Mom had a Groupon for this trip and decided that I should go and take my daughter. Very thoughtful of her as this is not something I would normally do. Firstly, kids would probably enjoy this trip. It was the Thursday trip featuring kids "entertainment, face painting, etc." The train itself is impressive! Two open air cars, four closed cars and the locomotive. One of the enclosed cars had a small wooden dance floor and assorted bamboo furniture. Another featured a cantina of sorts selling sandwiches ($5), sodas ($2) and snacks ($1). The other car had art deco lighting, wooden seating - very picturesque and one car seemed like being on Amtrak complete with freezing A/C. You can walk from car to car freely. At one point we moved because it got waaaay too noisy with all the kids. Secondly, if you've ridden Amtrak or trains in Europe and Asia (heck even BART), this train will seem like a snail's pace in comparison. It doesn't move very fast, but this allows you to enjoy the open fields and some of the Sacramento river. Honestly, I don't know if kids really look outside the window, they just like being on a train. It would have been nice if we were given some sort of handout explaining what we were viewing or the history of the train/tracks, the route we were taking, points of interest, etc. A simple two-sided copied piece of paper would have been fine. Since I used to face paint at one of my jobs, I was a little surprised at the face painting here. I find it easier to use face paints, a good brush and some body glitter. Instead, it looked like liquid eyeliner and pencil eyeshadow was used. Not only does that take longer to do your job, but the effect isn't as nice. Oh, and no one actually got their face painted, but were convinced that it "would look nicer" on their hand or arm. Where this really gets my three stars (as opposed to four) is when we reached the final destination, no one told us to disembark. I knew they had to switch the engine around and there was talk of adding a second engine on to repair (?) so when the train stopped, I waited. Another party also sat around. About 20 minutes later (!!!) we decided that we could probably walk to our car - hey it's Woodland, can't be that complicated. We then found out that we WERE at where we started but no one told us. Everyone - except the people in our car - had already left, gotten in their cars and were practically out of the lot. You couldn't tell from where we were seated that we had arrived. The staff themselves - which in this case was the owner, his wife and their two kids - were very personable. The wandering guitar-playing musician (imagine if Maria Von Trapp emigrated to the US and couldn't retire) had me humming "I've Been Working on the Railroad" all day. So in a nutshell, I would probably not go again if I had to pay full price. The only reason I would go again is because daughter liked it and wants to do it again. I would also sneak a flask on board. read more

My wife found a special for the Sacramento Wine train. The trip took about 3 hours and we were able to sample wineries from all over the region from Sonoma County through Sugar Mill around El Dorado County the list was impressive. For the most part the wine pours were generous though there was one station just outside of the open cars that decided that their wine was worth one ticket per one ounce pour. My thinking was if you have people that have paid $60 to try your wines don't treat them like you're at BevMo. We are your target audience. So we avoided that station and the rest were quite good. My suggestion would be to check how many people are on the train as best you can. The train yesterday had around 80 to 90 people and it was beautiful. Plenty of room to relax have a quiet conversation just taken the environment beautiful. The staff said anywhere up to 200 people on the train is still relatively comfortable but once it gets towards maximum capacity 250 - 300 it gets really hard to move around and I could see why. The passages between cars is wide enough for one person. Natural bottle necks. All in all it was a good trip and one that I'm looking forward to doing it again with more friends. read more

