Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot — Attraction in Bryson City

I would definitely ride the GSMR again. I took a ride on the Nantahala Gorge excursion on a Friday (They do steam engine runs on Fridays and Saturdays on the Gorge route at the time of writing), and the experience was amazing!

I rode in first class on the Silver Meteor car, and the service was excellent. Our attendant's name was Lois, and she always had some interesting story about various things along the route. I had the pot roast and an apple pie (food is complimentary with first class), both of which tasted very good. First class also comes with a free souvenir travel mug for each passenger, and they offer free refills of Coca-Cola products, water, sweet tea, and coffee during the whole trip. (Never have I had so much Sprite in a single day)

I advise you to not get drinks at the platform, though, since the drink machine there tends to run out of soda syrup and coffee really quickly as half of the passengers try to get something to drink before boarding.

The train cars themselves appeared to be in good condition. Almost found it hard to believe that the car I was riding in was built in 1937. The GSMR definitely did a good job at restoring old equipment as well as doing a good job at maintaining the cars they use.

Initially, while looking at photos, I thought the seats in the first class cars would be somewhat uncomfortable, but that was not the case. The seats are soft and well cushioned, so I was able to enjoy the ride comfortably. Obviously, the seats didn't recline (they're just normal chairs), and don't expect as much leg room as you would find on an Amtrak coach.

The views were also kind of boring, though. There's plenty of vegetation, good views of Fontana Lake and the Tuckaseegee River, and plenty of white water rafters along the way, but it otherwise doesn't have anything too stunning. The scenery probably looks better in the fall as the leaves change colors, so that might be something to consider if you're planning an autumn trip. There is plenty of objects of interest in terms of their historical background, though, so if your car attendant knows his/her facts, then you should be just fine.

The trip took about 4 and a half hours, as the website states. There's also a 50-minute layover, in case you missed that part on the website, at the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center). There isn't that much to do there, so don't expect that much from the NOC, unless you decide to do the white water rafting package.

On the way back, they ask you to swap seats with people on the other side of the car so they can get the same view you had on the way to the NOC. This will vary between who your car attendant is, if I recall correctly. Generally, however, if you're riding first class, where seats are reserved, then seat swapping isn't mandatory. (Just a heads up: if you take the Nantahala Gorge train and you're on the left side initially, then you're in luck!)

By the way: Yes, there are bathrooms on board. This might seem kind of random, but trust me; you won't believe how many people ask the staff if there's bathrooms on board or not.

After the trip, all passengers are invited to view the GSMR's Lionel train museum (admission is free with your ticket!), and it is massive. They claim to have over 7,000 pieces of track and scenery objects and the like, and I certainly wouldn't doubt it one bit. It's the largest model train exhibit I've seen anywhere in my lifetime. They also have a gift shop, like any other tourist location.

Overall, the service was outstanding. The food on board the train in first class is phenomenal, and our car attendant was very polite and entertaining. We also had a pair of men with a banjo and a guitar playing music throughout the entire train, and also an old man who has plenty of interesting and funny comments about the history of the Gorge area. The next time I come, I'll take the Tuckaseegee River train to see how great that is. I definitely recommend this to any scenic rail enthusiast, or to anyone who just happens to be passing through Bryson City and would like a half-day...

My wife and I finally got a chance to take a ride after years of saying 'we need to do this'. Booked online. First class car, pick your seats, meal choice, parking, checkout, done. E-tickets sent via mail, add them to apple wallet.

Parking is a big gravel lot, be prepared for some puddles if weather is in the area. Walk was a few minutes to the depot (maybe 4 for us, but even the farthest corner would only be about 5 min to the depot, roughly a 1200 foot walk at the farthest corner). We got there early so had time to browse through some of the shops. Highly recommend the Popcorn shop. Nom nom nom.

