Reviews of Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park (Park)

Suzy Evarts

So much fun for all ages!

Kevin Burns

The best train amusement park around

Donna Hilliard

Love the old fashion trains and boat ride was good

Ginny Bielucki

A very nice experience. I have lived here my entire life and had never taken a train ride or cruise before. We are already planning our next trip.

William O'Driscoll

Fun day.

Caitlin Marino

This was a nice way to enjoy a part of Connecticut typically only visited during the warmer months.

William Cardona

My son loved it on thamas day. Staff were super nice and engaging

Ashli Stebenne

Worked the location as a photographer for the Thomas the Train event and absolutely loved the trains, the staff, and getting to ride an actual train for the first time. Can't wait to go back while not working and get the full experience.

Loni Brockett

It's a nice relaxing ride but there's no air conditioning it's very hot in there because it's an old-time train seats are not very comfortable and it's quite boring

Bret Swalberg

Great experience riding the rail and floating the river. Guides kept things orderly, and the narration was interesting. Not something I feel the need to do again, but so glad my family got to try it! Recommended.

William Krajcovic

Was one of the most enjoyable and memorable experience we had toward the end of vaca! The conductors were friendly, was not crowded at 11am, n the weather was nice.

Yvette Andino

Great experience for the family!! Staff were amazing!!!

Christine Gandara Vargas

It was nice. But I did it on a rainy day.

Henry Barsky

It was not as senic as I thought.

Keisha Johnson

Train ride is short so it's worth doing the steam boat as well ..the workers were all very nice

Joshua Flewelling

This is an absolute favorite of my children. They have events all year and do a really good job keeping things fresh year after year. The prices are ok, sometimes seeming a bit high. Parking is plentiful, and usually there are people helping to direct you. I would recommend the place if your kids are into trains.

JOHN McGINLEY

Neat place for anybody ! Fun time ! Interesting.

John Russell

Great time

Gayle Anderson

Fun ride on the train, then boat then back to the train to return. Fun for kids too.

Ericca Conboy

Great for a family day trip

Kadine Thompson

My son had an awesome time on Thomas the Train.

Alberto Lopez

Good place

JOSE NEGRON

Incredible history, had a great time @ an awesome price

aman tomar

Awesome place to enjoy Connecticut valley with old steam engines!

Angel Baez

Cute little train ride for the kiddies.

Lydia DePalma

It's nice to keep old trains going. They even gave us a popsicle after.

Svetlana Bliznets

If you haven't been there yet, we must go to experience the amazing atmosphere!!!

Brianna Weyant

Let me start by saying it was a really nice experience, being our first time on a train. We got first class as well, I get the idea that it's supposed to be travelling back in time. But the seats are uncomfortable, they smell, and are hard to swivel. NOT easily handicap accessible at all. For a couple over 21 the drinks are good, but there's nothing to really accommodate a young family or children. The view is so-so. Mostly trees and swamps. Loved the experience of the train ride, but that's about it.

Carlos Delgado

Recommend going rigging family and friends you guys going to love it and very old school

Robin Roy

Very nice day loved it.

S S

Prepare for a long walk from the parking lot, as this place gets packed. Consider booking your tickets on line because seats and the boat cruise add-on sell out at the ticket window. They could use more signage or guest services staff on the grounds because many people were confused about what to do, where to wait, what the different tickets mean, what else to see on the grounds, etc. The ride for train only is about an hour. There is a stop to drop off/pick up the boat cruise passengers. There is a bathroom on at least one of the cars, but for heavens sake, just go before you board. They have regular bathrooms at the station. You can bring non-alcoholic drinks on board or buy from them once you get rolling. The open air car was my choice, and I loved it. There was a good breeze from the motion, even on the humid day. In this car, however, ash and debris will blow in from the steam engine (not too dirty, mostly sand-like). It accumulates and I swept my lap several times and rinsed my face in the ladies room afterward. It was nothing to worry about and you probably shouldn't wear white or fancy clothes while visiting this place, even if you dont ride the train at all. You can tour the grounds at no charge.

Erin Correale

A great afternoon for kids who loves trains and trolleys. We had a birthday visit during the summer and rode the train to Santa land during the winter, and had a wonderful time climbing on the historic trolleys.

Christina Hilke

I loved the old fashion train, the narrative. It was relaxing. I wished we got to go on the steamship boat but we missed it. Next time.

Meiya Ma

Great trip, so worth it.

