Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

I was surprised to see all of the negative reviews of Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. Ok, McCaysville is not a destination resort, but the entire experience is quaint and fun, especially if you go Premier class.
Service in première class is friendly and attentive, providing light snacks, a guidebook and regular updates on the scenic or historical points of interest along the way.
The train ride itself is a 1 hour slow ride along the river to a little town that straddles Georgia and Tennessee. If you expect something more then fuhgettaboutit. With that in mind the ride in a vintage coach itself is nostalgic, reminding me of my HO train set as a kid. We found the ride an opportunity to make new friends, and we even found a little time to be romantic, watching the river and trees go by.
For those who say it’s expensive, remember, this is a real train run by folks dedicated to preserving a bit of history. It’s not Disneyland. It’s the real deal, and you’re helping their conservancy.
Throughout the year they have themed rides, like fall foliage trips and Christmas trips. It’s worth the relatively short ride from the ATL, and with proper expectations you’ll really enjoy your day at BlueRidge Scenic Railway.

We took our last day in Georgia for the holiday and went on this cute little train ride! I do agree that it is very expensive, and that Mcaysville isn’t very exciting, not much to see or look at! But it’s a fun day trip for sure, the sights are pretty, especially if you relocate to the open air car if the weather allows! Loved seeing the river and some historical sites! No need to repeat the trip, but I’m glad we did it!

Very nice gentle train ride. But for the money I felt it was overpriced. You have a two hour layover in Mccaysville, which in my opinion is in a state of despair. If they clean up the areas where the tracks run I think that it would paint a much brighter picture of this lovely mountain area.

All a-​bored! Sorry but it was boring! My kids are 9 & 11. They enjoyed the hot chocolate and popcorn the train served and other treats! The train conductors were very nice and chatty. BUT it’s a bait and switch! I’m from Chicago so imagine you show up on Michigan Avenue nice restaurants and shops, then pay money for a scenic train to Gary, IN. What why would you do that? We were sad we missed out on hanging in Blue Ridge and instead were shuttled over to another town that was very lame. Weird shops that were both a tea shop, gift shop and bakery? Make up your mind. If your young child (ren) enjoy trains they may enjoy this but we were counting down the minutes for this to be over!

My wife and I purchased two tickets for the Première Class Fall Foliage trip. It was, in our opinion, worth it. By riding Première Class you are buying upgrades such as nicer accommodations (ranging from a nicer car to the staff being suited in more professional attire) a constant supply of complimentary drinks, snacks (our trip included a fruit/​cheese tray and apple cider donuts), photographs (I was both impressed and surprised by these), and miscellaneous goodies. The trip is one hour from the station to McCaysville, GA. Along the way riders get to enjoy the foliage along with some smaller historical tidbits from the staff about the area. The town of McCaysville isn’t overly impressive in and of itself (total tourist town selling tourist items at prices only tourists would pay) — but the town is not why you buy the tickets.
The reason I am not awarding five stars is because the sights could have been a little better (maybe my expectations were too high) and the lack of real attractions in McCaysville.
I would absolutely recommend this trip and these services to any adults or adults with older children who are looking for a different medium by which to take in the scenery.

Scenic my ass! Unless you call dilapidated trailers and algae-​ridden above ground pools scenic — that’s a bunch of crap. This train ride was an overpriced rip off. The destination town of McCaysville was a complete dump… although quite a little haven if you’re looking for bad food, confederate flag merchandise, or guns and knives. Granted — until wandering McCaysville, I had no idea confederate flag flip-​flops even existed — nor had I ever seen a combined drugstore and gun shop. Bottom line: save your money.

This scenic ride is such a rip-​off. All you see is the woods and a little bit of the river. I thought we’d see the mountains.
Nope. Just woods. The town they stop in is so boring. The reason for two stars is the staff on the train. They were very nice and helpful.

