My Old Kentucky Dinner Train — Restaurant in Bardstown

Entering the station there are nice little tables to sit at and a cash bar where you can get drinks while waiting to board. There's also a nice gift shop that sells a lot of nice gifts and souvenirs. It's also open an hour afterwards. SIDE NOTE get there early or you will not get a table. Many people had to stand and wait.* While entering the train, the dining tables were decked out in beautiful colors and set up with salads, ham, a biscuit, and berry plates. We sat down at our table, and thankfully, we were seated with a very nice young couple. The "Murder Mystery" started, and it was ok, but the story was a little jumbled. In a world where murder/mystery is something I personally love to solve, it wasn't the best story, but it was still a cool experience. SIDE NOTE: If you're not a fan of tight spaces or claustrophobic, this is something you may want to reconsider. The train ride is almost 2 hours, and the bathroom is tiny. Not to mention, if you do go, you're on a train, and it's not easy to maneuver. However, that's part of the experience and I went to the bathroom when the train stopped to head back to the station 😊. The train ride is very nice & there are points of interest, but you'll need to pay attention to the card they give you to know what is what as they do not announce anything about them. I will say I was very impressed with the servers and how they were able to walk up and down the isles to serve food/drinks while on a moving train. The salad was good, but you only got poppyseed dressing. I'm usually ok with it, but this was very sweet so I just used salt/pepper. The ham they specialize in is also very sweet. My husband pre-ordered our meals when he reserved our tickets, and we both ordered the prime rib, which was incredible! It was served with a big baked potato (which I can't eat but gave to my husband)and delicious zucchini and squash. It has a horseradish crust, was extremely tender, and plentiful! Also, if you don't finish they do give you carry out boxes. My only problem is that I can't have sugar & I eat very low carb. My husband was excited about surprising me with a sugar-free dessert (not low-carb, but it was a special occasion) by the time we got to the desserts, the waitress told us that the sugar free dessert was removed because people didn't like it and they replaced it with a gluten-free option. Gluten-free is great, BUT if you can't have sugar, this is pointless. She said that she'll find me something good. I ended up with a cup of fruit?!?!? this is the only reason I gave them 4 stars on the food If you're diabetic (I'm in type 2 remission) you know that fruit is still loaded with natural sugars that spike your blood sugar. I was treating myself with the meal as is, but that's NOT what we paid almost $400 for. To some, this may sound silly, but if you cut out sugar (which is not as easy as you think since everything has sugar in it these days) and you actually find a place to dine with a sugar free option is rare! The couple at our table looked at it, and the lady said, "My niece is a type 1, and she can't have fruit like that." If someone who I just met knows that, why wouldn't anyone in food service understand that? Why wouldn't they contact us prior to arriving to let us know? It's just very disappointing. My husband was so excited about finding it for me, and he was ready to dispute the charge for the dessert. Again, if you know how rare it is to find, you know. If you prepay you still get an itemized bill. Make sure you double check your bill. The couple received a bill of $.01 balance to pay lol ?? Gratuity is not included, so make sure you tip. The servers work hard and they were...

Immerse yourself in an experience that takes you on a fine dining journey you will remember for a lifetime. My Old Kentucky Dinner Train features two beautifully restored 1940's vintage dining cars, which are pulled by two 1950's F-unit locomotives. During your two and a half-hour excursion through the beautiful Kentucky countryside you will be served a delicious meal prepared while in route, by our executive chef in our kitchen car. The traditional tables of four are perfect for conversation yet cozy enough for privacy. My Old Kentucky Dinner Train operates year-round on varied schedules.

Bardstown railroad branch was originally constructed by The Bardstown and Louisville Railroad in 1860. Subsequently, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad purchased the line at a foreclosure sale in 1864. R. J. Corman Railroad Company purchased the 20-mile branch from CSX Transportation in 1987 and developed the Dinner Train, which had its inaugural run in 1988. In addition to the Dinner Train, the railroad provides freight service to local industries. Limestone Depot The depot was constructed in 1860 and was used as a freight and passenger depot until 1953, when passenger service was discontinued on this portion of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. The depot is constructed of native limestone and is the last remaining “dry-laid” limestone depot in the state of Kentucky. Because of its historical significance, the depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original freight portion of the depot has been preserved intact as much as possible, while the passenger portion was demolished in 1953. A new waiting room addition was constructed in 1992. Dining Cars The three cars of the dinner train are all steel-skirted cars built by the Budd Company in the late 1940s after World War II. They have been refurbished extensively by R. J. Corman Railroad Company, far exceeding the original interior design. The RJC-007 was built for the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1941 as a 54-seat day coach. The RJC-021, built in 1948, was used on the El Capitan train by the Santa Fe Railroad and has been outfitted with the most up-to-date equipment to serve as our kitchen car. The RJC-777 was refurbished and added to the dinner train in May of 1992.

The depot is beautiful in the summer time with flowers

Arrive early

The train travels through the Nelson County countryside. Passing Many distilleries.

It goes right by Olde Stillhouse distillery at the the Deatsville L and N train depot and junction

An historic train depot complete with a L and N car and waiting area. It cruises through some of Bernheim forests outer property

Closing in on the Jim Beam Distillery near the end of the tracks .

Goes through multiple crossing with flashing lights And then retraces it’s path.

Choice an excursion right for you Buy a ticket in advance

Visit the depot with lots of parking .

Just down the road is the town Square of Bardstown .

The historic district with Shopping and bourbon bars and...

I heard of My Old Kentucky Dinner Train through a friend who had seen it online. I saw the murder mystery dinner and it seemed like it was right up my alley so I decided to plan a trip to Kentucky for my upcoming birthday. We paid over $600 for the dinner, the train ride, and a private table for two. We drove 6 hours to Bardstown, only to find, despite the number of hotels in the area, that there was nothing to do in the city but wait until our train ride the next day. I was still very excited. Then, when we got on the train, we found that we had both been seated on the same side of the table. I couldn't move to the other side because the table had already been set with cutlery, glasses, appetizers, and salad. I'm a big guy, so I had to sit with my shoulders hunched together so as to not crowd the aisle or my dinner guest. I was unsuccessful and ended up crowding both. I was still excited for the murder mystery, but when the director/writer/actor started addressing the diners, I realized that he was doing so from behind us. They had seated us on the side of the table facing away from where the action was taking place. I was still looking forward to the scenery and what I had been told would be a 5 star meal. The scenery turned out to be a few historical buildings, regular homes, and the woods. They weren't even interesting woods. They were just trees growing right up to the tracks. Then there was the dinner. I don't drink alcohol, so my only beverage options were water and unsweetened tea. The salad, appetizer, and tres leches cake were quite good. We paid extra for the charcuterie board and for the shrimp skewers and they were also good. My entrée wasn't great. My asparagus was overcooked and woody. I had to ask the waitress for paper napkins so I had a place to discreetly spit it out because I was unable to swallow it. My rice was overcooked. My fish, while cooked well, just had a drab sort of breading that was pretty soft. The flavors were good. I went to culinary school and have been told that my standards are too high when it comes to food, so do with that what you will. Our waitress was charming and attentive and I hope the tip I left her was adequate. The suggested tip amounts on the bill included the cost of the train tickets, which seems insane. If you live nearby or are going through the area, check out their website. They may have something to interest you.

I have now spoken with a representative of My Old Kentucky Dinner Train about my experience. She was unsure why I and my dinner guest were seated on the same side of the table and assured me that that's not standard practice. She thanked me for my feedback and did seem to take...