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So, as a historical enthusiast, and having spent a good deal of my time lately playing Red Dead Redemption, I thought it would be a fun thing to do to take a train ride around the Delta with my girlfriend. This train kept coming up in searches, and seemed pretty promising, so we decided to check it out. That was when things began to get strange (insert DUN DUN DUUUUNNNNN here). First and foremost, we were a little disappointed before even booking a trip, as all of the more quiet and relaxed train trips, like the brunch, lunch, and dinner trains, were not running until September, and even then were only running one single day. We had no choice but to book a trip that included the Great Train Robbery event...which is as dorky as it sounds if you're an eighteen-year old guy trying to enjoy a relaxing three and a half hours on a train. I'll address this later, but we ended up listening to a man dressed as Wild Bill Hickock talk about his acre of land and his massive grass garden. Alright, back on track now: buying tickets presented its own kind of shock, as the whole thing was roughly $130 for two adults, which included the ride, a barbecue lunch, and the entertainment provided by the character actors and their skits. Regarding the "scenic train ride" along the Sacramento River, I don't think there could be any more of a misleading description of a trip, as we saw about five minutes of the river total. The train departs in Woodland, travels through Woodland parallel to the beautiful freeway, and stopped in what can be best be described as a mini-park, complete with a sketchy boat dock. So, we were at the least moderately disappointed in the view, which was unfortunate as we were very excited to the point of me brandishing my steampunk pocketwatch, but we still maintained hope. Once the train stopped at what appeared to be a railroad crossing, sans terminal or stairs or pavement. All passengers were basically led off onto a dirt and gravel path on a hundred-yard trek to what was described as the "campground area" where we'd be having lunch. The train's website noted that it would be a relatively brisk walk, but that seemed to be a bit of an understatement, as other travelers resorted to walking sticks and leaning on fellow passengers to make it down a gradually steeper walk through the brush. To women, please for the love of God do not wear open-toed shoes or "super cute stylish sandals" that my girlfriend wore, you will suffer. Now comes the barbecue, which was catered by Woodland's own Ludy's. The delivery truck decorated with a pig in a chef's hat provided an awesome backdrop for a lunch not so well-equipped for large parties like our own. There were few tables, so we decided to grab our food first before searching for a seat. It was reminiscent of a cafeteria, walking in line, grabbing food, and finding a seat. The food...hm...certainly wasn't the best, so I'll leave it at that. After lunch, the actors put on a little show and demonstration which wasn't too bad, but to those with sensitive ears, be warned of the six shooters that will undoubtedly be going off. After that brief intermission, everyone got back on the train to head back to the station. We did our best to enjoy the two minutes in which we saw the river, but the remainder of the trip home was spent listening to casual conversation between the actors and passengers. I think for families with younger children, this may be a fun, though expensive jaunt, but for those just wishing to feel the nostalgia of train travel and enjoy a quiet trip, I'd look elsewhere. read more

I feel like the Grinch giving the Christmas train 2 stars, but paint me green if you must. Here's a summary of our experience. It starts by checking into a white, semi-permanent tent structure with tiny, uncomfortable, plastic chairs facing a stage. The train "actors" introduce the story of the little girl who loses her teddy bear. The teddy bear was a gift from Santa himself to the little girl's grandmother when she was a little girl because she needed a boost of "Christmas sprit." Naturally, the grandmother passed the bear to her daughter, and so on, which is how this little girl ended up with it. When we board the train, we know we must help the girl find her lost teddy bear. Fine, that's a cute enough story. So the bear (a human size mascot that looks more like a rat than a bear) is on the loose on the train. (Sounds scary but isn't.) His face is too pointy to be a bear; he's a lot like Chuck E Cheese but without the charm or whimsy. Whatever, the kids get a kick out it. There's a lot of, "Have you seen my bear? Which way did he go?" The know-it-all kids love to shout, and the shy kids point. When you are seated on the train, you are provided hot cocoa (in disposable cups) and perhaps-fresh-yesterday cookies. The train is not decorated - no garland or swag. I guess you can't actually SEE the Christmas spirit; it's something you have to feel. So the story goes on for a while. A guy with a guitar comes around leading Christmas carols. Finally, Santa comes. And, serioulsy, honorable mention to Santa. He's the real deal. Real beard. Real jolly. The whole ride is probably two hours long, which feels like an eternity if you're stupid enough to go without kids. Bless my husband's big, child-like heart for getting us two full price tickets to this thing, despite the fact that we have no children. Basically, we felt captive for 2+ hours on a train full of screaming kids, really crappy cookies, and a low budget rat-bear, and because it was the evening train, you couldn't even see a stitch of landscape out the window. To be fair, I'm not sure it would have mattered though because the tracks pretty much follow I-5 from Woodland to the airport - not much to see. So for our money (about $99), we felt a little ripped off. I guess Christmas is for kids, and we should have known better. Still, as adults, we would have appreciated some Christmas lights/swag and fresh cookies. It's definitely a kid thing. If you have kids and can get the Groupon price, you'd probably give this 3 stars. read more

