My partner and I enjoyed the 3 hour ride on the Allegheny Special in the dome car. The staff were helpful and friendly and the seating upstairs comfortable (I'm 6'4", and sometimes that's an issue). When we were seated, we were offered a drink and a bag of potato chips. After that, they handed out the boxed lunches we had pre-ordered. We each had the veggie wrap. We both thought it was outstanding. Because of the large bag of chips we had just had, we each ate only half of our wraps and took the other half home for dinner. I was impressed with the flavor, freshness and quality of the wrap. It came with a very good pasta salad and a chocolate brownie (excellent). The beverage service was well done, with staff coming by periodically to offer drink refills. A variety of soft drinks and coffee were complimentary throughout the ride. And we got to take our glass home as a souvenir. The ride itself is scenic for part of the way. Leaving Staunton out into the countryside did involve a fairly long stretch where there were trees on both sides, but you couldn't see into the distance. Then things opened up. There was periodic recorded commentary about the history of the area, about trains and some about the mountains and other sites we passed. Halfway through the trip, we stopped and they explained that half of us in the dome needed to get our things and go downstairs for a few minutes so they could reverse all of the seats (so we wouldn't be riding backwards on the trip back.). That process seemed to take over 20 minutes (a long time), but it did make the outside viewing on the trip back much more enjoyable. The ticket isn't cheap, but it's a good experience, the staff are nice and hardworking and the food (what we ordered) was quite good. If you are looking for a train ride with incredible views, you likely would prefer the Amtrak options, including between Denver and Emeryville, CA. But this is a pleasant diversion for a few hours. We went mid-April. I suspect the experience is different in the fall and at other times of the year. read more

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Went for the inaugural Bourbon ride this past Friday for my birthday. So as a "present" I have no idea how much it cost so I won't post a "value" The staff and Ryan, the director of the tasting, were the best hosts! Ryan made it a point to speak to each table. I would highly recommend for a date night or any celebration. The bourbons were distinct enough but nothing that you can't pick up at the ABC. So if you're thinking you'll be getting a pour of some "lottery picks" think again. Before going again, I would research and see if they would be different, but would definitely go again. From where we live I would probably take the Staunton trip just to get different scenery. read more

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Surprised my husband with a train ride in the dome area. The train was very clean and the employees were great. The fall scenery was beautiful. We got a glass of wine as the ride began. I got the veggie wrap and my Shuana got the chicken salad sandwich. The veggie wrap was good, my husband enjoyed his sandwich and rave about the pasta salad that came with the boxed entrees. I was pleasantly surprised at the snacks provided. Chips, pretzels and a maple cookie at the ended. The souvenir glasses were a great ending. Definitely recommend for a nice afternoon/evening activity. read more

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Review Even as a child, I loved trains. We traveled trains in France and Belgium, the NY & NJ lines, Durango Silverton, too many times to remember, Amtrak across and down from East to West and North and South, as well as several "novelty" trains. So, when for Christmas, our daughters purchased us Dome Dining Tickets for the Virginia Scenic Railway, we were over the moon excited to have the opportunity of riding another train. In May, I started planning our train ride along to go along with our visit to the Virginia Clay Festival in Stanardsville, for the weekend of the 19-22 of September, 2025. Of course I had to wait until the beginning of July to lock in the train, but once that was done, we committed to everything we needed. BnB, reserved and paid for. Train, reserved and paid for. Clay Festival, yep. Imagine our surprise when two weeks before our appointed time, the Virginia Scenic Railway called and informed us that they cancelled our tickets. --Doing anything with this company is nearly impossible! No real phone contact or way to talk with them. No office. Nothing. Making a reservation is tantamount to winning the lottery.-- No real explanation, just left a message and no phone number, and cancelled. When after arduous searching and several calls I was able to reach someone, she was short and bordering on extremely rude, basically giving few options. Just change the date or use the gift certificate some other time!? When I expressed that changing the weekend would leave us paying for the BnB and not attending, the response was... "Sorry, I can't help you with that..." --When she called, I was a week out of major surgery, feeling weepy, and every question I tried to ask was met with the same take it or leave it, attitude. Tears were about to fall.-- Asking for a refund was met with a flat out, "Nope. We don't do that." So, we wound up downgrading our plans from the upper to lower Dome Car, and scheduled the train for a day earlier, which would mean we had to change plans and hope things would be okay. I felt pressured to take the offered lower section of the Dome car. Not what we wanted or paid for, but... About 10 minutes later, the email arrived... Coach. Not the downstairs of the Dom car, but coach. Those two tickets were less than half of what they were holding in gift funds that the kids gave us. Of course the email had no phone number, no contact information whatsoever, and now I am beside myself. I scramble, trying to call them back again, and about 20 minutes later I got through to I believe was the same person, although she never did tell me who she was. I said to her, I believe I just spoke with you... You rescheduled my upper dome car ticket for a lower down car ticket, but you (took it upon yourself to actually) change it over to a coach ticket? Her attitude again was clipped and rude. She groaned as if I was causing her way too much trouble and said "so what do you want me to do?" I said I'd like the downstairs Dome ticket. "Fine..." she responded, "I'll go ahead and send that ticket to you and cancel the other one." Let me tell you... I had zero confidence that we would actually get on the train at all, but as it turns out, right now as I am writing this, we are on the train. So now here is my review of the train ride. Don't. Waste. Your money. Virginia Scenic Railway, is anything but scenic. Unless you think, looking at Kazu tree bushes, trash along the sides of the railroad line, a tunnel and a few rock is scenic, this is a waste. I feel guilty that my children paid $250 for this. They served food to most people, we did not get food. We did get a bag of chips and a chocolate chip cookie, but no meal. Why, you might ask? Because obviously they're not willing to make any accommodations for someone with alpha gal. So I let everyone else who offered a meal we received a glass of water, a bag of chips, and a chocolate chip cookie. When I asked about the balance of our gift card, I was told I have no idea. End of story. Let me also mention that the car we were in was so cold, that jokes went around about the hanging sides of beef, and my feelings that the train was actually some sort of cryogenic experiment! My poor husband went on the train feeling great, came off with a full blown asthma attack spurred on by his shivering for the better part of 3.5 hours! Seriously, think long and hard before you spend your money and time on this outing. There are so many better trains you can ride throughout the USA. Oh, and I just got told, that I can't use the balance of my gift card... So they just keep the $90? This is a scam. read more

