This Train In Iowa Is Actually A Restaurant And You Need To Visit
Imagine enjoying a delicious meal as you watch the beautiful landscape pass by your window. This may sound like an experience from a bygone era, when train travel was the most popular and elegant form of travel, but you can actually experience it now, right here in Iowa! If that sounds like a fun evening, then you need to experience the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad Dinner Train for a one-of-a-kind dining experience.
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This round-trip train ride leaves from the depot at 225 10th Street in Boone and travels to Fraser, a once booming mining town that was headquarters for the Boone Valley Coal and Railroad Company.
Booking tickets on the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad Dinner Train will allow you to enjoy a two hour and fifteen minute ride through the stunning Des Moines River Valley as you enjoy a delicious entree like prime rib, marinated salmon, chicken marsala or roast pork loin.
The train line features beautiful scenery and crosses the Bass Point Creek High Bridge, a 156-foot-tall bridge that is the highest single-track interurban railroad bridge in the United States.
You’ll be seated in historic 1950s passenger cars that were actually used on the Union Pacific Railroad's famous trains that traveled between the Midwest and the West Coast.
While the train doesn’t have a liquor license to serve alcohol, you are welcome to bring one bottle of wine with you, and they will serve it to you for a $5 corkage fee.
The trains move at a leisurely 10 to 14 miles per hour, so you will have plenty of time to enjoy your meal and the gorgeous scenery passing by.
The price is $67.25 per person, and for people wanting a more intimate dining experience, you can even reserve a private dining car for an extra $50 fee. Make sure to make your reservations in advance. For more affordable options, you can also book a trip on the picnic or dessert trains.
The train runs on Friday evenings from 6/3 – 10/28 and Saturday Evenings from 4/2 – 11/12. Boarding time is 5:00 p.m., except in February and November, when it’s 4:30.
