Track the wilds of Northern Ontario by train
There’s no need to hike all day and work up a sweat to see some truly breathtaking views in Ontario. You can hop aboard a scenic train tour that will surround you with wilderness. Life will seem to slow down as you essentially enter a “Group of Seven” landscape painting as the Agawa Canyon Tour Train leads you through the rugged landscape of Northern Ontario, passing lush forests, going over canyons and taking you to a park with waterfalls that can only be accessed by train. [narcity.com]
Auto Train gets you – and your car – to Florida
It’s midday on a Tuesday and I’m Florida bound, white-knuckling along I-95 North with a full tank of gas but running low on luck. I’ve spent gallons of good traffic karma breezing through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel gridlock. I sped right past Fort Eustis and Fredericksburg, too, my little red ragtop bullied along the way by monster rigs and SUVs. Now an ominous row of red taillights twinkles ahead. But if I can make it to Lorton on time, no more white knuckles for me. I’ll sleep all night and wake up in sunny Florida. I’ve got a ticket on Amtrak’s Auto Train [dailypress.com]
Summertime comes to the Alaska Railroad
Nearly 500 miles of Alaska are ready for you to see this summer now that the Alaska Railroad returns to its full summer service. After two years of reduced travel seasons, there will be three daily routes as well as regular flagstop service (which allows passengers to get on and off the train at any point) and cruise trains. The routes will connect you to national parks, charming towns, and parts of the Chugach National Forest you can only get to by rail. Daily service will take you from the coast of Seward to Fairbanks in the interior. [travelawaits.com]
NYC to NOLA on Amtrak’s underrated Crescent
Amtrak’s Crescent Route runs daily between New York City and New Orleans, servicing 32 stations across the southeastern United States. While you can buy a ticket that will take you the entire length of the route (a 30-hour journey with plenty of amenities), travelers looking to get off and explore different destinations should purchase stop-specific tickets. Whether you’re looking to go from Philadelphia to Atlanta, or Charlotte, North Carolina, to Wilmington, Delaware, the Crescent Route brings you from Point A to Point B with ease. [travelandleisure.com]
Discover America’s best small towns by train
The United States isn’t exactly known for having the most robust train system in the world, but real train fanatics know that you can easily ride the rails between major cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and more. And for those particularly fond of slow travel, there are plenty of charming small towns worth hopping off the train to explore. These are some of the best small towns throughout the U.S. that you can visit by train from sea to shining sea. [yahoo.com]
