Roaring Camp — Attraction in Scotts Valley

These people do great work and have heartfelt intentions for their regular campers. As a visitor while attending a nearby concert, my friends and I were not given such care and consideration. Upon arrival and check-in we were informed that there would be dinner served that night (a welcome accomodation that we were not expecting) and stories of the chef's prowess and use of natural foods were shared. So of course after the show, we held off purchasing a final meal in anticipation of theirs. But when we returned to the campsite, there was no food to be had! We heard two versions of how this came to be: that the chef simply didn't feel like cooking that night, and more surprisingly, that there was never an offer of food to begin with! At the location where we had previously been informed that the food would be served, we found a staffperson readily involved in the use of the facility cookware and equipment, creating an aromatic and tortorous wafting cloud of scrumptiousness, but alas, this was for her own and a waiting friends' personal consumption. We were told there would be breakfast served there in the morning. We all went to bed hungry that night, eating what crumbs remained of our travel food. We were kindly offered a small quantity of food from passersby who shared our plight, but declined as they were obviously in the same predicament as we (5 people sharing 2 hot dogs was not going to satiate any of us). In the morning, we found that breakfast consisted of some stale fruits and coffee or tea that had been set out for sale, and we were begrudgingly offered a bagel and cream cheese from the woman we met the previous night when I asked if there was more to be had. I purchased three toasted bagels at the ridiculous price she stated, and while I will acknowledge that she slathered on a considerable amount of cream cheese, we received exactly two of the bagels before she stopped serving us and focused her attention on the breakfast she was making for herself and a few of her friends nearby. Being too kind to argue and not wanting to spoil the festival vibe for everyone by creating a scene, we returned to our tents, packed, and left. While we were not openly shown disdain, we were (for whatever reason) made to feel as an unwelcome burden. I wouldn't have minded if there had been no mention of food at all; I can certainly plan ahead for my own sustenance. But to inform there would be food available and then not deliver... who does that? I'll return to the concert venue, but never this encampment. Nourishing food is detrimental to all humans' health and well-being; it is too vital a basic need to be taken lightly or leveraged, especially when bodies are depleted after a full night of music and dancing. Even though they are vegetarian, these people obviously have some kind of beef when it comes to serving food. Just don't promise what you can't, or...

Minus 1 star explained below, but everything about this place is really neat. It's full of history and fun activities for people of all ages. Our family was so impressed that we're already planning our next visit and are hoping to throw our young son's next birthday party there. This is one of those places where time has sort of stopped when you cross the bridge from the parking lot. All of the employees that we encountered were really nice and it seemed like everyone really actually enjoyed working there. Obviously we'll be going back and I would recommend this place to anyone who even remotely enjoys history and/or trains.

I really want to give this place 5 stars because I think it's a super awesome place and my entire family had a blast but I have to drop a star for lack of information provided both before and after booking tickets on their website.

I purchased tickets for their special Father's Day train/BBQ combo. We chose the last train (3:30p) due to time constraints with not being able to leave San Jose before 2:15p. Only after booking was it communicated that passengers were expected to arrive at least 45 min prior to departure time. This cut our timing really close but thankfully traffic was light and we arrived right around 2:45. After waiting in line to check in and get our tickets, it was right about 3p. We were only then informed that the BBQ closed at 3p an we'd have to run right over to try to get food before they closed!! We had planned to eat after the train ride and already had snacks in the car on the way over. Needless to say, after paying an extra $21/person for the BBQ, we weren't just going to let it go to waste. We hurried over to check it out and were able to get some lukewarm leftovers. We ate about half and had to throw the rest away to get over to get on the train. Apparently we weren't the only ones who weren't aware of the timing of the BBQ and a few folks on the train actually hadn't had the chance to eat. They ended up keeping the BBQ open for them to eat after... Hopefully it was hotter than what we got.

All things aside, we can't wait to go back (the whole...

“Treat yourself to an evening of fun and relaxation at Roaring Camp's Moonlight Dinner Train Party.” It’s not that it wasn’t fun, but Roaring Camp could avoid disappointment by offering truth in their advertising. I booked two tickets for an evening of celebration for my husband’s birthday. “Start with a hearty barbecue chicken and steak dinner . . .” there was no chicken! I love barbecue chicken and was looking forward to it. My husband is the steak lover, but he said it was a very cheap cut of steak. “… followed by a leisurely train ride aboard vintage railway cars.” They oversell tickets and really cram you on! We barely found seats, and not together, for our “romantic” moonlight ride. The steam engine is cool. The redwood trees are incredible. Kudos to Conductor George who was informative, educational, and funny. “The steam train stops atop Bear Mountain to a glowing campfire, hot cider and musical entertainment.” They should have said the steam train stops for 10 minutes. Grab your cider, swill it, use the restroom and get back on board! “Upon returning to Roaring Camp, hot apple pie and a live band band await you. Get into the swing of things by line dancing or two-stepping the night away.” The hot apple pie was served with dinner before the ride. When we asked if it would also be served after dinner, the two-word response was “all beforehand.” I was still full. The live band was also before the train ride. We did enjoy a line dance lesson, but again, before the train ride, not after. After the ride, all of the participants formed a long line to get marshmallows to roast over one single fire the size of backyard fire pit. That looked a little dangerous. We decided to skip it. Seeing two types of night herons on the pond and hearing a frog ribbit on our way out was a treat. I’d recommend you book a ride on a vintage steam train and see the redwoods, but I’d skip the dinner and party. Pack a picnic or dine out...