North Carolina's Easter Train Rides
Published: March 27, 2026
By: Adam Burns
North Carolina, with its picturesque landscapes and vibrant spring colors, offers the perfect backdrop for scenic train rides, especially around the Easter season. These trains provide not just a means to soak in the beauty of the Tar Heel State, but also a unique, nostalgic way to celebrate Easter, complete with events and activities for families and train enthusiasts alike. Here’s a comprehensive guide to Easter-related scenic train rides available in North Carolina.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad's Bunner Hopper Express
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad based in Bryson City has been in operation since 1988 and uses tracks once owned by the venerable Southern Railway, which the company called its Murphy Branch.
The GMSR offers one of the most popular Easter-themed train rides in North Carolina—the Bunny Hopper Express. This special event is perfect for families looking to create a new tradition or simply enjoy a delightful day out.
Highlights
Duration & Route: The round-trip journey lasts about four and a half hours, taking passengers through the enchanting Smoky Mountains with breathtaking views of rivers, forests, and tunnels.
The train departs Bryson City Depot at 11:00 am and stops at the appointed layover for Easter-themed fun and an exciting Egg Hunt await!
Easter Activities: Onboard, children are treated to Easter-themed storytelling, crafts, and, of course, a meet-and-greet with the Easter Bunny. Typically, there’s also an Easter egg hunt at one of the stops.
Comfort & Ambiance: You can choose between open-air and climate-controlled cars (with several different classes to choose from), ensuring comfort while you soak in the springtime scenery.
Booking & Tips: As this ride is popular, especially on the weekend of Easter, it’s advisable to book tickets early. Consider bringing a camera to capture the joy on your kids’ faces and the breathtaking Smoky Mountain vistas.
North Carolina Transportation Museum
The North Carolina Transportation Museum, located in Spencer, NC, is situated on the former Southern Railway’s repair shops. Today the museum sees tens of thousands annually and features an impressive collection of equipment.
They also host short excursions on the grounds, including the Easter Bunny Express every spring where the kids enjoy a short train ride, receive a treat, and take part in other activities.
Highlights
Historic Experience: The museum itself is a treasure trove of transportation history, and the train ride adds a touch of nostalgia as vintage railcars take you on a journey through time.
Family-Friendly Activities: Beyond a scenic train ride, families can enjoy Easter egg hunts, photos with the Easter Bunny, and interactive exhibits related to rail transport.
Special Events: Often additional activities such as face-painting, and balloon art are available, making it a comprehensive family outing.
Booking & Tips: The museum’s Easter Bunny Train can get quite busy, so pre-purchasing tickets is recommended. Plan to spend some additional time exploring the museum’s exhibits before or after your train ride.
Tweetsie Railroad: Meeting The Easter Bunny
While primarily a Wild West theme park, the Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock also hosts a vibrant Easter Weekend, perfect for families looking for both adventure and traditional Easter fun.
The railroad is popular throughout the warmer months and while it does not offer an official Easter-themed train ride the Easter Bunny does make a visit for the holiday where the kids can take photos. In addition, there are other activities to enjoy at the park.
In conclusion, North Carolina’s Easter scenic train rides offer an irresistible blend of fun, adventure, and tradition. Whether it's the majestic vistas of the Great Smoky Mountains or the historic charm of the NC Transportation Museum, these train rides encapsulate the spirit of Easter through unique experiences that promise joy for all ages. Embark on one of these enchanting journeys and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Recent Articles
-
Baldwin "Baby Face" Locomotives: Specs, Photos, Roster
Oct 30, 26 11:01 PM
Baldwin's Babyface cab on the early road diesels: 50 short-cab units, 1946-1948, plus the related Centipede. Construction numbers, specs, and the sharknose that followed. -
California High-Speed Rail Chief Resigns
Oct 30, 26 08:36 PM
Ian Choudri resigned October 28, 2026 as chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The board named Joe Stephenshaw interim chief executive. -
The 1910 Portal Bridge Is Handed Over for Demolition
Oct 30, 26 04:03 PM
Amtrak handed the 1910 Portal Bridge over for demolition on October 29, 2026, during the final cutover to Portal North. Regular NJ Transit and Amtrak schedules are expected November 15. -
Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern Merger Review Runs to 2027
Oct 30, 26 03:59 PM
Union Pacific says the Surface Transportation Board's review of the Norfolk Southern merger gathers information through May 28, 2027. A closing still depends on board approval. -
Amtrak Board Will Hear Restructuring Comments on November 10
Oct 30, 26 03:41 PM
Amtrak's board will hear public comments on its restructuring on November 10, 2026, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern. Written comments were due October 30. A proposal goes to the board in December. -
Canadian Pacific Selkirk 5931 Restored in Calgary
Oct 30, 26 01:36 PM