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I cannot say enough about the Virginia Scenic Railway. The railway crew was fantastic. The train pulled out in time and kept to their schedule. There was narration through the 3-hour trip; I learned a lot! We sat in the dining car so we had plenty of room to stretch out. This was worth the extra money. The wait staff was outstanding....very customer service oriented and always ready to pour a beverage refill. The food was delicious and plentiful. (I recommend the BBQ sandwich with the sides of baked beans and cole slaw.) The scenery was absolutely beautiful (although I can't wait to do this again when the leaves change color in the fall). This is a great date adventure. Highly recommend VSR! read more

Virginia Scenic Railway - Trains Near Me - Staunton, Virginia

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Took my mom on her first train ride while visiting Va and she loved it! We did the Allegheny Special which leaves from historic Staunton and takes you through the farmland of the Shenandoah Valley. *Note-no outside food or drinks allowed on the train. A lot of us had to toss our drinks before boarding so keep that in mind before stopping at the Starbucks nearby! The service was great and we enjoyed the food we opted for when we booked our tickets. The farmland views were peaceful. I'm glad my mom and I got to enjoy this relaxing adventure together! read more

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We drove 2 hours to get there, arrived 30 minutes prior to our scheduled time of departure as directed which was 3:30pm. Our train didn't arrive until 5pm and we didn't depart until 5:27pm. We barely got an hour of views of the 3 hours anticipated. Sunset was at 6:40pm so our entire return ride was in the dark due the hour and half delay in arrival and departure. Once we were boarded and seated and they did approve one free drink of our choice in an effort to make up for the failed experience. The staff was pleasant, polite and welcoming, our food was ok and the train was clean. However based on the overall failed experience it didn't seem worth the $272 dollars we paid for 1 hour of mediocre views. I wouldn't do this again and I'd never recommend this event to anyone, instead I would discourage it because we waited over a year for this with all the hype they promote and it's absolutely overrated and a waste of your time and money. read more

What an outstanding ride. While their meals aren't vegan friendly, they were vegetarian options and I could easily make it vegan. A very smooth ride and some super knowledgeable folks sharing info the whole time. read more

10/10 recommend! The food was delicious, the staff was wonderful, and the views were spectacular! read more

Virginia Scenic Railway - Chicken shish kabob, Greek salad, pita with hummus, and a beautiful rice blend. - Trains Near Me - Staunton, Virginia

