Train Tours in North Carolina

Nantahala Gorge Tour

• Located in the mountain town of Bryson City, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad offers a four-and-a-half-hour, 44-mile tour as it follows the Tuckasegee River, runs over the Fontana Lake Trestle and passes through the Nantahala River Gorge. The tour makes a one-hour sightseeing stop at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. This historic railroad offers tourists a unique way to see some of the most beautiful mountain areas of North Carolina.

  The railroad has its roots in the late 19th century, when railroads made their way around and through mountains and into tunnels built by convicts who worked "under the gun."

  Nantahala Gorge Tour
  Bryson City, NC
  (800) 872-4681

Tuckasegee River Tour

• Also offered by the Bryson City Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, the Tuckasegee River Tour lasts for four hours as the train wends its way along the Tuckasegee River, through the Cowee Tunnel and past the location where Harrison Ford starred in the movie, "The Fugitive." A one-and-a-half-hour layover allows tourists to shop and lunch in the lovely town of Dillsboro. Sometimes the Lone Ranger and Tonto come to the rescue as outlaws attack the train.

  Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and beverages including beer and wine, are available in the concession car. Guests may not carry picnic coolers of food or drinks onto the train.

  Tuckasegee River Tour
  Bryson City, NC
  (800) 872-4681

Tweetsie Railroad

• Tweetsie Railroad is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Its original name was the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad, which received its charter in 1866. Tweetsie offers tours from May through October, and helps keep alive the romance and charm of steam-powered locomotives.

  Tweetsie has been serving families for over 50 years with its Wild West train ride. The National Register of Historic Places lists the railroad, as visitors will appreciate when they see this historic train. Besides the train ride, tourists can stroll down Main Street and visit the town's jail. They can also ride on attractions at the Country Fair and Miner's Mountain.

  Tweetsie Railroad
  Highway 321
  Blowing Rock, NC 28605
  (800) 526-5740
  tweetsie.com