We loved the relaxing ride through the mountains. We tried the premium car which has air conditioning and very comfortable seats that recline. Yes, it cost extra, but on a hot day in Atlanta we really enjoyed sitting in a cool railway car as the train slowly clickety-​clacked through mountain scenery.
We were surprised at the attentive service and extras we got for our «premium» fare. The train is served by volunteer crew who take their jobs very seriously and enjoy them thoroughly. Frances and Frankie met us as we boarded with ice cold bottled water and showed us to the area where we could choose our seats. They continued to charm us with stories and provide us with snacks, and by the end of the ride we felt we had made new friends.
They gave us a complimentary book about the history of the railway with information about what we would see on the way. We even learned what the different kinds of horn blasts mean. The conductor came around and visited with us and a photographer made a complimentary photo of us on the train. It was terrific!
As other reviewers have said, the town where the train stops has little to offer. We heard there was a good Southern style restaurant with a shuttle that could take train passengers there and back in time to make the train departure, but the shuttle doesn’t run on Sunday so we opted for a Mexican restaurant. It was OK and we strolled through the town until it was time to go again.
If you are willing to pay a little extra for the amenities, we highly recommend the premium car. For a lovely escape from the city and a float back to times gone by, try the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. People along the river even waved at us as we rolled by!

We rode this train early in the season and it was fantastic. Sure, the first ¼ mile you pass by some houses as you leave the town, but its a leisurely stroll down memory lane as the workers on the train announce the old towns of yesterday, the features in the water and narrate the trip.
The train ride is 13 miles each way and you go 13 mph, so its 2 hours on the train and two hours in town.
The middle destination town is a quirky little town divided by two states and two cities. I enjoyed window shopping, grabbing some food and simply walking around and enjoying the sights. The little rock shop in the indoor mall area enthralled my kids so i’d highly recommend checking that out and the restaurant right along the river was packed.
In a day and age when it can cost a family of four $ 100 dollars to see a movie after tickets and overpriced popcorn and soda, I can’t say that this was a bad deal at all. After all, my kids, myself and my wife all had a smile on our faces the entire time, enjoyed our leisurely stroll on an old historical railway and had lots of fun!
Look out for the Indian fish traps walk around the ENTIRE town at the halfway point of the trip (hint, cross the rive too) and have fun! Do i wish the kid prices were more competitive or there was a family discount, sure. But it seems on par with what I paid to see a waterfall or enter the aquarium in nearby cities.
Fun for the whole family and great staff on site who seemed excited to share their love for the railway and local history.

The train ride is beautiful! We did regular seating and loved sitting in the open air seating. The guides are awesome on the train. The views are great and it was a very soothing ride.
The town that the train arrives at is nothing to write home about. Kind of a sad town actually.
It is a fun ride and a nice simple activity to do while visiting up here.
We were here in the spring and we would love to go again for the fall foliage.

What a great idea. A Premier Class Car on a scenic train. Its an all Adult {no one under 18), all inclusive (snacks, any kind of non alcoholic drinks) a cute little bag with a book about the areas and train co., a collectors lapel pin, maps of area and a free professional photo are all included in the price. I would have spent the extra cost at their concession car if I had ridden coach. Staff and crew, were awesome, knowledgeable about area, super friendly and accommodating. Lovely old train car, mine had cup holder. Would and will go Premier Class if I go back. I loved it, I don’t think these other lack luster reviews are fair. This car is an antique railroad car. Be sure and read the plaque in the car about the Premier cars life. Each car has its history and how they acquired it on a plaque by the door. Interesting reads. a great way to spend a day. Go shopping in Blue Ridge when you return. cute shops!

I am confused by the lackluster reviews here. Why was it so bad? We absolutely loved it! The only negative part of the trip was the cost of the tickets, oh, and the town you get stranded for two hours.
Honestly, what is not to love about a train ride through the mountains? It was so nice to just relax and enjoy the woods and river. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable about the sights and surroundings.
That brings us to the city. What a wast of time. I would have been happy to have just turned around and came right back. The town is obviously based one the train ride. It had nothing to offer and we had finished walking around it within 20 minutes. That left the rest of the time waiting on the ride back.
Take your family and enjoy the ride and the beauty of the woods and the river but be ready to waste some time at the town…

Super cute 13 mi ride from blue ridge to copperhill, tn. Ride is relaxing and scenic. Conductors were super friendly and gave lots of added info about the area as we passed. Now the town you get dropped off at is something to be desired. Totally backwards with not much to do. You have 2 hours to spend here and it’s an hour and a half too much. But the ride along the river made it all worth it.