Ryan Zappia

What an exceptional experience!! And great staff!

jessica carey

Had a blast with the kids

Lisa Gibson

Awesome experience❤

M. Showers

Family-friendly location with many seasonal events. Early arrivals are rewarded with choice seating without paying the uplift fee. Crowds regularly due huge popularity in southeastern Connecticut. Connection / combination excursions with river boat make for an idea adventure. Cameras, cameras are a must to capture a wonderful experience. Close proximity to historic town of Essex; less than five miles ride. Do not miss stroll through this quaint town.

Jaime Menendez

Extraordinary experience! Go back on time, take a ride and have lunch on the train from the 1920's, combine it with a boat ride touring along the Connecticut river. Beautiful!

Lannie Clark

Good food and spirit

Michael Panici

Beautiful place and a really cool ride along the Connecticut river!

Linda Gancitano

Fun and something I haven't done befoe

Robert D Miller

I just wish your ride was longer it was nice

3y6actik *

We visited One Day with Thomas the train Show. Good attraction for the kids, they have a gift shop, a dining place and different steam trains and wagons! Kids had a lot of fun, adulds enjoyed too!

Anna Johnson

Really fun place to take my niece and nephew! No air conditioning but the breeze was good.

Don Wuebker

Great tour.

Jay Davila

The love visiting has seeing all the great views and trains. Always a good time. Nice family fun

kenneth paladino

Throwback to the oldendays. If it's hot and humid be prepared. No a/c. Bring water. We had a great time. You will too if steam trains are your thing.

Juan & Jinet Medina

Beautiful experience. You should try it out. Worth the money

Julia Manoli

Very nice and interesting place

Lori Anne Vogt

Beautiful scenery and interesting commentary along the route. Disappointed in how short the ride actually was!

Maha Al-Gebaly

An amazing journey for a visitor

Syed Kutub Uddin Ahmed

It was so refreshing, train and boat ride together was an amazing experience.

Padraic Hagan

A treasure in central Connecticut. Running steam engine driven trains, restored station buildings. Trains run passengers through the summer, and special events throughout the year. Truly special for the kids. Don't miss the model train layout and interactive train cab.

John Walenczyk

Took the train and boat ride, it was very nice. We decided to upgrade to first class and it wasnt every expensive but the seats and the window space was well worth it for viewing.

Andy Hanscom

Enjoyed this a lot for sure. I’m from out of state and I was recommended to go here. They said I went when I was really little, but too little to remember going. So we went and I definitely enjoyed the trip. The trains are really cool for sure. Good for all ages, definitely recommend it. No regrets at all.

Marge Call

We took our 7 year old grand son! He has blast!

anne schaepers

Great place

John Classen

Enjoyed the ride. Great tasting lunch. A little less organized than I thought they would be.

Lisa Gray

Nice place to visit but the parking arrangements need improvement.

Louis Madonna

Beautiful part of the CT river. Classic old steam train.

Mark Harrington

Excellent set up ,just looked at the trains , next time will do the dinner train

Jerry Duncan

Dont know,wasn't happy with this place.tryed to call about the fall foliage ride .nobody would answer the phone .must not need any business

Lori-Ann D

Great train ride, polite staff.

Shraddha Shete

It's fun..

Jennilou Davis

So cool for railroad buffs or just interested.

Ralph Inzalaco

An amazing train ride and an amazing dinner while being transported back in time aboard the the dining car. The staff and the entire meal was excellent. The view from the train traveling along the Connecticut River was stunning. Highly recommend it and my wife and I will be back!

kevin thibdeau

Well maintained, ample, clear parking. Great time

Frederick Anderson

Fun way to spend a day with my Grandson

Aleksandra Panchenko

Average experience! I heard of it so much, that our expectation was greater. Worth one time visit

PEGGY ATWELL

Once again the views are spectacular and the river boat ride is amazing. The lunch menu was great.

Sandy Dubois

Great place to go.

althea unger

Very nice 3 hr junket. Would do it again. From 6-9pm so they did have hamb and dogs. Snacks. Also a bar for the ones that want a cocktail. Train t o Deep River where we got on the cruise boat. Traveled up river to Old Saybrook highway 95 bridge. Definitely bring jacket...gets kinda chilly when it gets dark. We wefe home by 1030.

D Notes

First time coming. Great welcoming reception from the staff. The trains and exhibits are wonderful. Great place to bring large groups, family amd friends. Lunch tour offered. Food is great.

zach brusca

Fun day trip.

