Was alright, not very scenic except for people's houses. Always buy insurance! Half of my reservation fell sick and couldn't make it. No answer when calling railway, left message and no return call. Very expensive for what it consisted of! Staff was excellent!
It was a fun ride on the train and we enjoyed it very much, but they should make the passengers switch sides at the halfway point so everyone can enjoy the views of foliage and lake.
We booked the Two- Hour Meredith Excursion Train- Private Caboose for a group of 8 of us including 2 kids under 5, halfway through the trip we were ready to book again for next year! We had originally planned to do the turkey train but it was sold out so we booked the caboose instead and it was better than we expected. We had so much fun even when the generator went down and the train was stopped for some time. David was the best, I hope he enjoyed our company as much as we did his!!
We thoroughly enjoyed the turkey dinner train ride. I was amazed by how hot the food was. The food was absolutely delicious! The staff that served dinner was very accommodating.
I can’t wait to do it again!
It was awesome. Our waiter Adam was phenomenal. We had so much fun, great food, great company and great entertainment. Thank you so much for making this a memorable weekend.
Save your money! Do not go on the 5 hour fall foliage train ride. Either do a significantly shorter one (1 or 2 hour), take a hike, or stop in any, and I mean literally ANY, New England town for leaf peeping. You and your wallet can thank me later.
The train was jam packed, most views were obscured by trees, and despite going at a glacial pace, it was insufficient time for most passengers to snap a picture and appreciate what they’ve seen.
Lunch was included on our 5 hour trek at The Common Man in Plymouth, NH. Great place to go on your own time, NOT with the train ride. You get about one hour to eat, which sounds great until we go to seat ourselves. Most tables were overbooked: the Granite State railways had 12 people to tables that couldn’t seat more than 10 people. The amount of time it took to be allowed to go up and get food was at least half the lunch time, and by the time we were told by staff we could get up to get our food, only then did they consider opening up a second buffet. To make matters worse, we had to wait for the buffets to be refilled, cutting into our time to eat while those before us came out with platter piled high, and some had more than one plate! We were lucky to have enough time and food for one helping! The food was great, but not worth waiting roughly 30 minutes to be fed. By the time my table got to sit down and enjoy our meal, the tables that were served first were already gone, exploring the gift shop, restaurant, or boarding the train. By the time we finished we had to board again.
The only stop of the entire venture was a historical train station with actors dressed in 19th century garb playing music which we passed earlier. I don’t know if it was smart of the organizers or not, but considering everyone was still sated from lunch, few got up and even less had time to complain. I was surprised they didn’t stop at some of the specific picturesque views pointed out to us so we can have a moment to snap a pic or enjoy views of say, Lake Winnepesaukee, or farms or a dam. Especially given how slow the ride was. So slow in fact, we were late returning to our starting point!
Oh, by the way, they were so disorganized they had a fridge full of beverages on the train for sale, with no indication one had to pay for them! So they likely lost out on about $100 in sales just from people helping themselves. Considering how bad lunch went, I’m not surprised.
Bottom line, take shorter ride if you must of 1 to 2 hours. The Common Man is good, but dine with them on your own. I have and you won’t regret it. Otherwise take a hike. On our way there we saw many pulled over on the highway to hike a trail by Winnepesaukee. Doesn’t cost you a thing. Or go to any New England town for leaf peeping. Just not Granite State Railway. Take this place for Granite.
Positives:
It was a nice experience and the food was delicious. Bottles of water included
Negatives:
Very disorganized. Everyone got a digital ticket when they bought their admission. It was not posted that you need a physical ticket. Just before boarding there was a mad dash to the counter which made our departure late.
While on the train, we were never told that there was soda available for purchase. It wasn't until the end of the ride when I used the bathroom I saw a refrigerated case filled with drinks. We were only given water bottles.
We thought the train ride went in a circle. It goes half way just past Weirs Beach and then back tracks. So you are seeing the same scenery.
When purchasing the tickets and you look at the seating chart, it does not let you see if you will have water view or woods/house view.
If you want water view, you want to select an odd number table.
Im only pointing this out because for $75pp, you should be better informed.
Great experience! We did the 5 hour fall foliage train ride which included lunch at the Common Man Inn and a stop at the 1869 Ashland railroad station. The seats were comfortable but the only problem with the seats were the ones that were facing each other could not fit 4 people comfortably and a couple of the seats did not have a window. The food at the Common Man Inn was delicious but the arrangement was chaotic. We were given assigned tables but when we arrived there was no guidance and too many people were sat at each table and some had way too many assigned at the same table. Hopefully they will correct that in the future. Also make sure to use the bathroom before you go to the train station because the lines for the bathroom are insane. Overall, the staff were very kind and the views were beautiful, just a couple minor inconveniences that could easily be fixed.
We really enjoyed the meal and the train rides. The colors weren’t as good as we were hoping, but that’s on Mother Nature. The staff were wonderful. The reason I gave a 4 rating is because the Meredith Station is not handicap friendly. While waiting to board the train, I took a fall. The uneven gravel is a hazard for the older citizens and the handicapped. I’m still suffering from my fall and will have to seek medical attention. Please fix the problem so when I come back next year it will be easier for me. Looking forward to next year, and hoping for level ground.
The staff was personable and friendly. The foliage scenery, however, was below expectations, as others have commented. Your seating location can make or break the experience. I highly recommend sitting on the left side for the lake views and the more worthwhile scenery. The right side is mostly residential backyards, forest, and roads. There is no loop—the train travels out and back on the same route—so only one side gets the better views.
The buffet was the highlight of the excursion. There were excellent choices of comfort food, and everything we had was absolutely delicious. One thing I found interesting was that passengers seated on the right side eventually seemed to get bored and many slept through the return trip.
A few additional tips: The 800 number provided for accessibility assistance is misleading. You cannot get a live person, and messages do not receive a response. Parking is also difficult. Anyone needing accessible parking should plan to arrive an hour or more early. Otherwise, there is narrow off-street parking that involves a very long walk. We arrived 30–40 minutes early and still found parking challenging. I also did not see any designated handicap parking, although it may have been obscured.
Overall, the staff and buffet were excellent, but the limited scenery, one-sided views, parking situation, and lack of accessible assistance are important things to know before booking.
I was a little disappointed. There could have been some beautiful views but there were to many trees to really see them. They took you up the track 20 minutes then backed the same way. Would not recommend if you want a scenic ride.
Most comfortable seats EVERand good back support and had a moter for going up inclines. Good activity for older people and knee issues but It needed to be longer
Workers polite, the train trip was so slow and boring.
Cafeteria food, more left on people’s plates than they ate. For over $100.00 a ticket it was disappointing.
Thanks for sharing this. We’re sorry you weren’t satisfied with your experience and we take all feedback seriously and use it to help improve the trip for all passengers. We will pass this along to management and see what can be done to make this right!
Frequently asked questions about Granite State Railway
How many reviews does Granite State Railway have?
Granite State Railway has 1,573 reviews on Trustindex, collected from Google and Trustindex.
What is Granite State Railway's average rating?
Granite State Railway is rated 4.3 out of 5 based on 1,573 reviews. 58% of reviewers gave five stars.
Are Granite State Railway reviews verified?
Trustindex moderates every review and verifies that it was collected from a real, active review platform before it is published.
How do I write a review for Granite State Railway?
Use the "Write a review" button on this page to share your own experience with Granite State Railway.
Verified Company