First of all y'all, we aren't talking about some train out in NAPA. This train is in Woodland, which really isn't Napa, so the comparisons are really kinda silly. Get over yourselves already!!! Secondly-- we have taken trips on this train twice. Once for Father's Day (the food was excellent, catered from Ludy's, so don't let those Napa Snob people confuse you-- the food is really good!!) and then just a few days ago for the Pumpkin Train. Both trains were enjoyable, although the singing entertainment was a little tedious at times. Thirdly-- yes, the prices can be a little steep. Everything costs money these days, so get over that one too. Watch for a Groupon or just figure that you're helping a local business enrich our community and enjoy the ride. Lastly, there is no train station. And?! So, go ride the train already! read more

Nice experience on our first dinner train ride. Very friendly service. There's live music (a man with a microphone and his buddy on the keyboard!). Dinner was good...the potatoes were wonderful, left us wanting more! What I liked most about the train ride was seeing the residence stand on their porch waiving at us as we passed by! Great for an intimate dinner or a double date. read more

I took the river train with a party of 40 people for the murder mystery. Overall, it was a good experience, but one I would not repeat. The train ride itself was just OK; but sparse views of the river; a lot of views of farm land, woods, and Woodland. Food was just average. I have made better chicken dishes myself, but the beef medallions were tender and tasty. The champagne toast was glasses of Cooks champagne (could it be any cheaper?) and the dessert was weird. Berries on some kind of cream or cheese nestled in something chewy?! The live action with the murder of someone, was not lovely -- very thin plot, forced laughter and a contrived stupid ending. But, the actors were all splendid, with excellent speaking voices to carry (hopefully) in the long train cars. Why they didn't have portable mics on them was beyond me. I would say go on this train trip if you're looking for something different to do, but make it a once in a lifetime experience.... read more

So you wanna be a Cowboy? Well, the first thing you need to do is learn the routine and going through a real old west train robbery can give you an idea of what it may have been like. A ride on the River Train out of Sacramento/Woodland, CA was a blast for my family. It's not fast, it's bumpy, it's old, and it absolutley wonderful. I get a good chuckle when I see reviews of an old fashioned ride where people are expecting modern day comforts. Can you imagine what it was like back then for the people who didn't have any of the modern day luxuries provided on this ride like, a variety of cold beverages, hot food, and a bunch of fun loving people making you laugh during your entire trip. To me it's funny what we expect when we want to experience a little something different the way it is supposed to be experienced. As for me and my family we have always had a great time on train rides. This train is no exception. Great food, good stories, and really good people to become friends with if only for a few moments of a day an deven though it may cost a little more than some would want to pay take a look around and ask yourself what doesn't these days?? Have a good time and enjoy it for what it is a different slice of the pie. read more

Just went on this 3 hour tour. It was a blast. My husband and I just moved up here from San Diego, so we are always looking for new and fun adventures. Well this one definitely one. Between all the different groups of people to the great beer (Black Dragon Brewery was hands down the best) we will be looking forward to the upcoming events. read more

Sierra Northern - Having fun on Beer Train - Tours Near Me - Woodland, California

We took on grandson on the Old Sacramento Excursion and it was great. The train docents were helpful and informative. My grandson is two and was in awe the whole time. read more

Sierra Northern - Train depot for purchasing tickets - Tours Near Me - Woodland, California

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Brought my granddaughter on the Easter Egg Express Sacramento River Train. Although I wasn't sure after reading the low reviews I am glad I made the trip. It is great for the kids. Crafts on the train, music, hand painting, Easter egg hunt, cupcakes, and story time. It was planned out just long enough to keep them entertained without them getting board. Good idea to wear tennis shoes as there is a short walk to the park on the river. If you enjoy taking pictures there are some scenic photo opportunities. It was something different to do then the traditional Easter at Grandmas house. I would go again next year. read more

