comes to town. read more

Very slow moving train. Horrible scenery everything from junk yards to landfills. Seems very over priced. Should have road the trinity!

Went on the north pole express last night. Very disappointed. Unless you have an even number party you can't sit together. The train Is beautiful but the canned music is horrible. All you do is ride out and back and then get off at " the north pole" which isback at the station. Then you go in a Big tent and watch a bunch of teenagers sing a cChristmas show. Its just sad and not worth the money. We won't be making this one of our Christmas traditions. read more

Fun trip until we were stopped by other train traffic for 1 hour. Then on the way back the same thing happened. 2 extra hours on a train full of kids who were bored - OMG - kill me now! read more

Not worth the wait for other trains that have the right of way. Seriously don't take too many waits was late in ft worth and the return

DONT DO IT!!! We sat On train for over 2 hours and only got to spend 1 hour at the stockyards. Not worth the money. It's a really cute idea, however it's just very poorly scheduled. Do yourself a favor , save some money and drive there. read more

GROUP RESERVATION FIASCO. Our group of 40 made reservations at least a month early to be seated together. We also called several times to personally make sure that our group was seated together. Imagine our surprise when we arrived to find our group completely separated into three separate cars!! The staff on site were rude and uncaring and made no attempt to correct the situation!! The following day, an investigation revealed a software problem had caused the mixup. We were offered another train ride. read more

If I could give this zero stars, I would do it in a heartbeat. This was, by far, one of the most frustrating experiences ever. The train repeatedly stopped on the tracks both on the way to and from the stockyard, and the trip took almost 2 hours each way. Yes, it's kind of cool to ride on an old steam train, but it loses its novelty after about 20 minutes. Go visit the train to see it and take a picture - skip the actual ride. Not worth it. read more

Assuming it would be some sort of guided sightseeing rail tour of Ft. Worth, we made the mistake of taking the southern trip from the stockyards. There was no guide, and no "tour" of anything except for the railroad yard, smelly refinery, some sort of recycling center, smelly dumpsters, an industrial area, closed businesses, some dilapidated buildings, and a large park. The only thing we got a tour of is where someone would hide if running from the police. There was nothing to enjoy, look at, our tell our friends about later. What a bust! This was an hour of our time that we'll never get back. What a waste of time and money. In one word: Regrettable. read more