Historic Jaunts
Pikes Peak Cog Railway, Manitou Springs, Colorado
Year-round since 1891, the Pikes Peak Cog Railway has transported passengers from the historic Manitou Springs Depot to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak. In the late 1880s, Zalmon Simmons, inventor and founder of the Simmons Beautyrest Mattress Company, first rode to the summit of Pikes Peak on a mule. He spearheaded the funding needed to build the railroad. In the 1960s, the railway began requisitioning railcars from the Swiss Locomotive Works in Winterthur, Switzerland.
Views from the railway, the highest in North America and the Northern Hemisphere, inspired the song “America the Beautiful.” The three-hour trip spans nearly nine miles of track and follows cascading streams and dense spruce forests before it climbs above timberline. Passengers often see one of the state’s largest herds of bighorn sheep.
Grand Canyon Railway, Williams, Arizona
Since 1901, the Grand Canyon Railway has transported passengers 130 miles round trip — two hours and 15 minutes each way — from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. With five classes of restored passenger service, historic railcars range from 1920s Harriman-style Pullman cars to luxury dome cars and refurbished parlor cars built in the 1950s. Part of the fun is the trip’s authentic characters and onboard musicians who bring the Old West to life.
Groups embark at the Williams Depot, built in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. Upon arrival at the South Rim, your group will disembark at the 1910 Grand Canyon Depot. The two-story, log and wood-frame structure is one of only three remaining log depots in the nation. Nearby, the El Tovar Hotel was built in 1905 by the railroad. Groups can combine the train with packages that include accommodations, meals, activities and more.
Food and Wine Excursions
Napa Valley Wine Train, Napa to St. Helena, California
The Napa Valley Wine Train is, foremost, a restaurant. Your journey begins with a taste of private-label wine bottled by Raymond Vineyards from its Reserve Selection. If your group is dining in the Champagne Vista dome car, the trip starts with a glass of the featured California sparkling wine. The award-winning wine list, with wines available by the glass or the bottle, features many of the selections on the route. Each menu item has a suggested pairing.
The Napa Valley Wine Train offers a 36-mile round-trip from Napa to St. Helena that lasts three hours. Most of the cars were built in 1915 by the Pullman Standard Company as first-class coaches for the Northern Pacific Railway. Tour packages provide a multicourse, gourmet meal on board and a wine tasting and tour at a partner winery.
Cape Cod Central Railroad, Hyannis, Massachusetts
In 1848, rail service in Massachusetts extended to the town of Sandwich on Cape Cod, but the Cape Cod Central Railroad wasn’t founded until 1999. Much of the track had been replaced with a rail trail and a bikeway, but the train still runs on approximately 27 miles of original track.
The Cape Cod Central Railroad offers Yankee Clipper Brunch Trains, Cape Cod Dinner Trains and special events. This two-hour journey runs May through October. The trip pairs three- and five-course meals with views of sand dunes, salt marshes and cranberry bogs. Weekday lunches serve seafood chowder for a starter, with a choice of entree and dessert. The dinner train travels through quaint villages, accompanied by romantic music and soft candlelight. New this year, dinner menus will be changing throughout the season.