This was the absolute worst experience I have had in a long time. The food was tasteless and dry, the show was horrid, and paying $2 per can of soda after a $200 charge for tix was insulting. At first I was bummed we did a night trip because we couldn't see the view, but quickly became grateful as we passed trailer homes, porta-potties and other dull scenes. The family of 4 next to us were equally angered by the disappointment. I want a refund and those hours of my life returned. read more

This is a copy of the email I sent to the Sacramento River train company. This pretty much sums up my experience thus far. Good morning, I had a reservation for a Sunday brunch train ride on 14JUL13 to leave from West Sacramento at 10:30. Last week I was told it was changed to Woodland at 11:30. Since this will totally disrupt our plans for the rest of the day as this was part of an anniversary celebration, I will not be able to take this train ride. I talked to customer service and the young lady said that I couldn't get a refund because the company didn't cancel the train ride. I find this ridiculous as a company could have changed the time to 11:59 p.m. and because they didn't cancel it, no refunds would be given; though 99% of the customers most likely wouldn't be able to go with the rescheduled time. I wanted to talk to the manager, but he was on a vacation to the coast, according to the young lady, which makes one conclude that is the reason for the no refunds. Anyway, despite all of this, I tried to rearrange the day's events to accommodate the company changing the schedule of the train ride, but I'm unable to do so. I mean you are asking people to drive an extra hour each way and to start this train ride 1.5 hours later than originally planned. Therefore, since getting a refund will be more impossible than breaking out of prison, I'll take the gift certificate or "rain check" to take another train that is leaving out of Sacramento. I'll just remember to not make reservations until much closer to the date so lessen the chance of your company changing the time/location. Will write update after resolution of issue. read more

Bah humbug to those posting poor reviews of the Christmas Train - we took our 2 year old last weekend and he LOVED it. The Bear gave him lots of hi-fives and Santa was sweet to him when he was first a bit shy. We had a private table, which was great and we enjoyed a glass of wine and cheese tray at a reasonable price. We will go again! read more

Recently, and for the third year in a row, we took a large group of 8th graders from Southern California on the Sacramento River Train. 184 in the group. Randy, the train representative, was very accommodating. The students enjoyed roaming the train, the robbery and shoot-out, and especially the dinner. An unexpected surprise was the variety of birds inhabiting the water's edge. Great views. We look forward to next year's trip. read more

Ill be the first to admit it- I'm a wine snob. If you're looking for a Wine Tasting experience- this is not it!! I was so unimpressed with the whole experience. If you're looking for something to do because you're bored and you don't care where you go or what you're drinking- this would be a great activity for you. They served Rendez-vous winery and Dickies BBQ. The best part if the trip was most of the scenery. Even then some parts were hard to take in. If another deal is offered for this train experience- thanks, but I'll pass. read more

we had a reasonably fun time on their Christmas train. They could have been more generous with the cookies and hot chocolate, considering we paid over $200 for the family to go. read more

Seemed like an awesome idea to have our large Christmas party here on the train. Events coordinator fluffed up what we were supposed to have in our package which ended up being short of agreed expectations. My food was cold and average. Servers although nice were disorganized and slow. I would not recommend for large groups. Train itself was classy and well decorated. read more

Had a GREAT trip... Crossing the Fremont trestle - Dueling horns with the Elkhorn Station grill - Beautiful views of the Sacramento River and open farmland - Crossing the Sacramento Weir. A must for ANY train enthusiast. Dinner was tasty and drinks were cold. Price was a little steep - could have taken the Family out to a crummy movie for half as much... read more

