The Texas State Railroad is a fun way to slow down and step back in time. During Spring Break, we went on a 50 mile round trip train ride with our son and his family to Rusk and back to Palestine. The grandkids really enjoyed the adventure of being on the train and seeing all the historical displays located in both train stations. Several weeks before, we reserved tickets on the Dome train. It was awesome to be so high up and we had great visibility to see all around. I also recommend ordering the lunch beforehand so when the train arrives in Rusk, you don't have to wait in line to order food and then go wait in another line to pick up your food. You'll need to call the phone number listed to place your order for food. A very nice lady helped me and I'm sure you'll receive the same excellent customer service when you call as well. There are picnic tables to enjoy your lunch at the Rusk station. No outside food or drink is allowed on the train. Your train ticket includes a bottle of water and a healthy fruit/veggie pretzel snack. Everyone enjoyed watching the train engine switch around to the new "front of the train" for the return trip to Palestine. You'll pass by the old turnabout that was used in the past. I highly recommend this train excursion for the young and the young at heart. The rhythmic motion was putting most passengers in a restful state, with many resting their eyes after lunch on the return trip. All ages can appreciate a train ride that takes you back in time. read more

See all

Love the Texas Railroad but not a big fan of the "Rocking the Rails" event...music was not our style and the event was a bit pricey.

Maybe worth visiting one time with the kiddos but this has gotten expensive for no good reason and the quality of the experience is just no longer worth the drive for us. read more

Great Train Ride through the East Texas pines. Steam Locomotive Rides are awesome. Largest collection of historic rail equipment in Texas. read more

See all

The Palestine Train Depot was clean and had some seating inside in the AC. There were small bathrooms, for too many people it seemed. Definitely needs some upgrades but we weren't there long and did some walking around outside while waiting on the train to be ready. The staff was great and we quickly got our tickets. We were seated on the Presidential train which was great. It had couches and plenty of room for all 3 of us. There is also a souvenir shop at the Palestine Depot. There were some cute small buildings outside this depot to look at and for my 3 year old to run around and check out. Lots of parking. read more

Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Palestine, Texas

See all

We went here for the polar Express and it was delightful! They were well organized and kept to everything like a well oiled machine. We just did the coach seats but they have some pretty expensive options that might be worthwhile if you want to have more space. The ride doesn't show much at night though so IMO it wasn't worth it. The elves come by and bring hot cocoa and cookies, they read the story and when Santa comes everyone gets a bell. There were some additional songs and dances throughout and the time went by quickly. The depot was also decorated very nicely, we would do it again. read more

See all

We took a group of seniors to ride the train. It was great! The seniors loved the upper car. There was also an additional car for those with limited mobility. It was a slow pace but lots of laughter chatting and amazing Forestry views. We hope to return. read more

New to Texas and wanted to learn about the train and the area so we booked the Piney Woods train ride. Drove 3 hours to get here expecting a lot more than we got. The info we received says get here early because the train leaves right at 11. We arrived at 930 as instructed and boarded at 1050. I upgraded to the best seats expecting way too much! The wait staff and service was great. They had a good selection of drinks that came quickly. As the train departed the narration began but we couldn't hear it at all. I asked for it to be turned up and our waitress said she would but it never happened. So I paid over 200 dollars for a ride and history of the area/train but did not get it. The ride is beautiful but it's just a ride through trees. The train has comfortable seating but the AC is on so high I was freezing the entire time. Once we arrived in Rusk we got our lunch which was ok, not great but not bad either. The trip back for some reason was dominated by the trains whistle almost the entire way which made it difficult to talk. No internet either. So basically I was very bored. I would not recommend this again. read more