Heritage Park in Calgary unveiled a cosmetic restoration of Canadian Pacific 2-10-4 No. 5931 on October 27, 2026. One of two surviving Selkirks. It stays on display. -
Gettysburg Railway to Host Steam for Lincoln
Oct 30, 26 01:18 PM
Northern Central Railway of York No. 17 will recreate Lincoln's arrival at Gettysburg on November 18, 2026, with public steam trips November 19-21. -
NC&StL No. 576 to Steam for the Public in Nashville
Oct 30, 26 01:00 PM
Nashville Steam will fire NC&StL 4-8-4 No. 576 for the public on November 7, 2026, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 220 Willow Street. Admission is free. -
Pennsylvania Railroad E8s Join the T1 Trust
Oct 30, 26 12:38 PM
The T1 Trust has acquired former Pennsylvania Railroad E8A diesels 5702A and 5761A from the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. They are bound for Cumberland. -
Ligonier Valley Railroad: History, Roster, Timetable
Oct 30, 26 12:03 PM
The Ligonier Valley Railroad ran 10.5 miles from Latrobe to Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Opened December 1, 1877. Last day August 31, 1952. -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 30, 26 10:25 AM
Toledo, Peoria & Western diesel locomotives, each frame once. Thirteen Alcos, three Lima-Hamilton switchers, and 26 Electro-Motive units. -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Steam Roster
Oct 30, 26 09:14 AM
Toledo, Peoria & Western steam locomotives from the Rogers Consolidations of 1895 through the 4-8-4s of 1937 -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway: Map, Roster, History
Oct 29, 26 11:12 PM
History of the Toledo, Peoria & Western. The Peoria & Oquawka, George P. McNear, the Santa Fe and Pennsylvania years, and the railroad that came back in 1989. -
Cotton Belt Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 29, 26 07:58 PM
St. Louis Southwestern diesel locomotives, each frame once. Baldwin switchers, F units, and new Cotton Belt-lettered power through the GP60s of May 1990. -
Cotton Belt Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 29, 26 06:52 PM
St. Louis Southwestern steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Ten-Wheelers, and twenty class L-1 4-8-4s. The quantity column is 297. -
Cotton Belt Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters
Oct 29, 26 10:56 AM
History of the St. Louis Southwestern, the Cotton Belt Route. The Tyler Tap, Paramore's silver spike, the Thebes Bridge, the Blue Streak, and Southern Pacific control. Steam and diesel rosters are sep… -
Pere Marquette Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 11:54 PM
Pere Marquette steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Mikados, Pacifics, and 39 Berkshires. The quantity column is 503. -
Pere Marquette Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 11:48 PM
Pere Marquette diesel locomotives, each frame once. Two SW1s, 14 NW2s, three GE 70-tonners, eight E7As, and six BL2s delivered lettered Chesapeake and Ohio. The quantity column is 33. -
Pere Marquette Railway: Map, Logo, Rosters, History
Oct 28, 26 11:44 PM
History of the Pere Marquette Railway. Timber roads, the Prince years, the Van Sweringens, the Ludington car ferries, and the Chesapeake and Ohio merger of June 6, 1947. -
Nickel Plate Road (Railroad): Map, History, Rosters
Oct 28, 26 10:51 PM
History of the Nickel Plate Road, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis. The Seney syndicate, the Van Sweringens, the Berkshires, and the Norfolk and Western absorption at 12:01 a.m. on October 16, 1964… -
Nickel Plate Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 10:48 PM
Nickel Plate diesel locomotives, each frame once. Alco switchers and PAs, GP7s and GP9s, and the GP30s. The quantity column is 440. The 1950 fleet was 117. -
Nickel Plate Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 10:43 PM
Nickel Plate steam locomotives built since 1900, including the Lake Erie and Western, the Clover Leaf, and the Wheeling engines that took Nickel Plate numbers. The quantity column is 786. -
EMD "E9" Locomotives: Specs, Roster, History
Oct 28, 26 10:37 PM
EMD E9 cab units and boosters, 2,400 horsepower, built April 1954 through January 1964. Gear ratios, specifications, and the production roster by owner, serial, and order. -
NYC 4-6-4 #5344, "Commodore Vanderbilt"
Oct 28, 26 04:31 PM
NYC J-1e Hudson 5344, the Commodore Vanderbilt. Alco, November 1931. Carl Kantola’s shroud, December 1934, then a Dreyfuss bullet nose in 1939. Scrapped at Collinwood in 1954. -
New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois Railroad: A South Bend Shortline
Oct 28, 26 11:05 AM
The New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois, the Jersey Line, ran from South Bend to Pine. Singer built it in 1905. Wabash stock control came in 1926. Two diesels, and the steam the record names. -
Monon Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 10:13 AM
Monon diesel locomotives, each frame once. F3s, nine BL2s, the C420s, and eight U23Bs. The quantity column is 96. The 1951 fleet was 57. -
Monon Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 10:09 AM
Monon steam locomotives built since 1900. Twelve-Wheelers, Mikados, light Pacifics, and thirteen six-wheel switchers. The quantity column is 148. -
Monon Railroad: Map, Photos, History, Logo
Oct 28, 26 09:55 AM
History of the Monon, the Hoosier Line. The New Albany & Salem, the X at Monon, Barriger's streamliners, and the Louisville & Nashville merger of July 31, 1971. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 09:48 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas. 406 locomotives, each frame once. Baldwin switchers, Alco cab units, F units, Geeps, and the SD40-2s. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 09:43 AM