Having bought tickets to take my daughter and 2-1/2 year old grandson on the Easter Egg Express, I was a little skeptical after reading the other reviews. However, we all had a wonderful day. The staff were friendly, fun and interactive. They provided activities for the little ones such as handing out white bags with crayons and stickers for each child to customize them for the upcoming egg hunt as well as pictures for the older children to color and that were later used for the story-time. The train was comfortable if you were lucky enough to get in one of the good cars with booth seating. I understand the people in the open cars were cold and I was told "miserable" for a 45-minute ride in April to Elhorn Park. We got off the train and it was a short walk on a gravel pathway to the park. I never noticed anyone having trouble with the walk and many women (and little girls) were in their Easter shoes. At the park, the kids were greeted by the Easter Bunny who allowed enough time for parents to take pictures. That was followed by the egg hunt and then a delicious cupcake, and then finally an Easter story. I wouldn't say the ride is scenic but if you know that going in, you can just relax and enjoy the ride. read more

This was a GREAT experience for my family. I also bought Groupon tix for the Easter Express for me, the hubby and 2 small kids. Let me tell you about my self-inflicted fiasco that the Rivertrain people kindly rectified. I bought Easter weekend tix months in advance. Come Sat night when I went to print them off for our Sunday ride, I was devastated to realize I had bought Sat tix and we had missed our trip. This was NO FAULT of the Rivertrain. This was completely my idiocy. At 9 pm Sat night, I sent a Hail Mary email and phone call to the Rivertrain people sobbing like a baby (I'm not usually all that emotional, but I had just ruined Easter for my kids, which is only one step away from ruining Christmas). It was of course past business hours and no one was there, so I left a message I was certain would never be answered. Within an HOUR they called me back and turned my train wreck around! They told me they would honor my Sat tix on the Sunday afternoon ride. They did NOT have to do this. It states clearly on those tix they are good only on the date you purchase them for and they were at no fault and had no obligation to me. Wow. above-and-beyond customer service DOES still exist in some places! We drove down Sunday from Chico, CA (1.5 hr drive) and let me tell you, it was worth the trip! It was a gorgeous day. We got a seat on an open-air car, but there were plenty inside, dining car, a couple of just open area cars. It was NOT crowded. You are allowed to bring your own food (and lots of people had made it a family event and brought big pans of cupcakes! etc. (or you can buy food/snacks/drinks on the train). There was activities for the kids (decorate own Easter egg bag, etc.). They had a guy playing guitar and singing "train themed" songs who was AWESOME and played to his kid audience as well as adults (everything from Folsom Prison Blues to requests such as Twinkle Twinkle!). It was a wonderful, casual ride and my 3 and 5 year old LOVED every minute of it and even made friends with other kids and danced to the music, etc. It tears me up NOW to talk about what a great day we had (which is what I had hoped for) and how close to being completely ruined it had been. I can't thank the kind people that run the train enough for their kindness. Now some more facts. This is not a fancy train. It's older and has a "casual" feel to it. Open air cars have picnic-bench type seating. But for people with kids, it's PERFECT. My kids had a blast walking from train to train, hanging out over the side, pointing out wildlife and whatnot. The view on one side is a lot of freeway, but even this had some interesting site seeing aspects. The other side is open fields, water, river-side type views. We saw rabbits (Easter bunnies!), egrets, waterfowl, etc. and went over a long tressel/bridge. We found it very fun, entertaining and relaxing. There was tons of room to walk around/dance/spread out. We stopped for an Easter egg hunt, which was also very fun and a nice break in the ride. You had to trek down a little incline trail, which again, the kids enjoyed. After a lady dressed in a cute Easter outfit taught everyone a song in sign language, they had the hunt. The only complaint I had is that many people have not taught there children MANNERS and how to LISTEN. and on top of that, they don't reprimand them for bad behavior! The kids were told to go based on age, and there was a limit of taking 5 eggs) but there were several bigger kids who just ran amuck when it was the little kid's turn and FILLED their baskets. No parental control :( Again, not the train people's fault. We then were served fabulous cupcakes! the Easter bunny came around and visited. All in all, it was the perfect Easter Day and I would do it again in a heartbeat, and recommend them with flying colors, based on the ride AND on the personal service I received as a customer! read more