ALL ABOARD! Those were magical words for me growing up. One of my grandfathers worked for the Katy Railroad for 60 years. Yes, 60. He started at the age of 10. I spent a lot of time in his switching yard learning little facts about trains as I grew up. I've used an oiler can around the age of 5 to fill oil reservoirs on wheels under the instruction of my grandfather. I've tapped wheels and couplings with inspection hammers. I've driven in spikes with spike hammers (not well, however) and I've climbed all over early 1900's cabooses to include riding in the cupolas. This railway gives those not as fortunate as me the chance to explore and take a ride on the rails as most did before plane and road travel was practical. You can choose the engine and choose the car type you wish to ride in as it takes you out and back through the piney forest of East Texas! There is also a special Christmas train that runs during the holiday with a shorter path for the kids. You owe it to yourself to do this once and get a feel how travel used to be. Please, take your kids as this is something they will remember! Plan for enough time to enjoy! Parking is readily available, easy to find, and prices are very reasonable! Remember, this is old equipment from a bygone era and not modern comforts (don't look for cell phone chargers on the cars LOL) read more

See all

Brought the family to visit the Polar Express. The staff on board really went above and beyond to make this experience magical. I highly recommend doing this at least once if you have little ones under 10. The grounds are well kept but there are a bunch of teenagers working at the depot. I wasn't a fan of their work ethic. I was reading a plaque and asked them a question and they really had smart butt remarks about the entire area being a slave cemetery. Also, skip the port-o-potties at the entrance and use the real ones inside. read more

Did the "globe" experience but the caveat is that there are 2 of the following considerations for first timers like us: 1) Even though you're elevated in car 3. You should come at an earlier time. Winter days are short so you should schedule your ride before 6. Like 5:30z 2) Globe experience is kind of limited by the space in the height of the cabin. So the people aren't jumping ultra high and kicking all crazy like the lower level cars I think while for some folk think it's expensive; the overall experience is very balanced and all the staff members do their best to make it a great experience for all and they interact with the kids very well for teenagers. Beware the gift shop where everything is $16 on up per item. Food cost while waiting isn't bad. I think the best part of the whole package is if you stay at one of their known hotel locations a shuttle comes to get you and return you. Make sure to take out some $5's or $10's for tip. You don't come to Palestine for much more than a railroad experience. For Houstonians coming here, consider making it a trip out here on your way to DFW. read more

We attended for the Dogwood brunch trip. We didn't expect to learn so much history of the two towns of Palestine and Rusk. It was our anniversary so we went for the nice car, champagne and being spoiled a bit. I really loved it. They also filmed part of the first episode of 1883 there at the train station. We will be going back and taking several friends along. read more

See all

7/26 - Update: I appreciate receiving a call today from Amy to discuss my concerns. She was very apologetic and talked through all my issues. She was able to provide a solution that I was happy with. While I probably will not try the Pints in the Pines again. I may give another excursion a try later this year. 7/21 - I have been on the TSR twice and I used to recommend it to everyone. I can no longer do that after the "Pints" in Pines excursion today. This excursion was $44 more than the standard trip and it was really falsely advertised. There are no pints on this trip. They do mention tastings of beer but not that it only consists of four 2oz Dixie cups. They also mention that there are to be tastings on the way back from Rusk to Palestine, this did not happen. It was also disappointing to find out that our catered dinner in Rusk was just a burger or chicken sandwich. It was also stated on their site that we would find out the beers and catering prior to the event. This did not happen. To top it all off, the AC in the Presidential car did not work on the way to Rusk on a 100 degree day. There was no explanation and the attendant mentioned it was like that the weekend prior. It was eventually fixed for the trip back to Palestine but it would have been nice if it was not broken or if we were offered some free drinks to cool off. So I am not sure what the extra $44 got me for this excursion. A pint glass, a cup of beer, and a burger? I will definitely not recommend this excursion to anyone. read more

Enjoyable travel thru piney woods, small snack box & water provided when entering car but champagne advertised is a joke. 1oz if even that was given to sip. Why bother. They have overhead speakers giving history but are unintelligible & weak. The dinner was ok, either chicken or pork chop. Meat was fairly decent but the vegetable was another joke of 2 small zucchini & 2 onions, a tiny scoop of mashed potatoes w/skins & NO rice & broccoli as advertised. The outdoor dining was beautifully set with music provided by a young man with guitar. Besides a few over exaggerated offerings, you can't beat a beautiful night riding a train. read more