Save your money. This COULD have been a GREAT experience. In fact, we had all planned on doing another one. But there was no historic infomation about the cars, you were not allowed to leave your seat, the train was loud, so talking had to be loud. The food was terrible, I've had airline food that was better and more filling. The drinks overpriced and out of CANS! I'm sorry, $12 for a CANNED cocktail is not fun! I expected to be able to see the different cars. In fact, there was one really nice attendent who let us go into the front car, see the engine out the front windows and she said she wished the company had given her information about the history of the cars. The cars were VERY different. When I tried to bring other members of our party forward to enjoy the view, we were severely chastised!!! We were to stay in our seats and NOT move between cars. We could go to the platform beteen cars, but not into other cars! There was no commentary about what we were passing, in fact we asked and were told something completely wrong. We finally figured out we could track where we were on our phones but that was something we had to discover on our own out of boredom! It they want to charge so much, let's add some information about where we are, what we are passing, about the train and the cars. Let people explore, sure it is a little crowded, but you are allowed to roam a PLANE more than we were allowed to move for the 3 hour trip!! Keep people in seats during service and then announce you can move about the cars. Enjoy the history you are experiencing, Include a TOUR of something truly unique. That's what I expected. read more

The train was over an hour late getting to the station. No one offered an apology for the delay. When the train showed up, the 3 employees we encountered behaved like they had never seen customers before. The informational announcements were long and loud and too detailed and too frequent. I grew to dread the chime that indicated that an announcement was about to begin. It is discouraging to be treated like you are a bother when you are giving someone your money/business and hoping to have a pleasant time. read more

Purchased tickets for my wife's birthday and went on the Louisa Flyer yesterday. Absolute pleasure from start to finish. Our hostesses Kim and Gina were top notch providing excellent customer service and hospitality. The ride was relaxing and interesting. The food was delicious and the desserts were spot on. Wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Everyone on board had a great time. We are going to ride the Alleghany Special late in September to see the Fall foliage for my birthday. Highly recommend. read more

My husband and I visited from out of town and did the Allegheny train ride. We were a little skeptical because of the rainy weather but it cleared up enough to get some amazing country side/Mountain views (would be even more amazing in the Fall). The staff were friendly and very accommodating (Max and Travis?). We received complimentary snacks and glasses to take with us! Seats were comfortable and we had a very pleasant experience. read more

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Our visit was on a windy cool Sunday morning! Once we entered the temperature was very comfortable. Our car server, Mike introduced himself and gave us all the important information we needed about our lunch trip. We got intresting information about locations along way, the history of our train, and why a train blows their whistle in long and short notes. Mike was very pleasant and took care of us on this trip. He brought us something to drink and our lunch. Our lunch was great and packaged very cute. I highly recommend anyone who might be looking for a great train adventure to explore this amazing option. Try get on Mike's car too. read more

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Highly recommend! We took the blue ridge flyer train ride yesterday and it was fantastic! We got a dining car table and wasn't expecting much for the food since we are on a train and it was so good. Tim and Kelsey did a fantastic job at attending to our table and were so friendly! I recommend bringing cash to tip because they don't offer tipping from a card. I can't wait to book it again! Great date! read more

Virginia Scenic Railway - Trains Near Me - Staunton, Virginia

Another fantastic trip on the Virginia Scenic Railway, this time it was a fun date night dinner. Staff was very friendly and attentive, thank you Elizabeth and Zack for fantastic service. Delicious light dinner and dessert and we enjoyed the commentary on local history. read more

Virginia Scenic Railway - Logo - Trains Near Me - Staunton, Virginia

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Definitely was not worth the money we paid. Although the staff was very friendly and helpful, the ride took us to see nothing but trees in our face most of the way. We saw lots of rock and powerlines and when they said we were gonna be able to go out into the open and watch in the open air, it was a tiny hole in between the trains that you got to poke your head through definitely not the experience we were looking for for the money we spent. We had eight people and all felt the same. We definitely would not recommend if you are looking to see something beautiful. Even if the color of the leaves had changed it still Showed us lots of dingy people's backyards full of junk. Very disappointing. read more

Just a fun way to spend three hours. The train was comfortable and the staff was friendly and professional - shout out to Zach and Avery. The food was delicious. I had the Italian Sandwich and my husband had the Grilled Chicken Salad. We shared the cheesecake and the chocolate cake - so yummy. The views were lovely - rural scenery with farms and houses and woods. Definitely go before the trees leaf or many of your views will be blocked. We highly recommend. read more

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Took the East ride to Ivy and back today. Very enjoyable! Mike was our EXCELLENT host in the dome car and took great care of all.

