Our family rode the Piney Woods Express in the Presidential Car, and it was the perfect finale to…read moreour East Texas vacation. We booked seats in the Presidential Car, "Miss Joyce," and the experience was outstanding from beginning to end. The car features a comfortable mix of couches and chairs, with seating selected when you book your tickets. It created a relaxed atmosphere that made the four-hour excursion feel special without being overly formal. Our train attendant, Miss Joyce, was absolutely wonderful. She was warm, welcoming, and attentive throughout the trip, and it's easy to see why the car proudly bears her name. When we arrived at our seats, each passenger had a complimentary bottle of water and a snack box filled with watermelon, grapes, pretzels, and cheese cubes. The trip began with a champagne toast for the adults and sparkling apple cider for those who preferred it, which was a fun touch that made the experience feel like an occasion. Additional drinks, candy, and popcorn were available for purchase throughout the ride, and the attendants happily took orders and kept a running tab, making everything very convenient. During the stop in Rusk, we had time to stretch our legs and enjoy lunch. A converted railcar serves as a concession stand, offering items like hot dogs, nachos, chicken salad sandwiches, hoagies, and pulled pork sandwiches, with the option to purchase meals that include chips and a drink. There are picnic tables available, or you can take your lunch back to the train while it's parked at the station. We later learned that meal pre-orders are available, although we didn't notice that information when booking our tickets. The return trip to Palestine was a little quicker but just as enjoyable. From departure at 11:00 a.m. until our return around 3:00 p.m., the entire excursion was relaxing, scenic, and very well organized. If you're looking for a unique family outing in East Texas, we highly recommend upgrading to the Presidential Car. Between the comfortable seating, thoughtful amenities, excellent service, and beautiful scenery, it was an experience we'll remember for a long time.

My wife and I drove up from Austin for an overnight trip to Palestine, Texas, to take the evening…read moredinner train ride on the Texas State Railroad. We sat in the skylight car. Our experience was okay, but just okay. The train car was comfortable, though noticeably dated and in need of some freshening up. The bathroom was unpleasant -- no soap, no paper towels -- and it felt like the cars hadn't received any real attention in years. The train ride itself was pleasant enough, but too long for what it offered. The scenery consists mostly of trees lining both sides of the track, with occasional glimpses of meadows. Nothing dramatic. The train crept along at a snail's pace -- more, I suspect, to fill time than for any safety reasons. The midpoint stop was the highlight of the trip. We had dinner with live music in a lovely setting near a small lake -- genuinely enjoyable. However, the scheduled 1¼-hour stop stretched to nearly 1¾ hours, as we sat on the train for almost 30 minutes without moving before heading back. We arrived over 15 minutes later than scheduled. A few other notes: the train has no Wi-Fi, and the entire three-hour ride is accompanied by piped-in 1940s big band music. The first 30 minutes were fine; after that, it became tedious. Overall, I'd give this experience a 3 out of 5 -- and that's being generous, given the price.

Wonderful historical pictures and model trains. Very beautifully put together…read more Mr Price has a lot of educational things to say about the local trains. There's so much to see and learn about - I'll have to go back!

It was nice to step back in time. Very nice museum telling the local railroad history including…read moreMexican and Mexican American war and the "Banditos". It has a very cool scaled railroad display, about 20 x 20 feet. This museum has interesting memorabilia, come and celebrate, preserve, and memorialize the railroad.

What a nice little stop! Super friendly staff - I wish I remembered her name - with some great…read moreresources in a neat little historic building that had been relocated from elsewhere. My good buddy was looking for info on a saloon from the 1800s that his family owned long ago, and he got some good info and good leads. Definitely a good stop if you're looking for info on Palestine TX!

Staff is knowledgeable and provides great recommendations specific to your trip. Don't be afraid to…read morestop in and ask questions.

I've been here 3 times and it's a good experience! The people are nice, especially the person that…read moreruns the station named Martha. She is a sweet lady and lets me railfan here in Mineola.

Mineola train station. Historical and nice and quaint. My train was late but the facility was…read morenice. Nothing fancy but lots of historical things to look at in he museum.

This zoo is so cute! It's small enough (well compared to Fort Worth Zoo) to only need about two…read morehours to complete if you add the train ride. Concessions are at the entrance near the Gift Shop. They do have a section under construction but I'm not sure what work is being done as the signs didn't communicate such. I found out that they DO take card payments now with an added fee! So if you decide to visit, you can pay with a card either online or at the entrance, both will have a fee though. Or just grab cash ($10 for 12 years and older, $5 for ages 4-11, and 3 and younger is free). Also the train ride accepts card (with an added fee) as well. Bring water bottles and enjoy your nature time!

Love this zoo! Well kept, many animals, and diverse animals…read more Affordable, local, and a nice place to visit over and over. We bought season passes so we pop in for a nice walk in a cool place.

Jacqueline the pizza lady at Dallas station was Awesome on 6/19/2026....The train was 5 hours late…read moregoing to Mineola....she was very patient with such a large group

I rode Amtrak first time from Chicago to Texas and received extremely poor customer service. I was…read morelooking forward to dining in dining car with my family for 4 meals. However the wait staff was rude upon me inquirying what is on the menu. From his rude response I decided not to dine in dining car the whole trip and eat from cafe. Also there was no running water in the morning to brush teeth or wash hands after using bathroom. Overall experience is a 1 star. Worse off NO Wi-Fi it shows Amtrak Wi-Fi but it does NOT work. I had to purchase data from my cell phone company to create hotspot

Took the family here and had a good time. The train ride is an hour long and they sing and dance…read moreand read the polar express. They also have Santa come at the end and if you have your book he will sign it. They offer food there for purchase before you get on the train And also have 2 gift shops. One for older express and one for the train itself

We visited for a second time this year to introduce our infant to the experience. At first I was…read moreexcited as two years ago we had a wonderful experience, one that my oldest baby still remembered. However, this time around we decided we will not be returning. It is too expensive for the quality of the ride. Nice touch with the hot cocoa and mugs as keepsakes but wish SC could spend more time in each wagon. We had to rush to barely get any pictures in. He was probably in and out in less than 5 minutes. I love ladybugs and they were everywhere during our visit so I throughly enjoyed that. Overall we appreciated the memories created and tried our best to look at the brighter side but as mentioned above, we will no longer visit. Thank you

Okay I was so stressed from not being able to get an Uber that could hold all my luggage to the…read moreairport and looked up taxi services in the area fortunately I found Thomas Taxi Service and was not disappointed. I was about ready to pay an arm and a leg to catch my flight. However, Thomas service was very affordable. He was very professional, polite and accommodating. I was really impressed with the service and how quickly he as able to get me to the airport considering the setbacks that were encountered. I would definitely recommend this taxi service and you can't beat the 24 hour availability, reasonable prices and great customer service.

His taxi and mobile ministry is the best in town! Its never an unpleasant ride. His timing is great…read moreand prices are affordable. One man that serves God through with his vehicle.