We took the Polar Express train in Grapevine last year and did this one this year. Wow what a difference! We were on car 5 and the cast did a fabulous job singing, dancing and interacting with everyone. I highly recommend. We made memories as a family that everyone will cherish read more

See all

Location: Palestine Tx (A.K.A the North Pole) Staff: friendly, helpful Price: average for entertainment/holiday Parking: we did a shuttle Seating: for train ride inside, however they have small shops,stores, and entertainment activities outside station and seating outside First time coming here and as everything it comes on all social media so don't mark it out unless you try it. It was definitely a great holiday experience. The staff is very organized. Time frames they give you are very accurate. We went with the 5pm and enjoyed every minute. As we arrived at daylight but got back at nighttime and got to enjoy both. They also have a small snack store and souvenir store. Inside the train, they seat you in 2 people with the option of moving the back side to either be looking at your family or go in single line. You have @3 people in train cabin at all times dancing, helping etc. You do get a surprise from Santa, elf's and story characters. Tip: you can give staff a tip a the end. As well as highly recommend matching pjs for cute pics. read more

First time I've ever taken a scenic train ride and I really enjoyed it. Went with a friend Memorial weekend and that's when they run the steam locomotive- that was an extra perk to this ride. We drove to Palestine and parked at the Depot- plenty of parking available. Checked in at the Depot to get our pre paid tickets (book & pay online). It was a very easy process. Before boarding we used the onsite restrooms and found them clean and well stocked On to the ride - we rode in the Dome cabin. This has really large windows and a bar with servers. They come take your order and bring you drinks during the ride. That was pretty great and we enjoyed the sweet Lonestar Sunrise. We also were able to more order lunch. The scenic ride is slow moving but in the upper deck of the Dome, you do feel some of the motion. So if you're get motion sickness this isn't the can for you. Choose a more central car and lower deck. If those aren't issues for you, the Dome has the best views and great in car service and we really enjoyed the entire experience. Our server was Karen and she is a local who had some fun input and kept checking on us. I think she adds to the overall experience and was glad we lucked into her area. The train depot stop for lunch is an hour and has some amazing views of a small lake and generally beautiful scenery. They had onsite bathrooms open but the gift shop was still closed for our weekend. This was a fun day trip and we both enjoyed the excursion. I'm not sure it's something we would do more then once but we did have a good time and took some beautiful, scenic pics. read more

