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The Spirit of Washington dinner train travels a scenic route from its Renton, Wash., station along the shores of Lake Washington, crosses the 975-foot-long wooden Wilburton Trestle to the Columbia Winery estate and returns along the same scenic route. Passengers are served either lunch/brunch or dinner in a choice of parlor or dome car settings. The three and one quarter hour excur-sion includes a 45-minute stop at the Columbia Winery where pas-sengers are invited to enjoy its garden setting and the distinctive Victorian-style building where the visitor center, gift shop and tast-ing room are located. The dinner trains package price includes a tour of the winery and tasting of a flight of five featured wines.
The Spirit of Washington operates year-round offering dinner service mid-week and both lunch/brunch and dinner service on weekends. For further details, contact: 800-876-7245
Centennial Travelers’ Seven Rails of Colorado package oper-ates from July through mid-October over a route which visits some of the states most scenic high country regions. Guests travel aboard several types of rail and other vehicles to remote regions that are not accessible by any other type of vehicles. These areas display abundant wildflowers throughout the summer months and brilliant colors in the fall. The rail experiences include narrow and standard gauge trains, incline and cog railways, plus Amtrak. Other vehicles used for off-road sightseeing excursions include dune-coaches and jeeps. The packages are designed for the enjoyment of travelers with varied ability levels. Contact: 800-223-0675, www.centennialtravel.com
The Shasta Sunset Dinner Train operates its 1916 vintage rail cars over Northern Californias historic McCloud Railway route which was founded in 1897. The route travels along the southern flank of Mt. Shasta between the town of Shasta and the historic company town of McCloud and has several steep grades, sharp curves and a switchback line which climbs the most severe inclines. The dinner train departs at 6 p.m., May through December, and serves a four-course gourmet meal. At 4 p.m. is the one-hour open-air Excursion Train which operates June through September on the same route as the Dinner Train. For a calendar of operating dates and other details, contact: 800-733-2141
Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton, Calif., launches a new Music Under the Oaks and Redwoods concert program in the Spring of 2005. Bands, orchestras and choirs perform in concert on various days at the outdoor barbeque and/or on the Bret Harte Hall stages on weekends, May through October, and on weekdays, July and August. Concerts begin at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. For a schedule of performances and featured groups, contact: 831-335-4484, www.roaringcamp.com
It is never too early to plan for an old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration. The Verde Canyon Railroad joins the festivities in celebrating Americas birthday in Clarkdale, Ariz. The day begins at 10 a.m. with a traditional community parade through uptown Clarkdale followed with a barbeque ($6.50 per person) at the Verde Canyon Railroad station on its shaded patio. The station, rail cars and vintage FP7 engines are decorated in red, white and blue, and a Dixieland jazz band is on hand to entertain celebrants. At 1 p.m. the train departs for the Verde Canyon for an up-close view of Americas symbol of freedom, the bald eagle. Summer is prime time for Arizona’s riparian ecosystem including the bald eagle. Contact: 928-639-0010
The Alaska Railroad system offers many options for tour plan-ners who want to add a hub-and-spoke element to an Anchorage gateway visit. The train routes and schedules offer one- and multi-54ple-day options. There are two southern routes that travel to Seward and to Whittier with an extension to the Kenai Mountains, Spencer Glacier and the alpine area of Grandview. The northern departures travelto Talkeetna, Denali National Park and Fairbanks. Contact: 800-544-0552.www.akrr.com.
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