Don't miss these 3 train journeys through Virginia this fall

Forget what you think you know about train excursions in Virginia in the fall. Colorful leaves? Yes. Slow-moving locomotives? Yes. Hours of, well, boredom? Not in Virginia, where options include murder mystery trains, wine sipping rides and trips with haunting histories. There’s even a vintage steam locomotive hounded by train-chasing paparazzi. We’ve rounded up our favorite foliage rides below. Book soon to catch the October colors.

1. The Blue Ridge Flyer

Best for mountain views and historic tunnels

If you're sitting in the dome car and the Car Host asks if you’d like the lights turned off inside the Blue Ridge Tunnel, say yes. Before you have time to change your mind, the whistle blares, the mountain opens its mouth and a soul-rattling darkness swallows you whole. It’s an eerie couple of minutes – but then whoosh, you’re through and the leafy splendor of the mountains resumes just beyond the windows. 

The Blue Ridge Flyer is one of three excursion trains run by the Virginia Scenic Railway, which began offering rides in 2022. On its 3-hour round-trip journey from Staunton, the Flyer glides past small towns and gently rolling pastures, climbs to Rockfish Gap and barrels through two historic tunnels. The trip is an out-and-back to the town of Ivy, and you can watch engineers move the diesel engine from the front of the train to the back for the return.

With speeds topping out at 30mph, you won’t be holding on for dear life, but the trip is not all leafy tranquility. Step into the open-air vestibule between cars for an up-close look at the historic rock-cuts that squeeze the tracks at the Little Rock Tunnel. Onboard narration shares intriguing tales, including the tragic story of a circus train wrecked here in 1907, killing a tiger and a child stowaway.

What to expect on board: Passengers have their pick of Virginia-made wine, cider and beer – we recommend the Three Notch’d Mango Wheat  – on the train, and upbeat jazz is the breezy soundtrack. Seating options include coach class, a two-level dome car and two dining cars. Curved windows frame mountain views in the upper dome while the lower-level bar and lounge draw train buffs ready to chat. Country singer Merle Haggard once owned the dome car, and the lounge was his bedroom. Check the Virginia Scenic Railway online calendars for monthly murder mystery and wine sipping excursions. 

What to do when you're not on the train: Base yourself in Staunton. For quick access to the train station, book a room at the stately Hotel 24 South. You’ll also want to reserve ahead for a multicourse dinner at Maude & the Bear, where 2025 James Beard nominee Ian Boden crafts meals that celebrate the region’s bounty. The cozy theater at the American Shakespeare Center is a recreation of the famed Blackfriars Theatre in London. Catch a classic of the Bard here on weekends. For high elevation views of the colors, drive a few miles to the Blue Ridge Parkway, pausing for an eerie walk on the 1858 Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail (located inside the first of the area’s two Blue Ridge Tunnels). 

Getting there: The Flyer departs the Amtrak station at the corner of S Staunton St and Middlebrook Ave in downtown Staunton, which is 160 miles southwest of Washington DC. The Amtrak Cardinal stops in Staunton several times weekly on its run between New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago 

2. Shenandoah Valley Limited

Best for history

The Norfolk & Western Class J 611 resembles a tornado as it steams through the Virginia countryside. Not because of its size. Or its speed. But because of the many train chasers along its route, which stretches about 30 miles from the tiny town of Goshen through George Washington & Jefferson National Forests to Staunton. Evoking the stormtrackers who race across the Great Plains, these 611 “trainiacs” drive from intersection to intersection just ahead of the train, stopping to photograph the wondrous Queen of Steam – a streamlined, bullet-nosed powerhouse that was the pinnacle of locomotive beauty and speed upon its completion in 1950, and today, the sole survivor of its class.

Retired in 1959, the 611 has spent much of the last few decades in captivity – most recently at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. That status changed in 2023, however, thanks to the combined efforts of the museum, the Virginia Scenic Railway and other groups, which returned the 611 to the tracks for a brief season of fall excursions. After a break in 2024, the 611 has returned to service for a five-weekend fall run. With black smoke blowing and the steam whistle blasting its haunting call, the journey is a throwback to the halcyon days of train travel. 