An Experience if going back in time! Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad PREMIER CLASS car 105. Perfect for our 30^th Anniversary. All adults, quiet and constant individuaized service. It was cold and rainy but warm with wide windows for viewing the Tocowa River. What a way to discover the real Blue Ridge Mountains to a small town called Macaysvilles, Ga. We shopped in Made in America shops and by the way that is what Premier Class respresents! We got a complimentary Premier Class pen, On the Way discovery book and a tote for our treasures. The prices were low in town. My husband and I are train enthusiast and we love the BRSR. The cost is higher than the open air but we found by the time you purchase a drink popcorn etc both it more than make ups for ‘GOING BACK IN TIME EXPERIENCE”. If you are looking for adult time without the children and traveling on a car from the 1940’s and first class service we highly recomend purchasing online.

We went in winter and thought it was a lovely excursion. It did not cost nearly as much as people cite in other reviews. If you’re expecting the Grand Canyon in terms of scenery or Highlands, NC in terms of destination, you’ll be disappointed. But if you do expect those things, you probably haven’t done your research or you don’t know North Georgia. The beauty of this trip is getting to ride in historic railcars along a small track along the Taccoah River and getting to see rural mountain land that is quickly disappearing, probably thanks to the why-isn’t-McCaysville-Highlands? crowd. The river is beautiful, as are the fallow fields and the run down houses. You don’t have to be a kid to love this trip, but it helps make it even better.
McCaysville/​Copperhill is a small town, and of course, when 300 tourists flood them all in the same two hours, their going to have trouble keeping up. But the antique stores are great and the restaurants are exactly what you’d want from a small town. And the people are friendly, in spite of the flood of impatient tourists. This railroad is a largely volunteer-​run operation that helped revive a couple of small towns and a historic rail tradition. It should be appreciated for what it is.

We took my nieces and nephew on this train last time I was in town. They loved it and the scenery was great for adults too. You ride on the train for around an hour to get to a small town (where there isn’t much to do). Once there, you have around 2 hours to walk around, eat, shop, and then get back on the train. I think the layover should be less, but I’m pretty sure they won’t change that.
If you come to the area often, make sure to purchase a family season pass because it is pretty expensive (around 40 per adult) to go for the ride

I read the reviews so I pretty much knew what to expect. If you manage your expectations you’ll walk away content.
We did the hour-​long Santa express. Honestly, there was so much activity going on that you really don’t pay that much attention to the dilapidated houses/​trailers that you pass.
The folks working on the train were friendly and made the ride fun for the kids.
My only word of advice: GET THERE EARLY
There was no assigned seating and so my family of three snagged the last three seats together. I cannot tell you what kind of hell there would have been to pay if I was unable to sit with my 4-​year old.

Train ride was very expensive (over $ 200 for 4 people in closed coach) to see dilapidated homes and go to run down, depressed, small town with half shops and restaurants closed. Most people not shopping and just waiting on street to get back on train. Not worth the time or money.

Train ride was ok… But the destination to McCay’sville was not the best choice. The train ride mainly consisted of seeing the Ocoee river as a scenery. The town of McCay’sville was not up to date in its shopping choices, only about two good places to shop. The concession on the train was a great feature though and the train had an outdoor viewing so that was nice too. I’d rate the the entire package at about three stars overall.

The Little Engine That SHOULDN’T!
What do you call a $ 300.00 roll though some trees, past broken down train parts and dilapidated buildings and ending up in the twins cities where time forgot? The blue ridge scenic railway tour!
This was a forgettable 4 hour waste of time complete with all the comforts of… well.. nothing.
The highlight of this day was watching the train disappear from sight in my rear view mirror.