Train Travel - Family Travel fun with no driving involved! |
Our family has incorporated travel by train into 2 of our family vacations. We highly recommend this mode of travel, especially if you are traveling with children into a major city.
In December 2005, we traveled by train from Indianapolis into Chicago for a New Years trip , and in August 2006, we traveled by train from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania into New York City for our summer family vacation.
The way that our family has approached train travel is to choose a train
depot that is not too far from our home (6 - 8 hour drive) that has service into
the major city that we are visiting. We make the trip even more fun by
incorporating a fun activity into the trip at the train depot city.
Indianapolis to Chicago - December 2005
Before
the trip to
Chicago, we took an evening to ride around downtown Indianapolis.
My son is a huge Indianapolis Colts fan, so was tickled to death to see the RCA
Dome. We
boarded the Amtrak 51 Train in Indianapolis at 6:30 AM on Thursday December 29, 2005.
Our trip into Chicago took about 4 hours. The trains are equipped with
electrical outlets, reading lights, and blankets. The kids had a great
time playing Nintendo games , and we were rested and ready for our days in
Chicago when we arrived.
The return trip to Indianapolis was just as restful. After a tiring three days in Chicago, we welcomed the seats on the train to get us out of town and on our way home.
Harrisburg to New York City - August 2006
Before the train travel to New York City, we spent the day in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. My husband is a history nut, so the Gettysburg Battlefield
was a real interest to him. We also took the time to explore the
Eisenhower Farm.
On
the day of our train travel to New York City, we boarded the Amtrak train in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The trip into New York City took just over three
hours. Once again, the kids were occupied and happy, and we were rested
and ready to enjoy our time in New York City.
Now, can you imagine how tired we were after three very fast paced days in New York City? Well, we did not have to try to figure out how to fight the traffic and get out of town. All we had to do was to take a cab to Penn Station, and get on our train to Harrisburg.
Our Tips
Make your
reservations early, and have the tickets shipped to you.
Check out the
Amtrak Family Travel Page for more information about Train Travel on
Long-Distance Family Vacations.
Check out our other Family Travel tips......
