I stumbled upon this Fall Foliage train tour after planning a trip from Virginia to Vermont for my husband's birthday. It was our first time in Vermont, and we were very much looking forward to a romantic, slow weekend. The train tour seemed like something we'd really like. I actually very much enjoyed the ride. We came a little early in the year (the 1st day of fall), so the fall foliage wasn't completely changed over yet, but we still saw some great views. I purchased the tickets online. They offer a variety of tours and 2 different locations for the fall foliage tour. You can either choose a 1 hour trip to Rockingham, which is the tour we chose. Or you can choose a 2 hour trip to Ludlow. From my understanding, Ludlow is more town views and Rockingham is more mountain views. It was $25 per person for our tour. This does not include beverages or a meal; it is simply a train ride. Country Girl Diner was available on board should snacks or beverages interest you for an additional fee. They do offer dinner rides, which did not interest us. We were scheduled to leave at 3:30pm and arrived about 15 minutes prior to boarding. There wasn't any directions on where to stand when we arrived; some folks were waiting on one side of the building, and some on the other...a few inside. So I asked a gentleman, who looked as though he might be staff, and he told me where we'd be boarding. It would've been nice if someone was there that gave directions to all of us, so people wouldn't seem to be confused on where they need to be. I assume that that is his job, but instead he just stood around awaiting for the train with everyone. Once the train arrived, he walked over and threw down a stepping stool and we all started following him. We did not have to print off our tickets; we simply screenshot the tickets for them to see before boarding. It was open seating. We chose a seat facing the opposite direction of the depot, which proved to have the better views. The conductor does slow down for photos of a few of the sites (like a covered bridge), but overall, he does go fast and like several reviews mentioned, there is a lot of brush and not much to see. What we did see was very nice, but I would highly recommend that they slow it down for the majority of the trip rather than the other way around. The conductor did give a little information about what we were seeing over the intercom. I think I enjoyed this activity a lot more than my husband; and maybe more than many others who've been on it. I didn't expect much from it; it was a nice leisurely, simple ride through Vermont. I do feel like the tickets should have been about half of what they cost, due to the little you get to see. The train will go one direction a half hour up, and come back the same direction a half hour back. If you don't expect too much from the trip, you will be satisfied with the ride. read more

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The "Champlain Valley Dinner Train" takes you from Burlington to Middlebury and back. This is a lovely way to spend 3 hours in Vermont with an excellent meal, scenic views, a lovely lakeside journey, and some railroad history. Drinks were not included but surprisingly reasonably priced. Pro Tip: Arrive early for a lakeside seat. Dinner includes a salad, your choice of half a dozen entrees, and a choice of strawberry trifle or flourless chocolate cake for dessert. I had the sirlion au poivre, which was cooked nicely, but perhaps a little heavy on the pepper, and RL had the filet of sole stuffed with scallop and crab. I could see the vegetarian lasagne at the next table, and it also looked wonderful. Large portions all round. Service was very friendly. And the sunset views across the lake were wonderful. read more

This sounded like a good idea but there certainly are better ways to experience the fall in VT. 1. There is very little explanation as to how to board. I suggest finding a car with tables. Also bring a deck of cards or a game to play because... 2. There are only a handful of scenic views and the trees are so close to train you can't really see anything so you'll want something to do. 3. Bring some snacks. Advertised as lunch but it is extra and the food is not appealing. We bought 4 small bags of chips a bottle of water and three hot chocolate $14. Note: small bags and great value water. 4. Cars can be chilly - they did finally bump the heat up half way through the trip. If you just like trains then you'll probably enjoy. We were with friends so company was good. read more

We were in the Chester to Summit Fall Foilage train. To be fair, even though we took the train on September 27, the summer had been dry and the leaves haven't really begun to change. However, Even if they had, they would have been hard to see because the train goes through the woods and you never have a chance to see the foliage from a distance. I thought once we reached the "Summit" we would be able to get off the train and take pics. Nope. Just sit there while they change the direction of the engine. You could buy lunch or snacks if you want. When we reached the summit, we got up to buy a soft drink and they were shutting down the snack Bar halfway thru the trip. Don't take this trip unless the leaves have changed! read more