I can't adequately express how impressed I am with the service and professionalism exhibited by the staff aboard the Sacramento River Train. I took my three children for the Magical Christmas Train and the staff could not have done a better job making the experience truly magical and memorable. When I arrived to check in the woman doing the checking in was not able to locate my name on her list so I was sent to the concession stand on the train. Every one along the way was exceptionally helpful, patient and pleasant. The woman working the concession was extremely apologetic about the error and quickly rectified the situation. All of the actors did a fantastic job engaging the children and seemed to genuinely enjoy what they were doing which, in my opinion, makes all the difference in the world. During one specific activity one of the "elves" was having the children ride a stick pony up the isle, my daughter decided just as they were finishing and too far away to hear, that she wanted to do it. One of the other actors must have overheard her because before the ride came to an end they came back out with the pony and let her run down the isle with it. This care and attention to detail made the trip very special for my children and I would recommend this experience to anyone with young children. read more

The Christmas Train Ride was an absolutely terrific time!!! Our three grandkids loved it!! The staff members were friendly, outgoing, cheerful, and wonderful in every way. The story was just great for kids and all of the staff members made sure that each child was included in the action. The production of the story on the train was very well done and kept the kids entertained the entire trip. This was a great value for a kids' Christmas outing -- much, much better than the over-priced, over-hyped, and underwhelming other train ride in Sacramento. read more

We received this as a gift and had a great time. The train is slow but the ride is not about speed, it is about the experience. You go by some really interesting sites. Yes, some of the sights are abandoned cars and back yards. Look past these areas and enjoy the variety of crops, the tracks, the river and more. The food was alright. We were on the train robbery trip. The actors and actresses were great. It was a little hokey but we loved it. Overall, we had a great experience and would recommend it. read more

Sacramento Dinner Jazz Train on Oct 1, 2011 It was fantastic evening, on an antique railroad diner car, with dancing on the jazz car. The Jazz duo was smooth and excellent! They should be playing in Vegas or Reno. The staff was very accommodating and friendly! I just happened to be a little late, due to the traffic and Randy of reservations called us to verify if we were on our way. Which was a great benefit, because I thought it was just too late - he contacted the conductor to hold it for us! I chose the 1st Class dinner with our choice of a wine or Champagne. The Champagne was served ice cold and very good. A delicious 3 course meal with Halibut or Beef. We had one of each both were very good and flavorful and the presentation was pleasing to the eye! Yes and the views of the Sac River, thickets, and Marina were just outstanding. All along the ride people would wave at this train. I would definitely recommend this experience for couples, double dates or groups. read more

It was a most relaxing trip with my wife. The food was great and the Brunch service by Jeff and his team was fantastic. We got a personal history of the train and each of the cars from the conductor, our own live history channel. It was a Christmas train and there was someone going around and singing Christmas songs. For the kids they had stories read to them in a special car, Letters to Santa and a Christmas "Elf" giving special attention to the kids. To top it off there was a Santa (real beard) that went around to each and everyone and made it extra nice. We even got a special treat of hot chocolate and cookies. My Wife and I were celebrating our 25th Wedding anniversary, and the whole Sierra Dinner Train staff made it an extra special time that we will never forget. Thank you to all the staff. David Fountain read more

My Son and 5 year old granddaughter road the Christmas Train this year and we ALL had a wonderful time. Hot Chocolate and cookies were delicious! The entertainment by the Elves, Santa and a strolling musician. Story time was an absolute delight having the author sign the books for the kids was such a treat and what a sweetheart she was. The first thing my granddaughter wanted when we got home was to read the book again. This is their second year for the train. They had so much fun last year that they insisted that I go along this time and I am really glad I did. I hope to take the dinner train sometime this spring! Thank you so much everyone made us all feel very special! read more