Missouri-Kansas-Texas steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Mikados, Pacifics, and the narrow-gauge shop tanks. The quantity column is 715. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (Katy): Map, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 11:02 PM
History of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, the Katy. The race into Indian Territory, Gould, the 1923 railroad, the Texas Special, and the 1988 sale. Steam and diesel rosters are linked. -
Soo Line Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 27, 26 10:55 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Soo Line and the Wisconsin Central. 786 locomotives, each frame once. Cab units, Geeps, the Milwaukee Road engines, and the SD60s. The South Shore's 24 stay on that page. -
Soo Line Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 27, 26 10:49 PM
Soo Line and Wisconsin Central steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Mikados, Pacifics, 21 Mountains, and four Lima 4-8-4s. -
Soo Line Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 10:24 PM
The Soo Line, from the flour millers' railroad around Chicago to the Sault, the Wisconsin Central, and the Milwaukee Road. Steam quantity 422. Diesels 786. Canadian Pacific took full control in 1990. -
Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway: Map, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 10:32 AM
The Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern, the Dan Patch Line that became a Twin Cities belt. Steam, gas-electric mules, motor cars, and the 22 diesels, through the Soo Line. -
Minneapolis & St. Louis Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 27, 26 10:27 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Minneapolis & St. Louis. 97 locomotives, each frame once. Switchers from 1938, 35 RS-1s, the FT and F-unit cabs, two SD7s, and 23 GP9s. Builder numbers included. -
Minneapolis & St. Louis Steam Roster (Post 1900)
Oct 27, 26 10:25 AM
Minneapolis & St. Louis steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Consolidations, 35 Mikados, and five Pacifics. -
Minneapolis and St Louis Railway: "The Peoria Gateway"
Oct 27, 26 09:52 AM
The Minneapolis & St. Louis, the Tootin' Louie, from the 1870 charter to the Peoria Gateway and the Chicago & North Western sale on November 1, 1960. -
Alco "PA" Locomotives: Restoration, Specs, Engine, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 12:12 AM
Alco's PA passenger cab, 297 locomotives built from 1946 to 1953. The 244 engine, the production roster, the Delaware & Hudson PA-4s, and Nickel Plate Road 190. -
Milwaukee Road Diesel Roster: (All Time)
Oct 26, 26 01:44 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Milwaukee Road. 1,208 locomotives, each frame once. Alco, Baldwin, Davenport, EMD, Fairbanks-Morse, General Electric, and Whitcomb, with builder numbers. -
Milwaukee Road Steam Roster (All-Time): Post-1900
Oct 26, 26 01:38 PM
Milwaukee Road steam locomotives built since 1900. Prairies, Mikados, the N-class articulateds, the S-class 4-8-4s, and the Hiawatha Atlantics and Hudsons. Quantity column 1,974. Unique frames 1,951. -
Milwaukee Road: Map, Electrification, Logo, History
Oct 26, 26 01:20 PM
The Milwaukee Road, from the Milwaukee & Mississippi of 1850 to the Pacific Coast Extension, the Hiawathas, and the Soo Line sale. Why Lines West should have stayed. -
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad: Map, Roster, History
Oct 25, 26 11:38 PM
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad, reporting mark LSI, from the Marquette Range to the Presque Isle ore dock. The 1954 steam list and the diesels the railroad owned. -
Kansas City Southern Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 25, 26 09:09 PM
Steam locomotives of the Kansas City Southern built since 1900, with the Louisiana & Arkansas and the Texas company. -
Kansas City Southern Diesel Roster (Built New)
Oct 25, 26 11:46 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Kansas City Southern. E units, F units, Geeps, SD40s through SD70ACes, Fairbanks-Morse, Baldwin, Alco, and General Electric, with serials and order numbers. -
Kansas City Southern Railway: Map, Photos, History
Oct 25, 26 12:24 AM
The Kansas City Southern, from Arthur Stilwell's Gulf line to Canadian Pacific Kansas City on April 14, 2023. Steam and diesel rosters, the Southern Belle, and the Louisiana & Arkansas. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 25, 26 12:17 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Indiana Harbor Belt. 202 locomotive frames, each counted once. NW2s, SW7s, SW1500s, road switchers, and gensets. Slugs and boosters are outside the count. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 25, 26 12:13 AM
Steam locomotives of the Indiana Harbor Belt built since 1900. 182 engines, each counted once. 0-6-0s, 2-6-0s, 0-8-0s, and 2-8-2s. The three U-4a switchers are three-cylinder Brooks engines of 1927. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad: Map, Rosters, History
Oct 25, 26 12:00 AM
Indiana Harbor Belt, the inner belt across the Calumet, from the East Chicago Belt of May 16, 1896. Renamed June 29, 1907. Still operating, headquarters Hammond. Steam roster is the companion, 182 loc… -
NYC's "P Motor" Electric Locomotives
Oct 24, 26 11:43 PM
New York Central P motors: 22 Alco-GE 2-C+C-2 electrics, Cleveland Union Terminal 1050–1071, class P-1a. 3,030 hp one-hour on 3,000-volt DC catenary, then 660-volt third rail as P-2a and P-2b.