I wanted to like this, I really did. My husband and I are on a one-year sabbatical, driving around the country in an RV. We came to Vermont specifically to see the leaves changing in the fall. The one thing my husband kept saying me, was that he couldn't wait to ride the train to see the leaves changing. So we found the green Mountain Railroad online. For starters, the website is very difficult to navigate. Both the homepage and the trains page provide the same information. Neither has the address for the station, however, the railroad company's main address and phone number are on the bottom of the page. To find the train schedule, I went to the FAQs. Couldn't find it there, nor could I find the price. Finally realized to check the brochure link on the left side of the page. That's where I found all my information. It was very clearly listed, and if the homepage had the same information, it would've been very very simple to navigate. Bottom line - for the fall schedule, we had four options. 1. Chester to Ludlow: a 10 mile ride that would take 45 minutes. The train stops at Ludlow, for aproximately 20 minutes, and then turns around and goes back. 2. There was another early afternoon ride to the city a bit further, that stayed in the station for approximately 20 minutes, and then went back. 3. The same as number one, but in the afternoon. 4. Take the morning train to Ludlow, stay in town for a few hours, and take the afternoon train back. We chose option four. The train was nice, and the ride leisurely. The only problem was that the train tracks were set low in comparison to the foliage around us, therefore most of what we could see was beside the train tracks. I would recommend sitting on the east side of the train as they seemed to have better reviews than we did on the west. We were on the west side going up, and the east side coming back. There is a train station in Ludlow, but there was a fire some years back. So when you get to Ludlow, there's nothing to do but stand around outside, before getting on the train to go back. Which is what most people did. Only 5 of us stayed in town, to get lunch, shop and wander. Although the train had a number of brochures, books, and pamphlets about Vermont, there was nothing specific to the town. Even if the local chamber of commerce did not provide information, as a business decision I couldn't understand why the train didn't provide something - you know, a map of the Main Street with coupons, ads and the like. Or even providing the businesses with the train's schedule so that they knew to expect tourists. It's a small, lazy town, but we were left to fend for ourselves. When we got off the train, my husband asked one of the guys working there for a restaurant suggestion, but when I looked it up on Yelp, it only had 2 stars, with 48 reviews - so we took our fellow Yelpers' advice, and got a great pizza from a very cool husband and wife team. Thanks for the recommendation! We wandered for a bit, took some more photos, and went into a few of the shops. Most shopkeepers didn't know about the train, or didn't care, or actually asked us where the station was! This is a town with one stoplight, and the "station" is three blocks up from the light! Bottom line - it was $25 per person for us to drive 30 miles in 35 minutes to catch a train that went 10 miles in 45 minutes, and didn't have much to do once we got there. The people were nice, but (and I'm not an entrepreneur) there are so many business opportunities that have not been taken, that I'm just shocked. And, if I understood correctly, the train has been stopping there for a year now! (I would've understood if this was their first season.) It was a beautiful day, and I am happy we went, but I left wanting so much more. read more

We were looking so forward to this trip from Chester to the Summit of the Green Mountains, sad,y it fell way short of expectations. Their website lacks sufficient information to describe the actual experience; the website implies that the morning tour has a full bar and full menu that you can enjoy a nice lunch on this 2.5-3 hour trip. They DO NOT offer full service as implied on this tour. The price of tickets is acceptable for what you get, but the overall experience is greatly lacking. read more

Definitely a mistake! They told us food served and when we got on the train they said they ran out on the morning run. A bottle of beer is eight dollars. Our 2pm excursion wasn't even booked. 100 people out of 500. With respect to sightseeing.... use your car! You don't see a thing. Trees and rock walls for the most part on both sides. If it wasn't for the nice couple we met, Chris and Phoenix, I wouldn't have given it a one star.Totally misleading brochure! read more