What to expect on board: In October, a corridor of yellow, orange and green leaves hugs the tracks while flashes of red call out from the forested slopes of the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains. The route is mostly level, but views of farms, churches, cows and the ever-present train chasers – watch for the same shirts and cars to reappear over and over! – keep the ride entertaining. Light snacks are served on the 3-hour-30-minute journey, and the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department serves burgers and snacks at Victoria Station.

Make your way to the train’s vestibules to feel the breeze and wave at the crowds. For beautiful photographs of the train, check out one of the Facebook groups dedicated to tracking the 611. And train-chasing photographers take note, recklessness causes accidents and may get you arrested. It’s best to set up your camera in one spot. 

What to do when you're not on the train: Lexington is home to Washington & Lee University and Virginia Military Institute, and the city is living its best life in the fall. College students stroll the brick-paved sidewalks, mom-and-pop bakeries churn out cupcakes, croissants and donuts, wine shops host free tastings and chef-driven restaurants spotlight local ingredients. With leaves drifting on breezes and House Mountain foliage shimmering to the west, the autumnal charisma borders on insufferable. For dining, one popular newcomer is Seasons, a bakery drawing crowds for its breads and its breakfasts. For lodging, try the historic Hampton Inn Col Alto or the posh Georges. Don’t miss the fall window displays at Pumpkinseeds and Sugar Maple Trading gift shops.

Getting there: Passengers board the Shenandoah Valley Limited at Victoria Station in Goshen, which is 190 miles from Washington, DC, and 30 miles from Lexington. Goshen is best reached by car. The 611 stops in Staunton to reverse course, but passengers stay onboard.

3. Amtrak Northeast Regional/Cardinal

Best for a car-free getaway from Washington, DC

It’s a low-stress ride from Washington, DC to Charlottesville on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional and Cardinal routes. Expect to bump elbows with University of Virginia students, business travelers and fellow sightseers on this popular 2-hour-30-minute trip, which drops you at Charlottesville’s small depot on W Main St. The station is within walking distance of the UVA campus, better known as "the Grounds” – the term was preferred, some say, by UVA’s founding father Thomas Jefferson. 

Inside Union Station in DC, look up to admire the enormous Main Hall and its five curved bays. From DC, trains stop in Alexandria and Manassas before gliding through Virginia’s lush Piedmont region, which stretches from the Blue Ridge Mountains east to the coast.

From Manassas, Amtrak’s Northeast Regional and Cardinal trains travel through the Journey through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, passing near the homes of several of America's Founding Fathers. Both trains stop in cute-as-a-button Culpeper before entering Orange County, where red-brick sidewalks link old churches, small businesses and compact bakeries in the hamlets of Orange and Gordonsville. Wineries also dot the region. And the foliage? Leafy trees border the tracks, and the forested foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains rise on the western horizon.

What to expect on board: To view the farms and foliage with minimal distraction, opt for the Quiet Car. Seats are the same price as those in coach, but passengers are not allowed to talk on their phones, and chatting must be kept to a minimum. Snacks and light meals are available in the Cafe Car. Beer, wine and cocktails are on offer too. 

What to do when you're not on the train: Three hotels on Main St in Charlotteville are a short walk from the station: the Graduate, the Draftsman and Courtyard by Marriott. Walk to Guajiros Miami Eatery for breakfast tacos and Cuban sandwiches, to Public Fish & Oyster for cocktails and bivalves and to Oakhurst Social for elevated nibbles. Don’t miss a polo match on Sunday afternoon at King Family Vineyards at the base of the Blue Ridge. For more foliage, drive up to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. One last must do? Bagels from Bodo’s for the train ride back to DC. 

Getting there: The Northeast Regional runs several times daily. The Amtrak Cardinal stops in Charlottesville several times weekly as it travels between New York City and Chicago. To explore beyond UVA and Main St by car, call Enterprise for a ride from the station to its rental lot.   

Amy Balfour traveled on the Blue Ridge Flyer and the Shenandoah Valley Limited with support from Virginia Scenic Railway and Lexington & The Rockbridge Area Tourism.