hocking valley scenic railway

Enjoyable once again! I live locally and rarely enjoy our own treasures. The atmosphere was lively and wine was enjoyable. Given the time of night, there wasn't much to see, but the company on board was all we needed for entertainment!

I am very sorry to say, this attraction should of been called "The Nelsonville backyard, cornfield, highway and home tour" this was literally all we saw. Oh excuse me, we did see a few trees and I think a big pond or partial lake for only one portion of the time. What disappointment!!When we started off by seeing the highway, then people's unkept backyards and portions of buildings that were broken down and factories and cornfields, we kept thinking, when is this gonna get better. Finally when we came to the woods and the water-like region and a nice cabin by the water, I took a picture of that including the cabin, it was literally the prettiest thing on the tour. Then guess what. we got to go backwards seeing the same sorry sites we saw in the first place, we started laughing, we couldn't believe it!!They did drop off 500 of us at these ole time cabin-like places belonging to a college that allowed us only a half hr to tour the dark cabins with hosts that weren't very friendly. And 10 outhouses distorting somewhat the look of the cabins as your walking to them. I thought we were gonna see Hocking Valley on the tour, I didn't see it, where was it?The train was cool and the employees of the Nelsonville tour were very nice, but there is much needed improvement especially with the sound system for the tour guide when he was talking to us he kept cutting out. All that money their making needs to go into a better speaker system, improving some of the windows on the train so you can see out of them and making it so the train doesn't go backwards to make us see the same sorry sites. The Cabin tour needed better organization, more lanterns or lighting, and more time allowance and friendlier workers.It would take much to ever make it worth the price for us to ever come again. Can't see it happening in our lifetime. Sorry!Sad to say the ride to Nelsonville was literally prettier than the tour itself.

This is a really great deal! You pay $35 and get a 2-hour train ride, all the wine you can drink, (Raven's Glen red wine and white wine) plus, cheese cubes, pepperoni sticks, grapes, crackers, and a big fireworks display at midnight, fantastic display. (It's worth it, for all the Raven's Glen Wine you can drink, excellent wine.) Also, you get noise-makers, party hats and bead necklaces! You really get a lot for your money. Now, for the downside. No bathrooms. You get all the wine you can drink, but, no bathrooms. I guess there is an emergency bathroom, but, they "tell" you there are no bathrooms. The train cars need to be restored. They are "supposed" to be heated, but, everyone nearly froze to death. There were 3 train cars, and only one had some heat, and it was the smallest one, with just a few lucky people on it, We weren't supposed to get on the train until closer to 9pm or 10pm, but, people came at 8pm, to get in the best train car. The train didn't pull out until 10:30pm, so they sat 2 1/2 hours BEFORE the 2 hour train ride, with no bathrooms. Then, of course, you stand outside for the fireworks. We were already frozen from the lack of heat on the train, so, standing outside was pretty miserable, although, the fireworks display is first class. The other totally awkward thing is, they crowd as many people as possible onto each train car. The bench seats face each other, and there is only about 12 to maybe 18 inches between the facing bench seats. So, strangers face each other, and there is not enough room for four sets of knees. My husband and I had to sit with our legs gapped open, while complete strangers sat with their knees in-between our knees. Awkward. I had my knees apart, the man across from me had his knees between mine, my husband had his knees apart, so the lady across from him, could keep her knees together, in-between his knees.

I was truly ready for a train ride through a Valley along a river. It was a train ride that went at about 20 miles an hour in one direction then backwards in the other direction. Don't get me wrong the leaves changing color were awesome and the historical narration was excellent and very informative, it just didn't really move me. My granddaughter who is 9 had the time of her life. there happened to be a BBQ cook off in the little town of Nelsonville. That helped a lot. Not much else there to see or do. If you go in the cooler months ride inside. It gets cold.

Nice trip. Love the open cars. We were hoping for better fall foliage to see. Was not as scenic as cuyahoga valley scenic railroad. The employees were very kind and helpful. We could tell they loved what they did.I would get there early to get a good seat. It really fills up fast.

I took my wife on this train ride yesterday as a surprise for her. She wanted to go to Hocking Hills to look at the fall colors, and this seemed like the perfect way to do it. We enjoyed the ride, and although we noticed a few of the negative things other reviewers have pointed out, we still thought it was fun. Overall, I would say that most of the points made by the "negative" reviewers are fairly accurate, they just didn't bother us the way they seem to bother others. It was cool yesterday, but we sat on one of the outdoor cars anyway because we thought the view would be worth it, and it was! I am convinced that sitting inside would have taken away from the large panoramic views as we traveled. Although we did go through some of the "downtrodden" communities mentioned by others, we also got to see lots of beautiful leaves and trees at the height of their color for the season. The outdoor car did move around a bit, but we expected that on a train. I have a bad back and it didn't seem to bother it much at all. That may be because on the outdoor cars (only) you can stand up and move around, or lean against the rail as the train moves. In the indoor cars passengers are required to stay in their seats.The outdoor car had a PA system, but with the noise from the train (and other passengers) it really wasn't possible to hear what was being said. The bits and pieces did sound interesting (the history of the area, mainly), but again, it didn't really take away from our experience that we weren't able to hear it. There were step stools at every entrance, which we used every time. Each entrance was staffed by a volunteer, all of whom seemed very nice and willing to either help or provide information if necessary. As previously stated, there were no bathrooms on the train, but there is one at the station and there were porta-johns at Robins Crossing. Robins Crossing was interesting, although I would have liked to stay longer than 30 minutes. But, as someone else pointed out, we could easily have driven right over there after the ride ended if we wanted to. One final thought: I think if it were not fall, that we would have needed to be train enthusiasts to really enjoy the ride, because without the trees and colors to look at, it might have been a bit boring. With that said, though, they seem to have several different "themes" for the train rides, so I'm sure most people could find one that interested them...I think that about covers it! I would have given an "excellent" if the PA system was audible to those of use outside. Other than that, the whole experience was a lot of fun!