Everything!! Wonderful and realizing ride. Great service from Kelsey. Loved the trivia that was played during our ride! read more

Virginia Scenic Railway - Trains Near Me - Staunton, Virginia

We took the Blue Ridge Railway and sat in the dome car. Mike was our host and he was great! He gave wonderful service for the food and drinks. Also Mike was very informative, we had questions about the railway area, technical questions about the train including some history and how it operates and he explained everything to us. It was such a nice trip and we plan to be back. read more

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I along with a dozen senior citizens were too slow. The train left us on the parking lot. we were all looking forward to a pleasantly day. When contacting the company, they responded with "Too Bad. Not our problem." They made thousands of dollars off these elderly people and showed no empathy towards them. The get to keep the money the seniors saved for this trip. No refunds, no rides, not respect for the elderly. please do not give them any more money. If you feel compelled to ride, DO NOT BUY ADVANCE TICKETS. read more

The train ride was very relaxing, wish it was a bit longer. The hostess was great and attentive. The tables were adequately spaced apart. The view of the mountains was majestic. The barbecue sandwich and salad were delicious. read more

Absolutely beautiful ride, staff was awesome. Made sure to make you feel welcomed . Will absolutely take another trip with this company

There are spectacular views along the Allegheny Special. Our drinks and chips were complimentary, the seating is comfortable, & Tim is a great server. read more

great views. very disorganized check in process. Only one person checking everyone in. People very nice but they need more volunteers and training for check in process. Still checking people in after the departure time read more

Took the scenic train ride this afternoon. It was awesome. Our car host, Mike, was on point. He did a great job keeping us in beverages. The box lunch I would highly recommend...the charcuterie was superb. Nice 3 hour train ride and tour. Highly recommend. read more

Train delayed 2 hrs so our scenic ride was in the dark! Paid $400 for a very disappointing experience. We were told customer service would contact us on Monday. That has not happened nor will they respond to our calls. Really poor customer service read more

Kelsey and Elizabeth were awesome and treated us so wonderfully. The train ride was very smooth and relaxing. The food was tasty and they were able to accommodate my gluten allergy. Overall a great experience. read more

We had a fabulous experience with our servers and attendants on our excursion with Zackary and Elizabeth

We chose the Blue Ridge trip. The staff was friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and attentive. The food was delicious and generous. The seating was very comfortable (we had dome seats). Our attendant, Tim, was great. Even with a rainy ride for the first half the scenery was lovely. read more

Great smooth ride! Air condition! Super nice hosts! The food was very good! Very informative history about the local area and train history!

We have done both the Blue Ridge and Allegheny routes and both were great experiences! The food both times was also excellent! Highly recommend. read more

Great service beautiful relaxing train ride. Good food too. We were able to have a couple drinks that for us was perfect. Good time all in all. read more

We went to Staunton for a little weekend getaway and this was something we planned around. It was really fun! I will say I thought one side of the train kind of had better scenery but it was still really lovely. You're so well taken care of by the incredible staff who really have the process down. They were all so lovely. I want to do it again in another season (there are two routes to choose from - we did the blue ridge flyer) and the other route. read more

We had tickets on the Blue Ridge Flyer going East. The waiting area is outside, but their website warned us so we were dressed appropriately. The boarding process was organized and easy. The train was beautiful and clean and had well functioning facilities. The ride was smooth and beautiful. There was always something to look at. There is an occasional informational track running which gives interesting history of the train and countryside. A meal is served during the ride as well. Choosing a meal is done during the booking process and everything was exactly what we ordered. The food was delicious and the service was smooth. The courteous and knowledgeable staff was another highlight of our trip. Our train host Kelsea was friendly and efficient. She clearly loves her job and I can see why. The entire trip made me want to run away and ride the rails. I highly recommend that you try this!! read more

We had an amazing ride on the Alleghany Special! It was romantic and relaxing. The perfect day to celebrate our anniversary. I highly recommend planning a ride soon! The meal was very nice and the tea was good! We got to keep the complimentary souvenir glass at the end which was nice! read more

Virginia Scenic Railway - Double chocolate cake and tiramisu - Trains Near Me - Staunton, Virginia

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3 hour train ride from Staunton was less than interesting. Really nothing to see except bare trees and depressed dwellings surrounded by trash and abandoned vehicles. The train was nice, seating comfy enough. My wife and I sat in the dining car (seats were assigned, 2 per table or 3-4 if party is larger. meals were ordered when u bought ticket. We had BBQ sandwiches, which were fine, came with slaw and baked beans, followed by nice dessert, Apple pie or chocolate cake, also pre-ordered. Sodas are included with wine, beer and cider for purchase. If u think about taking young children--DON'T. There is absolutely nothing for them to do or see. There are higher end dining cars, with white tablecloths or just coach seating, where u get chips and a soda. Narration provided over intercom, but not really anything to see. Theserver and host were wonderful. But not really with the money for the ride. read more

We had a wonderful time taking the Alleghany Special. Lunch by Lil Gus' was delicious. The train ride was educational and fun. Relaxing and well worth the cost. read more

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Great train ride. Also the food and staff was excellent. I took my mom for her first train ride and she loved it.