See all

Perhaps I am just getting too old with limited imagination, but I was a little disappointed in the Polar Express. The Polar Express is a one hour, kid-focused train ride based upon the kids book called the Polar Express. Now, going in with this review, I will say i did not like the Polar Express that much, but the kids loved it and that's all that matters. To successfully navigate this ride, my first tip is to reserve your tickets EARLY so you have the pick of the day and time you want to take your ride. Tip 2: I hear the nighttime rides are best, but, if you take the late train, spend the night at a local hotel. Tip 3: Arrive early! Online the organizers will tell you to arrive an hour later. We arrived almost 2 hours early and that was good timing. There's a food booth for snacks and several picnic tables to sit and wait on the train. There are also various photo opportunities. To me, the best part of the Polar Express was people watching, enjoying the excitement of the children and smiling at the groups of families dressed up in matching pajamas. So sweet!!! Tip 4: Be impressed because the folks at the Polar Express are super organized. You order your ticket online ahead of time, but you don't get to pick-up your actual tickets until you visit the ticket booth. The ticket booth has 4 sections divided by the last name of the purchaser. The ticket distribution went very smoothly, but, once again we arrived EARLY. We lined up to board the train about 30 minutes before the ride. Although there were young families with toddler aged children everywhere, I heard not one child cry or have a meltdown because there was so much excitement in the air with kids excited to ride the train, go to the North Pole and meet Santa. Tip #5: Be prepared to pay the money. The "cheap" seats cost $60 per adult in the Coach section during the peak hours. The prices go up from there-- Coach: $60/adult First Class: $80/adult Done/ Presidential Class: $100/adult The kid seats are cheaper, but still pricey at $40, $60 and $80. So, be prepared because the Polar Express is not cheap. Tip #6: Board the train, sit back and enjoy the show. High school looking kids dressed as chefs and Christmas themed attire dance and sing in the aisles to get you in the Polar Express mood. The book is read over the intercom, but it's hard to hear the words over the bumpy sounds of the train ride. Cellophane wrapped chocolate chip cookies (not sugar cookies) and styrofoam cups of lukewarm cocoa are distributed. Then we took a 30 minute train ride through the Piney Woods to get to the North Pole. The North Pole is a less than impressive cardboard looking town where more teenagers dressed as Christmas elves or something come out to waive as the train passes. Then, the big reveal. Here comes Santa Claus, the skinny version. Santa boards the train and greets everyone. The helpers distribute silver jingle bells to the guests. After a short stop, but no disembarkment at the North Pole, the train returns to the station. On the return trip everyone sings traditional Christmas carols. Well, if I'm being really honest, I guess I did enjoy the Polar Express. Even my grumpy, Dad had a good time on the train. So my biggest tip is spend less money on Christmas gifts and go make some sweet and beautiful memories with your family. Take lots of pictures and oh yeah, one final tip--wear the darn matching pajamas. read more

See all

I believed it was worth it. I had so much fun with my child! A lot of singing and dancing. They may not all be actors but it was still fun! The coco and cookie were a bit disappointing but the experience was worth it. I love cabin 8! It was a lot of fun but I seated away from the "north pole lights". You really want to be seated on the left side when you're coming into the train cabin. read more

Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot - 1st class seating - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Palestine, Texas

See all

What a great experience! I highly recommend trying this at least once! We opted for the Presidential car 1511. Intimate adults-only car with table service for food and drinks. It also has a private caboose platform outside to really be part of the ride. Appetizers and a champagne toast are included in this car with your ticket. Ride starts in Palestine and heads to Rusk where you stop for a lunch (if you preorder it is much quicker) and a picnic. Then a scenic ride back.There are gift shops at both depots as well as rest rooms. They offer special events for both kids and adults and cost range from the inexpensive to deluxe options. read more

See all

What a gem for this area. The folks are very nice and the facility is old (of course as it's historical) but well maintained and quite pleasant. I always wanted to ride a train and got my chance today! The depot was quaint and we sat on a wooden bench outside. It was just like in the movies in fact this depot and trains have been in several including "oh brother where art thou?" The depot has a gift shop to check out while your waiting to board. We finally did and the experience is grand! so nostalgic! The car was the Presidential 42 set up with comfortable couches and they included a generous snack box with water. The ride rocks you back and forth just like in the movies but seated, it's perfectly fine in fact relaxing. The run itself is through the forest to Rusk and although you certainly do see houses and roads nearby it is really in the woods. This particular day woods with blooming dogwood trees. Beautiful! There is a narrator describing the sights on a loud speaker but with the noise and the loud talkers you can't hear it very well. The Rusk depot was excellent and the lunch served just fine! This depot has a little movie to watch and a gift shop plus a superbly maintained sitting area and campground where we sat on park benches to eat our hoagies (they were good) before getting back on the train to head back to Palestine. You really owe it to yourself to have this experience. read more

See all

This is a great trip for couples or families. A little pricey but it is a great trip. We rode in the observation car which was fun with our teenage grandson for a spwcial occasion. There are lots of choices with air conditioning and one economic choice with open air train car. Its covered and provides shade and fans to circulate the air. Makes you feel closer to nature. At Christmas time they do a Polar Express trip which is popular wirh kids and adults. They even serve hot chocolate! This is a great scenic trip. Beautiful ride through the East Texas Piney Woods. read more