We were excited that we had booked a fall train ride on this train.After booking it thou ,it had bad reviews.Even my neighbor had said I threw my money away on this ride.Well call me nuts It was just the opposite in my opinion NOTE I SAID IN MY OPINION,We had a delightful day conceding all of the criticism The train crew were all volunteer retired train men,very kind and helpful.It was a beautiful day,cool temperatures .The village at Athens was very interesting as how buildings were built and moved to this site from the era of the late 1800s. we all should listen to these people whom worked so hard on this railroad and so had to keep the history alive.No not every train ride is the Jesse James hold-up adventure.But for God sakes people quit being so critical and enjoy the history that we have left from people like these whom have a story to tell JUST LISTEN FOR A CHANGE

We were pleasantly surprised on taking the train ride this past Saturday afternoon ride. The weather was perfect. The ride was comfortable and very inexpensive. We were not aware that most employes are volunteers and obviously enjoy trains. The ride lasts for about 1 1/2 hours with a stop at a little village where I think would be a great place to sell more snacks which could help with keeping the village running. Another thing they could improve on, is their sound system in the rail cars so everyone could hear about the history of the railway system. However it was a great way to spend the afternoon on such a beautiful day. It is a very short drive from Columbus also.

I was very disappointed. I took us a 1/2 hour to get started. The trains were wobbly and old. There wasn't an open train car on our ride. There was no narration which was advertised. I thought it was going to be more scenic, not looking at sand mills and 33. No narration at Robins Nest other the year it supposed to be. I did like the Red Tail hawk they had on display. It was not worth the money I paid for, but I realized it was used to keep up the trains. Also when we got done we had to jump off the train, they did not provide us with step stool. Hard for my friend since she has a bad knee.

Just got back from train ride, what a disappointment. I read the reviews before we drove the 38miles one-way and only if I had a crystal ball. No train personal giving history on the area, only music playing. If this is staffed by volunteers, why don't they just record the information so you have some idea as the history of the area. The area you see is a poor area, the scenery we had riding to get here was much better than the train ride. Stop at Robbins Crossing interesting but the only people there was a guy giving out free apple cider (Thank You). A lady selling candy in one of the buildings & a young guy sitting on a porch. If you want to support this ride, that's fine but we prepared on what you're getting. People in our car couldn't wait to get off the train.

We took this trip as the leaves had begun to change and they were very worth seeing. I noted that some other reviewers felt the trip was not scenic. I agree that you won't see spectacular scenery along the train's route but the trees and leaves are worth seeing. We rode in an enclosed car since it was too cool for the open cars. These are vintage cars so you won't have luxury seating but I found the seats comfortable enough. The narrative announcements as we traveled were interesting and we had no problem hearing them. The train stopped at Robbins Crossing, a reconstructed log cabin settlement on Hocking College's campus, for half an hour. This isn't really enough time to see what is there but it is enough to give you a sample of what's there and you can always come back on your own. Our conductor was very friendly and especially worked to make the trip a good experience for children on board. The fee was very reasonable and was less than some other train rides we have taken. Note that the "ticket" you print on the internet must be turned in at the depot to get your actual train ticket and be sure to allow time to do that before the train departs. No food or drink was sold on the train but you were allowed to bring your own snacks and drinks on board. There also are no restroom facilities on the train although they are available at the train station and at the stop at Robbins Crossing. We enjoyed the trip and will recommend it to others, especially for fall trips.

My wife and i took the train ride on saturday oct. 4th, 2014..This was my second time and my wifes first..The weather was cool but we were in an enclosed coach. The trip lasted about an hour and forty five minutes. Left the depot and went a few miles than came back past the depot and stoped for about half and hour at a reconstructed log cabin settlement.The train personal were very interesting with the history of the area during the trip. Very worthwhile and we will for sure be doing it again. And a special thanks to all the voulunters who keep this type of thing going. Dee and Donna Russell..Portsmouth Ohio.

It was a nice relaxing trip thru the hills of southeastern Ohio. The stop made at the Hocktober Festival was really fun and enjoyable for my family. It was a great way to spend a early Fall Day. Thanks for letting us spend the day with you.

The train was nice. The employees were very nice. Had a hard time understanding the person giving the narrative. Felt 3 hours was too long. The train rocked a lot on the tracks. Would not recommend if you have motion sickness. Really not something I would do again.

If you have a bad back don't sit outside. Very green when we went, saw deer in corn field. Staff very friendly. Had a relaxing day. Would be awesome in the fall with the changing leaves. I would do it again at Christmas for polar express and New Years bash. Would be fun to take birthday party kids on train ride too. The old village was awesome too!