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Scenic Dinner Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide

Last revised: September 28, 2026

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.

C&O F7A 8016 at Sycamore Bridge in West Virginia on the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad

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.

Scenic Dinner Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide

Still listed after September 28

Dinner trains by state

Connecticut and Rhode Island

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