Scenic Dinner Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Last revised: September 28, 2026
By: Adam Burns
A dinner train, on this page, is a seated meal served on the train: dinner, brunch, or a plated lunch, usually two to four hours long. The state pages below are the 2026 calendars, checked at the end of the season. Several of those seasons have already run. A railroad that is quiet in October often posts the next year’s dates in late winter or spring. Start with the state, then confirm the railroad before you book. Wine tastings, whiskey trains, Polar Express trips, and Christmas trains are separate tickets. Amtrak’s dining cars are the national passenger network, not these excursion trains.
Restored Chesapeake & Ohio F7A #8016 (built as Clinchfield F3A #800) leads a Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad excursion across the Sycamore Bridge on the former B&O's Petersburg Branch in West Virginia. This railroad is an upscale attraction offering guests dining/food options within climate-controlled cars. Loyd Lowry photo.
Still listed after September 28
These 2026 dates were still ahead when the state pages were compiled. Branson’s dinner runs Fridays and Saturdays through October 30. Cape Cod’s posted dinner season runs through October 24. TVRM’s Chattanooga Dinner Train is select Fridays and Saturdays through October 24. The Azalea Sprinter added October 23. The Adirondack Dinner Train still listed October 15. Hocking Valley’s Elegant Dinner Train is October 17 and November 7. Seminole Gulf’s mystery dinner runs through November 15. The Essex Clipper, in Connecticut, lists October weekends through October 25. Cincinnati’s public dinner is Saturdays into December. My Old Kentucky Dinner Train is posted year-round, typically Friday and Saturday. Wisconsin Great Northern runs through December 17, and the Smoky Valley Limited has dates listed through December 31. Potomac Eagle, the Western Maryland Scenic dinner, and Cafe Lafayette were still inside seasons posted through October. Napa’s plated lunch and dinner, and the Eureka Springs dinner train, did not print a closing date.
Dinner trains by state
| State | 2026 meal |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Heart of Dixie rides to Ozan Vineyard. The meal is at the winery |
| Arizona | No plated dinner on the train. Grand Canyon Railway sells snacks. Meals are in Williams or at the rim |
| Arkansas | Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Dinner Train, about 2 hours, $53.62 tax included |
| California | Napa Valley Wine Train plated lunch and dinner. River Fox brunch. Roaring Camp’s meal is at camp |
| Colorado | Royal Gorge First Class, three courses, about 2 hours, from $199+, ages 12 and older |
| Florida | Seminole Gulf, five courses cooked onboard, 3½ hours, $129 or $135 Saturday, plus tax and gratuity |
| Georgia | Azalea Sprinter, 2½ hours. Club Car adult $147. Executive adult $177 |
| Illinois | Monticello Murder Mystery Dinner Train, $112. The four 2026 Saturdays have run |
| Indiana | Spirit of Jasper Ride & Dine. The public 2026 season is paused |
| Iowa | Boone & Scenic Valley Wolf Dinner and Wolf Lunch, Saturdays May–October as posted |
| Kansas | Smoky Valley Limited, about two hours, about $72–$110, dates listed into December 31 |
| Kentucky | My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, Bardstown, four courses, 2.5 hours, adult $116 |
| Maine | No dining-car dinner. The June 13 pig roast was at a farm, and that day has run |
| Maryland | Western Maryland Scenic Allegheny Mountain Dinner Train, Saturday 7:00 p.m., about 3 hours, 21+ |
| Massachusetts | Cape Cod Dinner Train, four courses, about 3–3½ hours, First Class from $99.99 |
| Michigan | Steam Railroading Institute, Owosso. No 2026 public dinner dates posted |
| Minnesota | Northwoods Dinner Train, Duluth, four courses, $90. The posted window ran through September 26 |
| Missouri | Branson Scenic, three courses, about 2 hours, through October 30. Dome $123.50 plus tax |
| Montana | Charlie Russell Chew Choo, about 4.5 hours, adult $151. Listed 2026 dates were sold out |
| Nevada | Nevada Northern Taste of Italy, adults only. The September 19 gala has run |
| New Hampshire | Cafe Lafayette, North Woodstock, five courses, from $125. Children under 6 are not allowed |
| New Jersey | Woodstown Central Dining in Motion, a prepared box, private table of four from $190 |
| New York | Adirondack Dinner Train, Utica, about 3 hours, First Class from $139. October 15 still listed |
| North Carolina | Spencer Wine & Dine has run. Great Smoky Mountains First Class is the plated meal on the Nantahala Gorge trip |
| Ohio | Cincinnati Dinner Train, Saturdays, $140, ages 12 and older. Hocking Valley, October 17 and November 7, from $95 |
| Oregon | No plated dinner. Mount Hood is a scenic ride. Oregon Coast Scenic’s evening train is sandwiches |
| Pennsylvania | Colebrookdale Dining Class and Strasburg’s Dinner on the Rails / Elegant Express |
| Tennessee | TVRM Chattanooga Dinner Train, select Fri/Sat through October 24, 6:00 p.m., from $110 |
| Texas | No plated dinner on the train. Grapevine’s premium car is snacks. The Texas State Railroad’s Dogwood lunch was at the depot |
| Virginia | Virginia Scenic Dining Class and Sunday Brunch from Louisa. About $132–$141 |
| Washington | Chehalis-Centralia dinners have run. The July 18 Roaring 20s dinner was $89 |
| West Virginia | Potomac Eagle, about 3 hours. Premium $124. Superior $159, ages 17 and older |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Great Northern, Trego, $105, through December 17 |
Fares are the figures on the railroad pages linked from each state guide. A sold-out date, a paused season, and a meal served at the depot are spelled out on that state page. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets. Information compiled September 28, 2026.
Connecticut and Rhode Island
These two dinner trains have their own pages. Neither has a state hub yet.
- Connecticut: The Essex Clipper is a four-course dinner on the Valley Railroad, 2.5 hours, $129.99, ages 18 and older. October weekends are listed through October 25.
- Rhode Island: Grand Bellevue Grand Dining in Portsmouth ran March 13 through August 29. Fall and winter dates were still to be announced.
South Carolina is not in this directory. No 2026 seated meal was confirmed for a state page.
Related reading
Always verify 2026 dates, menus, and prices on the railroad’s official site. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.
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