Payton took great care of us in the First class car. She was fun, personable and professional. Thanks Payton! The journey was relaxing and pretty. A very well organized experience. The well priced menu of drinks and snacks was a nice surprise. Not the excessive prices you usually find for these types of experiences. Bring cash though so you can leave your servers a tip. read more

See all

The POLAR EXPRESS - DEC 2021 For a full review with pictures, visit my blog at: https://tent-on-wheels.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-polar-express-on-texas-state.html This really was such a treat, to be able to share this time with KD & The Vowels, and see the Christmas spirit really come alive thru their eyes!  A HUGE kudos to Joyce, our attendant, as you could tell that she not only loved the role that she played, but that she really loved the kids (and us big kids) who were on her train.  And yes, it's her train - as I hugged her goodbye and said how much I appreciated her, she said she was 78 years old and had been doing this for 11 years!  I'm pretty sure she was our train attendant on one of our other trips on the Texas State Railroad. If you're wavering on this experience because of the price, and it is pricey for just an hour long ride, know that its 100% worth it.  The atmosphere they create, from the moment you drive onto the park property, all the way thru to the 'give-a-ways' - its all high quality and worth it.  I'm still so impressed with the craftsmanship of the bells - I know, this will sound, well, unbelievable, but I've never heard a bell so sweet and so bright as the one that Santa gave me on this trip. read more

Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Palestine, Texas

This absolutely awesome! We did the Texas Beer ride and it was so much fun. This is something I highly recommend. It was such a unique adventure. I also can't say enough about the staff, every single person was such a pleasure and seemed to love being there. I am already making plans to do the Polar Express ride during Christmas. read more

Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Palestine, Texas

I have wanted to ride this train since I moved to Texas in 1989. I finally made it and I'm so happy to have done it. I'm not sure how long the train on traditional tracks will be a part of American culture. Take a ride on the Texas Railroad and step back in time. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the view or conversation with the new friends you'll make on this trip. I enjoyed the little picnic at the Rusk turn around break. The day we went it was perfect. It was sunny and warm. A iconic Spring day. The price can give a bit of indigestion but after thinking of the cost to keep these iron giants on track I was happy to fork over the dough without regrets. I give this two thumbs up! read more

See all

My parents took the trip for their 50th wedding anniversary and had a great time! They loved the train car with the loveseats. Very comfy ride! read more

I, unfortunately, was not raised on the Polar Express as a kid. But my nephew was and loved every bit of it. Thankfully Texan winters are nowhere near as cold or white as the northeast, so the drive this far out was totally worth it! A super unique and fun and experience for families with young children. read more

Polar Express is a great experience for kids of all ages! Even during the year this train ride is a great experience!!

This is a scenic train ride throughout Palestine Texas a little fun for the family and a adventure