Rajam K

Loved the ride and the fall colors

Gowthamy Prasanna

Kids will enjoy the train ride. Other activities will make them happy. One time worth spending. Friendly staffs.

Maureen Maitland

Very nice place to visit. Essex dinner train was a lot of fun.

Sue Kocsis

Nice trail running along side of the Connecticut River

Mr. Vinncredible V. Dais

Truly enjoyed the event this past Saturday!! It was a great day! Weather was perfect!! I shall return!

Andrea Duprey

You must Experience the Steam Train .. It's a Beautiful time

Ricky B

Great train and boat ride for a great price

Nicholas Cornetta

First, love it as a pokémon hotspot. Second, the dinner train is classy and romantic.

Patrick Crough

We absolutely had the time of our lives on the North Pole Express journey with our 3 year old daughter. All staff were friendly and helpful, parking was organized, and there were plenty of things to enjoy while we waited for our train to depart. The actual train ride itself was top notch! Our elf, Flicker, made the 90 minute round trip feel like a real journey to see Santa. Santa and Mrs. Claus really lit up our kiddo, she’ll remember this trip for some time to come!

Tina Davis

A different adventure each time we go

Dawn Roberts

Food was excellent service was great except girl who was rude not once but 2x

Lilyan Jarmer

Very nice steam train ride lots to see...

Wallace Collins

Nicely rezbeautified. Gr8 outdoor area

Red Crow

Tons of fun for little ones (and their parents) for special events (Thomas or polar express) be sure to get your tickets online well ahead of time...it will save you time and grief!

Ted G

I have been here many times, mostly just to see Thomas the tank engine. I have learned that you can also visit without riding the trains. Overall it is a nice place.

Lori Knight

This place is very special for us. We always have a blast

h do

Great experience for the kids!

Jean Reyes de Gonzalez

Enjoyable train ride with beautiful scenery and engaging narration.

Jeffrey Glidden

Informative. Fun for family.

Alicia C

Kids absolutely loved their ride!

Susan Wichrowski

We went here because we won 4 tickets to the train and boat. We had the perfect day for it and had a great time on the train and the scenic boat ride. You can even add a stop at Gilette Castle if you feel adventurous. Great place for some family fun!

Jay Vizcaino

Its an experience you must do!!

Jules

Very nice experience well worth the money

Steven Redfield

Nice train ride combined with a narrative history of this part of the Connecticut River. Very enjoyable time on the train and river.

laurie Davis

I’ve taken my grand daughter on the Christmas train ride each year and you can’t beat it for a fun Xmas tradition. I used to take my kids when they were small. The music , the costumed characters and meeting mr. and mrs. Santa Claus is so adorable! Highly recommend it!

Scott Dowler

The Polar Express ride was a fantastic, family event. I strongly recommend for parents with young kids. The elves do seem excellent job of entertaining everyone the whole time. There is also servers going around offering hot chocolate and other adult libations. Cookies are also served by sleep walking elves.

Lynne Ticho

Great time. Their help on the train and boat are fantastic

Michael Castle

Very relaxing ride. Well maintained train

Camille Kay

Fun n fabulous

Christopher Smith

Was lots of fun everyone on staff was pleasant

tom oconnor

I was pleasantly surprised on how good the Lunch was on the Train. We did the lunch train/boat tour and it was very nice. It's a slow comfortable ride on the Train and the Boat. The guides were entertaining and it was a wonderful way to spend the day.

John Planells

A very cool experience, so worthy of the price,went on a weekday,not so crowded

Lisa Kest-fein

Really enjoyed the train and boat trip.

wayne morrison

Always a good time.

chas non

Awesome fun for everyone. Even the wife n kids

Ashton and Brian TheGamers

Went on the night dinner ride. Loved the view the food was good, but was pricey

Bob Rich

A nice place to spend a lazy afternoon

Matthew F

I loved every minute of our trip here! The trains are fantastic and the boat trip was very relaxing!

Alan Atwell

Train ride should be longer. The cruise was very enjoyable and informative.

Jamie Cugno

Great resting area, nice place to see a lot of different wildlife. If outdoors is the place you feel most like yourself than this is the place to go. Even the other people who go there to relax and observe are real nice.

Yvonne Nowlin

We will be doing the dinner train again!!! Loved everything about it... The food was delicious...

Barbara Ericksen

Went to the North Pole Express and loved it would definitely do it again and go in the evening

virginia sanders

Nice outing fun and interesting.

Joseph Rutledge

The experience is always wonderful. Sadly I only wish their right of way (tracks) had a greater distance both ways. If I were wealthy, I'd grant them at least 3 million. They're a treasure that should always be supported!