Boarding was quick, staff were very pleasant. Ice water in souvenir travel mugs was waiting for us at our table. The Catamount car was comfortable but extremely cold and someone said the Harper car was even colder, so plan ahead and bring a sweatshirt just in case. Train departed on time and our attendee was the sweetest woman. Ride was very comfortable. Was a tad hard to hear the attendee microphone or the conductor at times over the passenger noise.

Lunch served shortly after departure. Food was 'sufficient'. Beef was dry and lukewarm at best. Wife wasn't overly pleased with the salad she had. I'm sure it's food-service stuff and reheated. All good, wasn't expecting Michelin star cuisine.

The ride to the layover is mostly wooded or hillside on the right, and wooded with water in the latter half of the trip to the layover on the left side. Some short views of water on the right later on. A bit less scenic than we'd expected. One historic call-out was a ivy-covered dilapidated house down in a field. Another was an upscale estate that you couldn't see from the tracks other than the back of the staff housing. Eh.

The 1hr layover stop was tempered by the weather. We disembarked and checked out Al's food truck. Staff there was pleasant. Wife got some pretzel bites and cheese. The cheese is an acquired taste. Woof. That's some weird cheese, lol. Snapped a couple pics of the falls across the river. But, we barely finished that bowl of bites before rain started coming down pretty good. Knowing how cold it was in the train car, I opted for us to go back on before we got even more wet. Thankfully we left our sweatshirts on board so they were dry. I let the wife have both of them to warm up. Grew up in New England so "The cold never bothered me anyway" (which is a lie). Declined to purchase a blanket. We ordered a couple of the Irish coffee drinks in the souvenir mugs to help warm up. These were, again, sufficient. Not great. Not bad. Just sufficient.

Departed on time and dessert was about on par with the lunch. Cheesecake and brownie. Sufficient, nothing overly special. Got cozy and dozed off several times on the ride back.

The John Oates looking photo guy came around with the pics that were done early in the ride and we passed on a purchase. He gave the expected "Nooo, come on you guys look great" pitch but was not overly pushy about it and remained pleasant. Told us how to get them online if we changed our minds and moved on to the next group.

Overall a pleasant experience and the staff were exceptional. 2 1/2 hour drive from Knoxville for us. We'll probably repeat on one of the themed rides with some more engagement; like the Beer or BBQ or Moonshine ones, maybe the Polar Express. Temper expectations for food and scenery and this is...

My family and I have been riding the Great Smoky Mountains Railway for the past 6 years now since my son was 3 years old. We have ridden on the Thomas the Tank Engine Train Ride twice, and on the Great Pumpkin Patch Ride at least three times. We have had fun, enjoyable, and pleasant experiences on each and every occasion! When my son was younger, he loved meeting Sir Topham Hat and Thomas; and he always loves to see Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Lucy at the Pumpkin Patch! We've had great experiences every time, and even if there is a rare glitch, it will get corrected and resolved. On our most recent two rides in the past two years, we have had the pleasure of meeting and talking with the train engineer, Kurt, who makes sure that the train rides smoothly and carefully, keeping everyone safe. On 4 of 5 train rides, we experienced perfection and absolutely no problems. Last weekend, Sam saw to it that our train seating was corrected due to a rare ticketing error, which we very much appreciate since my son was recovering from a sinus infection and I had not wanted to ride in an open car. Also, we are very happy that the Railway offers a package with the ride in order to stay overnight at a local hotel - that works out well for us since I drive from the Atlanta area. While I have read others' reviews that complain about the scenery and cost of tickets, I am pleasantly happy with it all - the experience, the scenery, and the price! In the fall, the changing colors of the tree leaves are beautiful, along with experiencing the fresh, cool, rejuvenating air, and viewing the lovely creek and wildlife (we saw 4 wild turkeys!). Really, we have been very happy, overall, and that is the reason we keep coming back. I appreciate the effort that the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad puts in to making their rides, events, and excursions a wonderful, pleasant, and memorable experience, especially for the children. We look forward to the experience as much as possible, and hope to be back soon! ...