Harpers Ferry — Attraction in Harpers Ferry

This is our review as a family of 5 with 3 young children who traveled for the first time via train from Harpers Ferry to Chicago and back (both overnight trips) over this past weekend. On the way there we got 2 roomettes and on the way home we got the family room.

Our trip started off with us arriving to the parking lot an hour early. It is a small parking lot MAINLY utilized by people exploring the small town shops and restaurants leaving zero availability for those who paid to travel (in our case we paid over $1600 for this experience). About 40 minutes before the train's expected arrival I got out of the car and ran inside to talk to someone in the station to figure out alternative options for parking only to find that the station is completely empty. The nearby spots on the street, you pay to park with a max of 10 hours or your car will be towed. About 20 minutes before our train's arrival (now panicking), I drop my husband and children and luggage off at the train station and frantically go to the nearest parking lot about a mile away and RAN back to the train station BARELY in time to not miss the train. Definitely not a good start. Upon returning and having to walk a mile back to our car with 3 young kids and 5 people worth of luggage, we were excited to find our car still there but not excited about our parking ticket. Apparently there are SMALL signs that state no overnight parking, but nothing obvious enough to notice unless you go REALLY hunting for the information. On the bright side at least our car wasn't towed (because that was LITERALLY the ONLY option we had at the time).

Now, for our experience to Chicago with the 2 rooms, our Attendant was polite but seemed to get annoyed with my few questions. It was an overall good trip where we mostly stumbled upon what we needed to know.

The way home was a completely different experience. Our Attendant was pushy, aggressive and non-existent when we had A question. Our call bell was on for over an hour before we just gave up and tried to find someone ourselves. And when we tried to find someone we were unsuccessful. At least our question wasn't super important, I guess. The room was a lot more spacious which could either being a good or bad thing. If you are traveling with a toddler or small child who either (A) doesn't listen or is (B) too young to listen to stay in their seat, either just expect a concussion or bring along a helmet because there is no padding on the hard corners of what they consider to be a "family room" and the train bounces around.

We are thoroughly disappointed with the service and parking accommodations we got for the price we paid for our tickets. The dinner available was also basically a very expensive ($50+) frozen meal so if you think you might get hungry or need to order food for a toddler you're better off just bringing your own food like we did.

Was it more worth the $ compared to the accommodations we saw in coach? I suppose. But our overall experience was DEFINITELY not worth $1600 and was a sorry excuse for being considered "First Class" on ANY...

A decent place during the day to see the trains as they pass by. The Harpers Ferry train station is a nice old building that adds to the character of the town. It is at the lower elevation and to the north of the town. When we visited, it was unattended and there were no staff inside. The restrooms were open and in decent shape, located on the west side of the building. It is a long building with 3-4 large rooms made of light wood with historical pictures on the walls. Parking is available in the lot that surrounds the station, though it depends on what is open at the time and how busy the area is. Many other visitors noted in their reviews that the building is not open at night and operates on a very limited schedule. A little research shows that Amtrak and MARC trains both serve this station. Throughout the day my party and I observed trains passing through without stopping, giving visitors a sense of how active the rail line still is. Overall, it is worth seeing for its historic look, but travelers should plan ahead since services are limited and the station may not be staffed. Up the hill to the south is the town and down the hill to the east visitors can view the Armory grounds, River overlook, and John...

I drove to here last night while thinking about my lover, and there were stop signs everywhere. As you get closer to the town, the speed limit will decrease by 10, so keep that in mind. Unfortunately it had started to rain when we got there, but it was alright because we put our hoods on our heads. The train. track going over the water is a great sight to see, and the water underneath is perfect for throwing rocks into. I was blown away by how big and powerful the train was, when compared with the little station. I wanted to put my arms around it, but the conductor looked at me funny. We said our goodbyes and left, the monopoly board we brought still in the backseat of the car, along with the spare car seat headrest. Be aware that there is a NIGHTMARE left-turn to get out of the town, just to be met with decreasing speed limits again. Overall, great town, lots of places to eat breakfast, eat lunch, eat dinner, as well as plenty of places to go to bed. Also can someone tell me how to leave town? I'm a nervous young man rn! And i'm with my twin, which should be a fantasy, but my back is killing me, baby. I tried to ask some local kids what to do, but I guess they were...