5 Incredible Tennessee Day Trips You Can Take By Train

Googling "Train rides in Tennessee?" Find yourself overwhelmed with the options? Taking a road trip by car is common, but it can be a hassle. Dealing with traffic, driving at night, deer darting in the roads, other drivers' idiocy ... it can all be a real pain. Why not consider train day trips in Tennessee? There's something sweet and nostalgic about taking a trip by train. It makes us feel like we've taken a step back in time as if the world grew simpler and our minds quieted with the lack of 21st-century doom and gloom. Here in Tennessee, we have five places that you can visit - ON A TRAIN - for the day trip of your life. You may just find yourself comin' back again and again...

1. Watertown

Head to Watertown on the Murder Mystery Train! Regularly scheduled trips get you to this tiny Tennessee town. This is a festive day trip on a classic American streamlined passenger train. You'll get to be part of the action in a murder mystery that unfolds right in your own car!

The Tennessee Central Railway Museum offers a variety of train day trips in Tennessee, including the Murder Mystery Train. Check out their website for a schedule of upcoming events.

2. Monterey

Editor's Note: The Monterey Spring Festival Trip is not currently being offered, but there are plenty of other excursions available through Tennessee Central Railway.

The Monterey Spring Festival Trip is the longest excursion offered by the Tennessee Central Railway, at 216 miles round trip and a total of 11 hours on the train. You get to visit this sweet rural town and enjoy the Tennessee countryside as it bursts into the green of springtime.

3. RTA WeGo Star formally known as Music City Star East Corridor Commuter Rail

Lebanon is the origin station for the Music City Star East Corridor Commuter Rail Now known as RTA WeGo Star. The train will take you through several Tennessee cities, including Hermitage and Mt. Juliet, before finally ending at in downtown Nashville. You can check out the route at the

Tennessee Association of Railway website.

4. Dollywood

The Dollywood Express may not take you to another city, but you can definitely enjoy a day at the park and ride this old-time locomotive over and over! This 20-minute trip will take you through the beautiful Smoky Mountains.Get more information on

Dollywood's Dollywood Express Train Ride page.

5. Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

The Incline Railway is located in Chattanooga, and its 72.7% grade is the steepest in the whole of the US. A miracle mile up and into the clouds, if you will. It was added to the National Registrar of Historic Places on April 26, 1973. This funicular (cable car design) railway is over 125 years old!Tickets and photos are available on the

Incline Railway website.

6. Del Monaco Winery

Another fun excursion through the Tennessee Central Railway is the regularly scheduled Del Monaco Winery day trip! Each ticket comes with a complimentary souvenir wine glass and several tastings of wine. The train lays over in Watertown for lunch. You can see a full schedule of train excursions on the

Tennessee Central Railway website.

How neat is that? Railroad excursions in Tennessee will let you see the state like never before. So hop on board with some train rides in Tennessee.

If you want to enjoy a full day of train-like adventure check out this train ride then sleep in a converted WWII train!