Big South Fork Scenic Railway — Attraction in Williamsburg

We had a great trip and I would have given the train experience 5 stars, except I think there could have been more communication at the beginning of the train ride. Most train riders seemed very confused about where to sit (thankfully, there are not assigned seats) and what to expect on the ride. I had read quite a few reviews while planning our trip, so I had a better understanding of where to sit, etc. Based on reviews and the particular needs of me, my husband, and our small dog, I bought tickets for Car 3, which is a "table car." (Basically, there are tables with 4 chairs at each one, similar to a diner. We sat at table 10.) I purposely chose this car so that we would have more freedom of movement and sight line from the windows, and we were fine, but, if you want comfort, choose one of the other cars with big, cushioned seats. (Keep in mind that dogs are not allowed in Car 1 due to it having a carpeted floor.) I made sure that we got in line early enough to be able to choose seats on the "left side" (first come, first choice),as the reviews said there are better views from that side and they were correct! **No surprise, the train ride is very noisy, with screeches and squawks from the train wheels and brakes as it moves along the track (very expected to us and most other people, but some seemed surprised), so bring earplugs or headphones if a child or adult is sensitive to / or easily disturbed by constant loud metallic noises and the occasional train horn blowing for the 45 minute train ride. There is also a very brief, and dark, tunnel that may take you by surprise. *Just a head's up: Once you arrive at the Blue Heron Mining camp outdoor museum, there didn't seem to be any options for being out of the weather, other than sitting on the train, which I knew from reading website info and other customer reviews. (We had hot, humid temps, but only a few sprinkles of rain, so didn't need to get out of the weather.) **Bring your own water/sodas/ juice, etc. We brought a small cooler bag with lots of water and snacks, which helped greatly while we explored the Blue Heron area for approximately an hour and twenty minutes. Once the train horn sounds, you only have fifteen minutes to get back to the train before it leaves! *Overall, reading the reviews and being informed in advance about what to expect, helped us have a great trip. We would love to take the ride again in cooler weather...

I purchased my tickets for my experience via phone. Be aware that when calling the location for information or to purchase tickets, you will be redirected to an Etix agent. It took me two days to reach a person for information and then purchase tickets. The agents have limited information and are not very helpful. I purchased tickets for the Summer Run ride to the Barthell Mine Camp, Barthell Mine tour, and the Miner's Lunch. The tickets were easily retrieved at the depot ticket desk will-call. I had reserved a table in train car #3. You might expect a dining car experience, but no. This was a piece of plywood table top and four black banquet chairs per table. My family would have definitely had a more comfortable ride in the normal passenger cars. The area outside of the depot beside the track was cluttered with equipment, scrap metal, wood pallets, debris, and an old FedEx package. There was a dumpster directly beside the track that was very pungent and unpleasant. The ride was exciting and enjoyable. We decided to eat the Miner's Lunch on the going trip. The lunch was very disappointing. The two sandwiches were very small amounts of ham and turkey with cheese on a dinner roll sized bun. The sandwiches appeared to have been prepared the day before the experience. The meal also included a small bag of Lay's plain potato chips, a choice of 12oz canned soda, and a double decker Chocolate Moon Pie. This snack was $12. At least it was offered in a souvenir snack size cloth cooler with the attraction logo printed on the side. My advice is to bring a small cooler with the same snacks and save the money. The guided tour of the mine was very good and informative. The guided tour of the town camp was sufficient but 45 minutes hardly fills the two hours allowed before the return trip. My advice is to definitely purchase the Mine tour to prevent the boredom from setting in, plus it was very educational and informative. The return trip was exactly the same just in exact reverse, literally. The engine ran in reverse. All in all, I recommend this attraction for the ride and the mine tour. Avoid disappointment by avoiding purchasing the Miner's Lunch. Get a seat in the normal passenger car. Research to get more info about the visit...

We got there right as they started to let everyone out onto the train platform. Our first experience was a blonde girl who worked there screaming across the crowd in a very rude and condescending tone, "that she didn't tell anyone to get on the train yet!" Then this same girl ridiculed an older man when he asked, " Is this car #6?" He had already walked on but she said it loud enough that I'm sure half of everyone there heard her. She said,"you'd know if you paid attention!" Very snarky...just plain mean and rude. She has no business working around the public! Our favorite part was when we got to Blue Heron and a worker by the name of Junie made little Rag Dolls with whoever wanted to make one. Junie was delightful, patient and just all around a very sweet lady! The rag dolls were adorable and my girls loved them! They were so proud of them❤️🙂 Make sure you get there early if you have a group with more than 2 or you probably won't get to sit next to each other. It's a free for all as far as where you sit in your assigned car. The table cars are very cramped and uncomfortable. I wasn't expecting the accommodations to be luxurious by no means but my husband couldn't even get his legs under the table. If they just removed one table from each side you could at least scoot your chair back far enough to breathe a little. All in all our girls loved it and it was a nice experience. 4 stars because of a crappy employee and because of the obvious gimmick of how many people they try to shove in a car to make as much money as possible regardless of those...