Tennessee Central Railway Museum — Attraction in Nashville-Davidson

Just took the DelMonaco Wine Tasting Excursion. There isn't a ton of information and I've never been to the vineyard and didn't look it up beforehand so I totally thought we were going to the vineyard. Vineyard is in Baxter, train stops in Watertown. They have a tasting room in Watertown that is about a block and a half walk from where the train stops. The walk was nice. Watertown is tiny. At noon on a Saturday, Watertown has a couple small lunch options. A Mexican restaurant I can only rate as: play it safe and order a quesadilla, a Hunt's Bros pizza place, and this place called Depot Junction Cafe we probably should have chosen instead. We chose the Mexican restaurant. It was okay. You definitely want to make eating lunch the very first thing you do when you get there. The little restaurants fill up so fast. We did lunch first then tasting room. The tasting room is a smallish space with a large bar and a few small tables in the front, a few small tables in the back, and a few covered picnic style tables outside on the patio. They had live music and a little cornhole area and two bathrooms. All in all we did have fun, but we were a little disappointed when we figured out the train doesn't go to the vineyard itself. The train ride to Watertown is cool... they do a full tasting and you do get to sample every wine DelMonaco has. They give you your souvenir glass to taste in - bring a very small towel of some kind so you can wipe your glass out, they had cardboard bits and dust in them. Not a big deal though. The train ride back is a little bit less fun because there's no more wine lol but the snacks and beer were still available for purchase. There are restrooms on the train, the seats are comfortable, the train is clean, the AC worked quite well (we heard rumors it might not), no funky smells, and the staff were all just amazing. I definitely recommend taking an excursion, I just wish I had figured out before the ride that we weren't going to the vineyard itself. I did reach out before I bought the tickets to make sure our seats could face each other. All of the seats turn so they flipped our little section so we would face each other. All of the twosomes rode facing forward on the way out and were flipped to face the other forward on the way back (did that make sense lol) unless you didn't want your seats flipped, they gave options! Like I said, AMAZING staff. It is worth noting there isn't a ton of scenery, and the train folks were super kind and left an apology note on all of the seats about the growing homeless problem in downtown Nashville being visible to train patrons. (It isn't your fault, TCRM!!!) The tracks go through Donelson, Hermitage, Mt Juliet, and Lebanon and go right through several rural neighborhoods. It is what it is. It was still...

It’s exciting to think how rail was in its time. It’s very interesting to me. This one began in 1953. The Museum has vintage models but no running locomotives.

What is mostly lacks is how people get in line to load the train, versus the restroom line. It’s just a herd of people everywhere. There are wonderful volunteers to help but even then people do as they want.

*Have your ticket(s) pulled up on your phone so that it’s easier to get boarded. There is also time to take pictures after the ride since you enter and exit the same way. *If you have trouble with stairs this will be difficult.

*They suggest getting there one hour early. It is NOT enough time! Safe yourself grief and get there at least 2 hours early. Otherwise it’s a total mess! People coming every direction in cramped areas all trying to get food/drinks/gifts. Going earlier allows you to park, walk, look around in the museum before the crowd, use the restroom especially since it isn’t one open until the train starts moving. Be sure to get in line to board. You then can gift shop in that car and then get food/beverages before sitting down.

The temps reached 81 and with the sun shine in it gets Hot 🥵 on the train. Apparently, the cooling system is the original as it would have been in 1953. I am all for Nostalgia but being hot and uncomfortable isn’t enjoyable. Especially when it was so difficult to get drinks. They really to take preorders for your food and have them in each car at your seat. It would save the insanity.

Also, be aware it smells dank and musty on the train. If you suffer from allergies, migraines, etc. just be aware. I ended up getting a migraine that’s why I am adding this. They really should do something to freshen them up.

I also noticed that some of the seats have no padding left at all. Consider that you will be sitting awhile. A cushion would be a good idea.

Standing, walking and the restroom is not the easiest while the train is moving.

Take a Fanny pack or small bag since you will be holding whatever you take.

The windows on the train are beveled and you don’t get the best pictures. It’s an enjoyable ride with a group. Or you could go alone and gaze out the window. You will not only see pretty foliage, small town and you will see many homeless under the bridges.

It was a fun experience meeting new people. I made the most of it. The best part were the musicians! They were excellent in players and lots of Fun! Thanks again to the trio!

I am glad that I did this. Just wish I knew then what I have shared. Since it would have made such a huge difference. Enjoy...

My mom and I went on the wine train ride from Nashville to Watertown. Plenty of parking on-site and attendants to direct traffic. While the train didn't leave until 10am, we arrived at 9am and there was already a ton of people parked and boarding the train. Also, they do not open the bathrooms on the train until the train starts moving. There are two toilets in the museum/ waiting area and we waited in line for 45 minutes to use the bathroom before boarding the train. So either arrive earlier or stop at a gas station and use the bathroom before parking. The boarding process was easy and pretty straightforward. We were in car 4711 towards the engine and furthest from the dining/ snack car. There are 4 seats grouped together, so you will be facing another couple if you don't have 4 people in your group. Each seat had some paperwork about Watertown, the wine list, and a wine glass to keep as a souvenir. The trip to Watertown took about 2 hours and during that time our hostess gave us 13 very small samples of Delmonaco wines. She was very kind and knowledgeable and explained in detail the scents and tastes of each wine. The trip to Watertown was very enjoyable (probably because we were all a bit buzzed). When we got to the town there were few amenities. A couple of boutiques, an archives museum, Mexican restaurant, meat and 3 restaurant, coffee shop, library, the Delmonaco restaurant, and a BBQ food truck. We opted to eat at the food truck and sit at one of the many benches surrounding the downtown square. After lunch, we made our way to the Delmonaco store where they had a live band and seating outdoors. There was unfortunately not enough seats for everyone. And many people were sitting on the grass, nearby rocks, and random structures. You are also able to purchase wine from the Delmonaco store to drink on the train ride back or save and take home. They recommended purchasing the wine immediately upon arrival to Watertown because of the long lines. We boarded the train at 2:30pm and left at 2:45pm. On the way back to Nashville, which took about 2.5 hrs, there was no entertainment so most of the passengers took naps or played on their phones. Overall, for $80 a person it was a bit lackluster, but I do recommend going on this adventure at least once. The wine was delicious (my favorite was the blackberry) and it was very fun to ride on a train! However, I do wish there were more food choices in Watertown and some kind of entertainment on the train going back...