Lewis Brown

Took this train and had a ball singing with my fellow travelers! Transport's you back in time if you have an imagination.

Bruce Peter Morin

As always a memorable visit! We did both the train and boat road and everyone was just awesome. Great place to bring the kids, young and old.

Alan Morean

Great train ride & riverboat cruise!

John Piazza

Lots of fun and history.

Stanley Sobolewski

Nice train ride, lot's of local history.

william blinn

Great time and it's awesome for families!! My daughter had a blast.

Customer Service

Awesome Place

Beverly Beutler

Such a fun afternoon. We took a ride on the stream train and chose to also take the boat ride. The view of Gillette Castle was grand. They offer several speciality rides including a lunch and a dinner train.

Kitty Desharnais

Well worth the money! Everything was perfect right down to the staff! Thank you!

Robert Olmsted

Just a fun place...the staff is terrific

Rebecca Moulton

Great place to go. The train and riverboat ride is just the right amount of time to enjoy the scenery.

Daniel Tougas

Just a great place for a train and boat ride. Learn history and watch your granddaughters face light up.

Missy Miller

Beautiful green space.. smaller then I would think a state park would be labeled .. but nice anyway

Stephanie Slack

Beautiful steam engine. Nice ride through the country with a good view of Gillette Castle.

Deanna Nurmi

Great experience. Took my kids on the steam train and river boat. The kids had a good time. I think our favorite part was the river boat.

Raymond Rose

We did the Santa special train ride. My three year old enjoyed it and kick started the Christmas season for him. Very well decorated and put on event. Will definitely go on it again. We have also done the dinner train rides and Thomas and both were excellent as well.

Bill Babineau

Did the train and riverboat excursion, had a great time. Conductors on the train were friendly and knowledgeable. Our riverboat guide was outstanding, had a great time.

Frank Denning Pastor

Really enjoyed the short excursion - very interesting.

Elizabeth Shetty

A wonderful journey back to childhood. Enjoyed the steam engine and the boat rides. It's well maintained and the crew are friendly and cheerful. Wish we could go on a longer ride. Worth the ride after so many many years.

Doug Fox

Wonderful day train and boat was very informative and fun

Robert Gouin

If you like railroads and you like parks, I would reccomend you consider visitng.

Natalia Hanson

Lunch food on the train is good but the views and ability to go back in time enjoying the old-fashioned train ride - that is just incredible! The cars are restored to their original glory, the food is prepared on the train and served while the passengers are boarding the train.

Brian Delancy

They run a top notch operation from the easy booking online and the whole tour from train to the steamboat ride every person working there was great they assisted my handicapped grandmother at every aspect of the trip. I would definitely recommend this event for the whole family and would do it again.

Muthu Kumar

Loved it ❤️

ApocalypsHooper

Was good my dude

Andrew Schwarz

A fun time for all

Audrey Lefevre

We had a wonderful day. Everyone was very helpful,

Laura G.

A nice day trip activity. Pretty New England views. We chose to only do the train as it was cold out. Maybe next time we'll take the boat ride as well.

Erle VanDeBogart

Love it was on vacation

Jeffrey Homewood

Great fun for a day.

Slim Satire

Definitely take your kiddo here if ya have the chance. The open car ride is worth the extra seven bucks a person. But ya may get soot on you. Bring cash for alcohol or drinks. The boat ride is longer than the train ride but that was ok for me. Either way a cool experience. Oh and bring money for the gift shop of course.

Matthew Ridgeway

We went out here to enjoy the Polar express train ride for the holiday season. The old train was really cool and it was an entertaining ride, but it was a little pricey. Sitting in Old trains did create an aura of nostalgia and the front car was 1st class with leather seats.

James Wessells

Loved this place came from Florida with our grand kids

Robert Hankey

Fun trip and history lesson. Well worth the $20!!

Met Fan since 1968

This is the best train station ever! Actually, I've never been there and have no idea why I was asked to review it.

ORGAVIN Bouma

Beautiful, fun and educational!

mike baldyga

Great for kids.

Renae C. Greenman

Charming experience. Gives you great history of the area while enjoying refreshments aboard an old steam train. I recommend the boat ride down the Connecticut River too. A nice day out for the family.

Ritzct

Great views, though I dont recommend the open cab on the train due to all the ashes u get all over you. We did the boat ride also and that was ok also. They have a gravel parking lot so there's a lot of dust.