This is not a good thing to do if you are looking for an enjoyable train ride with nice scenery. The "so called" train station is not a station at all, it's several old wharehouse buildings that you don't go in. You wait outside. And no public restrooms. The description is very misleading, the scenery consists of Hwy 50 on one side and industrial buildings on the other. You see maybe 5 to 10 minutes of river at the end of the ride, which is only about several miles down the road, but takes an hour or more because the train is only going about 10 miles an hour. When asked why the train moves so slowly, I was told that if it went faster you would miss the scenery. OK?!? The entertainment is very hokey and there just to divert your attention from the fact that there is no scenery to look at. If you want a nice train ride, try the Wine Country or the Redwoods trains. This one is not fun at all or worth the price. Very dissappointed read more

What a joke! I had guests from out of town with small children so I bought expensive Christmas Train booth tickets for all of us. First of all, the "two-hour" ride was one hour and 20 minutes. The scenery was horrible and you actually only see the river maybe two or three times. The rest is industrial landscape and trash. "Santa Claus" was completely unbelievable and smelled very badly of body odor.. We did like the banjo player and the conductor. It was embarrassing, to say the least. Also note that there is not only no disabled access, the stairs to get into the train are almost impossible for anyone with any kind of mobility issues. One last note: On the way out of the train, one of the staff members was complaining to us about his job, having to work so much, his old shirt, etc. Sort of ruined any kind of good spirit about the holiday on the train. read more

We booked & went on this train for a Valentine Dinner Event yesterday & must say it was a complete disappointment :( (1) There's no train station so we waited in the cold weather (rain or shine) next to a small check-in kiosk at the gravel parking lot vs. Napa has a nice station w/ gift shop inside & offered wine tasting during wait. (2) No full bar as was described on our booking confirmation vs. Napa has a full bar & nice comfortable lounge area. (3) The cars was quite old vs. Napa is better. (4) The food choice was pre-ordered from their 3 choices & precooked too vs. open menu & cook to order on Napa train. ----- (4) For our total which was over $200/couple, i think it was over-priced & misled: Silver vs. Gold is a quite a in diff. in price for premium seat plus complimentary bottle of wine & a rose for the lady. Ended up i saw everyone was there sat together in one car, consider "premium" however not all guests purchased gold ticket. On top of that every woman got a rose at the end of the ride, so if we could have known, we wouldn't pay for gold ticket for no diff. in the seating and the rose complimentary, accept the wine which we don't care much for and of course it was the only diff. btw gold & silver guests. So overall i guess those that purchased silver was luck that they saved a a good amount of $ there. It could be a fun experience if we haven't experienced Napa Train or the price is more reasonable for casual "chugga chugga choot choot" experience for family but not quite for high-end romantic dinner for the price we paid for. read more

We just did the Christmas Train from Woodland to "Sacramento" (although I don't know if we technically ever left Woodland) & the whole time all I could think was how badly I wished I had my $150. (for 4 people) back. We'd hoped that it would become a new family tradition for our 3 year old granddaughter, but she was more interested in making several unneeded journeys to the restroom than participating in the tomfoolery on the 45 minute ride (I don't think that the train ever got up to a speed that was faster than my fat hinny could run). Not trying to be a humbug (we really wanted it to be awesome), but spend your money @ the Dickens Faire or taking the Ferry to SF to see Christmas lights. Merry Christmas. read more

Took two teen boys on the "Zombie Train". This in general was a fun fun fun event. The one thing they have against them is they don't have right of way for a lot of the trip so the actual zombie experiences are limited. If they are able to improve that part of it to really let people unload at more zombies...it would greatly improve the trip. That being said, they are doing a TON with what they have. read more

Had a great time on the Christmas Train...we took our 2 1/2 year old nephew who has been wanting to go on a train ride! He had a great time and we will never forget it! The staff and private car owners were great! read more

I had to update as last weekend we took our two four year olds on the "Christmas Train". For this trip we boarded in Woodland. They sat us promptly and the inside of the train was decorated tastefully for Christmas. It had a cozy feel. We got to see Elf Shelle who was on the last train and our kids just loved her. Conductor Bob, Santa, Morgan, Morgan's teddy bear, and an awesome guitar player all made appearances on the trip. We had fun singing carols, enjoying the story of Morgan and her Christmas spirit, and having cookies and cocoa. The girls got to take pictures with Santa and get their books that followed the story told on the train autographed. Only warning I would give is that this track is a little more wobbly than the Sacramento one so if you get motion sickness take something ahead of time. I was fine but their dad was a little green by the end. Overall a fun trip I would do again. read more