Edit/update the Depot did contact me directly and resolved the situation I'm not even quite sure where to start, except for $200, we're so incredibly disappointed. Our day started at 4AM this morning as we had a 3.5 hour drive ahead of us before boarding the train for the first time. Due to Covid, my birthday plans AND our anniversary plans were cancelled so this train ride was to replace both events' catastrophe. We arrived at the depot the recommended 1 hour early and i was so excited. We walked around, saw the sites, enjoyed the views. All was well! Alas! We board the train. The train car that we paid $75 per person for. The train car that we researched extensively when deciding which to choose. A wall of heat! Mind you, this is Texas. It's HOT outside! When we walked up the stairs into the Dome car expecting some relief from the blistering heat, but it was more hot inside than it was outside of the car,I knew we were about to have some issues. The tiny box fan they had at the rear of the car wasn't quite going to cut it. There wasn't even an apology or mention about it being so hot. That leads me to my next point; the car was so hot our "appetizer" was melted. Mm! Hot, melted cheese and grapes. We tried really hard to move past these two snafus. We had decided we were going to enjoy this excursion even if we melted! So, we start the journey to Rusk! We're patiently waiting for some pretty scenery or some narration. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. We literally stared at overgrown ditches and unkept vegetation in dead silence the entire 1.5 hours to Rusk and back. We specifically chose this train ride to see parts of Texas we haven't seen yet. I could have seen un-manicured weeds for a lot less money in my home town. ‍as for the narration; on the way back, the overhead speaker played about 2/3 of the time and would cut out mid sentence and never resume. We have no idea what the history of the railroad actually is. Once we finally arrived at Rusk depot, it's adorable. I'm excited. Maybe this will be better, right? It's got to be better. Not really. Even though we paid one of the highest fares for the trip; for a less than cool train ride, that wasn't all! We were last of the train and in line to receive our cold lunch. Infact, we were so far back that they didn't even have a full variety of the beverages and the food was literally cold. had we not paid so much money, we would have been content with the less than appetizing food, but we literally dropped $200 for this one event to receive all of these issues. In addition to the aforementioned, even though they appear to sanitize (due to Covid), the train itself was in need of a deep cleaning. There were quite a few ants throughout the entire train car. Being certified In food handling, im able to identify sugar ants. These tiny ants are a result of improper cleaning measures and left over food being left for them to come eat. All in all, we paid $200 for some cute selfies and a really sad memory. If you have a desire to pay large sums of money simply to ride a train, I'd recommend it. If you want to see East Texas and enjoy a cute, fun train ride, I wouldn't recommend this one at all. Please note that I only left this detailed of a review in hopes it Will be used constructively to make improvements for future guests. read more

Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot - The most exciting thing on this "scenic" tour. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Palestine, Texas

Awesome Experience!!! We enjoyed the service and food and of course the ride! The entire process was simple to book as well.

Want to get a little Texas History and enjoy your friends? Gather up your crew and take this train ride. We were in the Presidential car with Mallory. She was friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable! We had a great time! read more

See all

We took the Wines in the Pines trip on the railroad. We were in car 42 with Joyce. What a wonderful and informative time. The train broke, which is rare, but Joyce kept us occupied, smiling the whole time. An unforgettable and fun evening! read more

The staff was great and we had a great time. The staff have too many responsibilities to take care of you appropriately. For instance half of our table had finished our drinks, before some at the table were even served. The first beer was so hot it was undrinkable, the trip was expensive, and the servers worked their tale ends off. Not a complete flop, but dad from perfect. read more

Spectacular! It is a first class run event. All walks of life are there: young, old, married, single, families, professional photographers, special needs. We sat in car #1511 with our own attendelant. I recommend this car bc it is the only kid free car. The trip is 4 hours with a lunch stop at Rusk. read more

See all

I absolutely recommend doing this, really fun experience. Here's some recommendations based off my experience. If you can plan accordingly and go on a nice day here in Texas, don't over spend on tickets, get the open car seats. You miss a lot of the experience cooped up in the others cars and they're a bit stuffy. By the time we were headed back, most of the guests that spent more money for the closed cars were sitting back with us in the open car. Also, eat before you go. They do offer concession food at the stop in Rusk, but I've had better at a little league baseball game. A lot of people that hose to purchase their food, complained about the hotdogs still being frozen and the nachos were stale. There is not a cafe/diner/restaurant for you to eat at at the Rusk stop. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was based on the food or lack there of. All in all it was a really good experience, the kids will love it. read more

