Virginia Scenic Railway

We climbed aboard the Blue Ridge Flyer 🚂 to experience the thrill of roaring through the Blue Ridge Tunnel! The dining experience featured pre-ordered meals prepared by Lil Gus’s in Grottoes, VA. We chose turkey panini sandwiches 🥪 with cream cheese 🍮 and apple pie 🥧 for dessert. Our sandwiches were slightly warmed and served with coleslaw that was a tad too soggy. We both packed our desserts to go, and I genuinely enjoyed the cream cheese pie 🥧 and half of my panini sandwich 🥪, which I took home too. It wasn’t as bad hot! Ben, our server, had just two weeks of experience and could definitely spruce up his uniform 🥋 with some ironing or dry cleaning for a more polished look, especially since he mentioned they made good money and tipping wasn’t required. Presentation means everything to me! The train car was clean and the journey lasted approximately three hours, but it could have been more soothing with a diverse selection of music 🎼. Please, please download a playlist with progressive tunes to play softly between the pre-recorded historical messages! 🎶✨ Lastly, Tim, the bartender, was attentive, and surprisingly, all non-alcoholic drinks are at no additional cost! 🥤🙌 Overall, I recommend the Blue Ridge Flyer. I’m giving it three stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ because the dining car was not as upscale as I had imagined for $120, simply overly pricey. Maybe 🤔 I’ll try coach class $65, next time to see if I can improve the rating! 🌟😊

🌟 A Truly Unforgettable Ride! 🌟 Our trip on the Virginia Scenic Railway was absolutely magical from start to finish! The scenery was breathtaking — rolling mountains, vibrant foliage, and that nostalgic charm that makes you slow down and just enjoy the moment. But what really made the experience shine was the people. Mike, Gina, and Tim were outstanding — warm, attentive, and genuinely passionate about making every guest feel special. Their friendliness and professionalism turned a beautiful train ride into something truly memorable. And let’s talk about the food — all prepared by Lil Guss! Every bite was delicious, fresh, and clearly made with love. It’s not every day you get to enjoy such high-quality dining while watching Virginia’s landscapes glide by your window. From the service to the atmosphere, everything was top-notch. We can’t wait to go again — and we’ll definitely be recommending Virginia Scenic Railway (and especially Lil Guss, Mike, Gina, and Tim!) to everyone we know. 🚂✨

What a lovely ride through the countryside. We headed west out of Staunton going to Goshen and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We opted for lunch in the dining car and were very pleased with our choice. Lunch was catered and excellent. The potato soup was thick and very tasty. My husband had the wedge salad with chicken and said it was also delicious. The historical tidbits were interesting and added to the trip. Great day all around. Definitely recommend and I think our next venture will be a murder mystery excursion.

Decided to try the train dining experience with my family. My whole family loved it! Awesome service from the staff and hosts. The food was incredible, which included lunch and dessert. The train ride was nice and very informative, with the tour voice on the overhead speakers. Hosts were very polite and easy to talk to. Will definitely book again.

If looking at trees blocking the scenic view is what you want, do this. All the other reviews with nice pictures, be quick to take them. You do get like a total of 5 minutes of good pictures. Wish I could have seen the mountains better. Staff is great. We did the dining cart but not worth the $120 per person. For paying the elite package, we got boarded on last with a handicap person in the group. There’s no thoughtful organization on how you board on. Also the train engine broke down on the return trip. Over 2 hours to get a replacement.

Our trip on the Virginia Scenic Railway was a memorable one to say the least. The nostalgic charm kept you off your phone and embraced in the moment. I didn’t take near the amount of photos I normally would because I wanted to be able to enjoy the moment. Kelsey and Tim were our incredibly attentive servers all aboard the train. They were polite, constantly checked on yes, answered all our questions and had knowledge about the train. The food was simple from “Lil Gus and was a good snack to have on the train. We also were provided with chips, cookies and complimentary drinks. The ride also had cider, wine and beer for your choosing. From the service to the atmosphere, everything was an enjoyable experience.

New big paved parking lot! Nice, warm clean bathrooms by yard to use before or after ride, cute options in yard for photos! Review for santa express: The dining car was magical and beautifully decorated! We saw santa plenty and got a ton of photos. The chocolate chip cookie was good & coffee strong. We did not enjoy the hot cocoa or sugar cookie & the view was less than expected, we passed 711, Aldi, homeless ppl in the woods, graffiti, maybe 1 christmas inflatable etc...so that was unfortunate. I would def visit again for the longer more scenic ride.

We had a great Santa Express experience. We went last year too. It’s nice the station was moved to allow for parking. My granddaughter loved our trip. Santa and elves were attentive and fun. I loved that Santa checked back to verify we got good pictures. The ride is very short and not pretty but it’s all about the train experience. While sipping cocoa and nibbling cookies, Santa stops by for greetings. Then every table is invited up so the kids can present their wish list to Santa. I was surprised there was no “North Pole” this trip as it would have been more believable with the snow we had. It’s a fun experiences for kids under 8 or so.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

it wasn't what we were expecting at all. the train bathroom had a smell, it was very old, the carpet needed to be deodorize an cleaned. the ride tour we saw a lot of junk cars and delapidatated houses. also, alot of just bushes and trees. more bushes than anything.the prices they charged for the tour wasn't worth it. it was more like taking a sunday drive nothing special at all .

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!

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

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.

We went on the westbound train this morning. So enjoyable! - The ride was smooth. - The seating was comfortable, - The restrooms were spacious (so I was told). - The lunch we were served was delicious. The restaurant that catered is now on our list for a meal. - The staff and servers were attentive and professional. Next, we want to go east!

Very excited service. Had an enjoyable train trip. The food was good.make sure you book your train ticket.

We drove 5 hours and stayed overnight for this train ride which was for my wifes birthday. My ticket was scanned and me and my wife boarded the train. About 15 mins after the trip began, we were approached by a lady who stated it looks like you only paid for 1 ticket in front of n entire car full.of people. I showed her my receipt which stated I paid for a table for 2 and selected 2 meals. She stated that the website can be confusing and they were working on that to which I replied that's not my fault. She replied it's not their fault either??? She said that I wouldn't be charged to ride but we would only get 1 meal? I said fine, we will just take 1 meal. A few minutes later, we were approached by another lady who stated the manger will be charging the card on file again without my permission. Once again, in front of an entire car of people. This was for my wifes birthday. The experience was ruined by a misunderstanding that was handled very poorly. Was told I would be contacted that Monday regarding the issue. No one called...

This is a pretty new service; it has two trains on weekends, with sit-down meal service on each. One runs west from Staunton, one east. It's a leisurely ride, taking about 3 hours each way. Meals are catered before leaving, but are excellent. Scenery on both runs is great, through the Appalachian and Blue Ridge ranges. The vestibule is open, with the dutch doors open, for sight-seeing. Staff is very competent and friendly, with Kristin leading the dining staff, as well as giving commentary on the equipment, and on any delays (meets with other trains, etc.). The Engineer and Brakeman were happy to chat with passengers when they are able. All in all, a very pleasurable ride. Highly recommended!