Wow I am surprised at all the negative reviews. I have gone on multiple trips, dinner mystery theater, Christmas train ride, the western theater (can't remember the name) and a few others. I have gone in evening, summer and winter and day. Loved all of them. The food has always been good. The employees always pleasant. What surprised me most was most of the people are from out of the area and had a blast. I felt it was Woodland's own little secret. One time we got stopped mid ride because Bush was checking out the levies. People were so upset and demanded a refund and I thought it was a great story my kids could tell, CIA stopping us due to presidential visit. I believe some got a refund or discount. I did not ask as it still was an awesome ride and the views are nice. You can see the river, the agriculture land and yes some homes. I guess it is what you make of it. What gives? read more

I love to ride trains although I don't think of myself as a train buff. My friends invited me for a birthday celebration for one of my friends, and we really had a great time. I plan to come back in the spring and hopefully all the water will subside (flooding) but it was an interesting view, and the actors on board made the trip exciting. It was a Saturday and the train was robbed. I've been on this train before a couple of years ago and the group was well dressed, but this group was exciting and they were great about incorporating history in their characters - who were real western people they were portraying. There was another birthday on board and she and her daughters got to catch the bad guy. That was fun to watch. If you get to meet Miss Lilly, she is really a "character" and sang Happy Birthday to both ladies making them feel special. The train is comfortable and it rocks and rolls across the countryside just like the trains in the old days and thanks to the actors for sharing a little Gold History - I have to go explore more. I plan to come back and ride the History Train on Sundays and learn more from Miss Lilly. Only thing I'd say as a suggestion is to have more variety of food on the train at the concession stand. We should have ordered lunch. It's sad more people don't know about this train and the activities. The train manager was very helpful and his staff all friendly. read more

Sierra Northern - Story telling on the Sacramento River Train - Tours Near Me - Woodland, California

Hands down the best family event ever! One word of caution is the location of departure - we almost missed our train as we went to what we thought was the right location in Woodland - turned out to be west sacramento - we left early and barely made it. The kids loved the ride, and mom and dad did too. the staff went out of their way to make us all have a good time and the food was excellent. A little pricey at first glance but well worth every penny - we even bought some hats for the heck of it. Strongly recommend for a family - we even brought the stroller! read more

We had a mostly pleasant experience on the Sunset Dinner & Music excursion a couple weeks ago. It was delightful, meandering slowly through the countryside, enjoying the open air cars while we watched the sunset and tried to figure out what the crops were that were growing near the train tracks. Wine was not exceptional, but was still quite good. Salad was fresh and tasty. Dinner entrees should have been hotter. Dessert was nice. Other riders were friendly and fun, but not overly noisy. Orion's music was mighty nice! Overall, even though we started out a little late (caterer was late), it was a very pleasant way to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary and I've recommended it to several other people. read more

We went on the Valentine dinner train last night and I hate to say it, but pretty much everything about the experience was underwhelming. They advertise a 3 course dinner, live music or DJ in the club car and a romantic train ride. Instead what we got was cafeteria fare (instant mashed potatoes, chicken that looked and tasted like it came from a Marie Callendar frozen dinner, and bread you could break a molar on), music that came from a stero behind the mini bar and was piped into select areas on speakers, and a scenic trip from west sac to woodland with views of fields, freeways and the grocry outlet when you make it to Woodland. They were giving away free tasting of port wine, but charged us $2.00 a piece for soda and complimentary candy (those little ghiradelli chocolate squares.) Everyone was nice enough, but it just had a very senior citizen vibe to it all. Oh yes, and the bathrooms are atrocious. Tiny little closet with leaking water all over the floor. read more

For those who have not experinced this rail line, you are missing out. The view, the events, the entire experience is well worht the very reasonable rates. If you have kids of any age or not, this experience is a must... read more