We have been here twice now, once was about 6 years ago and it was fantastic! We were able to bring a picnic lunch and have it down by the lake in rusk, the train ride was awesome and overall a great experience! So we decided to go again this past weekend. Let's start with the pros: The place is pretty well kept, the train was clean for the most part. The dome cart is pretty cool (at the start, I'll get into this later) the wait staff, bless them, they are clearly short handed, but they pulled off the service well and their mixed drinks were really good. We also appreciated the snacks that were complimentary up there. But that's about all the good stuff. Cons: we were told boarding started 30 minutes before the train left. Ours left at 11am so technically we should be boarding at 10:30. (Even the ticket says this) we didn't get on the train until 10:50, which made everything feel so rushed. I can not believe they are no longer allowing outside food or drinks. We live in TEXAS. It's hot out here y'all. They are now making you purchase from this little food truck in rusk. Do you want to be in almost 100 degree heat while eating a hot pulled pork sandwich (that's not even good) or hot chicken and Mac and cheese? I didn't think so. They say they put this in place for the "experience" but all I can see now is a money grab. The line for their "preorder" is ridiculously long. I felt like a school kid waiting in line in the cafeteria and then having to slam our food so we had time to walk around. Y'all need to change this back to how it was and think about the family's that maybe can't afford a $10 sandwich with a can of soda after they spent over $250+ on tickets. Next, the dome cart. Yes it was awesome for the views, however we have two kids (you don't get to pick your seats but you do buy the kids tickets in order to ride the train) we were put in a table that is in direct sunlight THE ENTIRE TIME. Which made it externally hot. I noticed that all the family's with kids were mostly on the left side of the cart. Except us... y'all really need to keep this in mind if we can't pick our seats. (If you are in an odd numbered seat, you're screwed) we ended up having to go to the down stairs cart to sit in the shade because it was so unbearable for my kids. (And I'm talking about red face, sweat dripping down, hot) Y'all once had a really great set up. I'm not sure what happened along the way were y'all felt like the changes y'all made were good things. But we more than likely won't be back after this. read more

As soon as we saw the TickTok video about the Texas State Railroad we knew we had to book immediately! I am so glad we did! My sister and I chose the kid free car complete with a champagne toast and hors d'oeuvres. Our car host, Cherise, had a phenomenal personality and really enhanced the ride through humor, tidbits, and trivia. They offer an extensive drink menu from which we enjoyed a bottle of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" by Red 55 Winery. This was an enjoyable sweet white that we sipped as we ventured through the beautiful terrain. We pre-ordered the chicken salad lunch and we're very pleased to enjoy it when we stopped in Rusk. The bread wasn't the typical Mrs. Bairds, but instead a fancier grain bread. The have more options to choose from. I highly recommend pre-ordering to quickly get through the line and enjoy your time at the Rusk stop. The Rusk gift shop also offered a few different items from the one in Palestine, so it was fun to check in both. We are already planning our next train ride, and inviting others to come along! Tip: Get there early to pickup your tickets! read more

See all

I purchased Polar Express tickets for my family of 3 for first class (the table seats 4) and my friend purchased 3 tickets also and we requested to be seated close by each other (which we did get to do). You can purchase odd number tickets but what happens is if you purchase 5 tickets, your 1 extra family member will be seated with us since each table seats 4. First class gets souvenir mugs, hot chocolate, and cookie and we get to sit at a table. Coach is just seats, no tables. So anyway we get there 30 min before departure (6:30) and we had to park way at the end close to the entrance. It's dark and a decent trek up to the train depot. There's no lights and cars are everywhere. Be very careful. There needs to be more lights along the trail. Anyway so we finally get to the top and there's xmas decor and lights everywhere. Look for the big white tent for will call ticket pickup by your last name. They did not check id to pick up your tickets btw. If there's time, take pictures and shop. We headed directly to the train & boarded. Yes there are bathrooms on the train. Anyway, the chefs sing/dance, read, serve cookies and hot chocolate, characters walk through and greet each table... we got to the North Pole and Santa got on and passed out the silver bells. it was a delightful experience for kids and adults. Honestly I didn't like the Polar Express movie or book as a kid but I enjoyed this experience. The whole thing lasted an hour. Afterwards we visited the limited souvenir shop in the tent then trekked back to our car. Golf carts offer rides to your car. We chose to walk to find our car. BtwThere were plenty of closer parking up at the top but we were told to park where we parked. Oh yeah , it's really warm on the train until you get to the North Pole, then they turn on the ac. Wear your pjs and have fun! read more

See all