Travel along tracks to a time when railroads were the preferred way to get from place to place when you board the cars of the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat. Sit back in your comfortable window seats in a vintage coach and enjoy a narrated eco-excursion along the unspoiled Connecticut River Valley. The steam locomotive pulls coaches through quintessential New England towns, and near the tidal wetlands of Pratt Cove and Chester Creek, where you might see herons, egrets, swans and, in February and March, bald eagles. Take the round trip back to historic Essex Station or, at Deep River Landing, board the Becky Thatcher, a Mississippi-style riverboat, for a Connecticut River cruise. Ask about the Essex Clipper Dinner Train for a unique fine-dining excursion. Please check our website for current train & riverboat schedules.

Excursions aboard the vintage trains at the Railroad Museum of New England are a true treat. In the winter, take the daytime Santa Express or evening Northern Lights Limited to meet with Santa and sing with elves. In the spring, there’s the Easter Bunny Express; in the fall, the Autumn Colors Limited follows the river past the bright colors of Litchfield Hills, CT. Summer means visiting and dining in Torrington, CT via the Torrington Twilight Express. Other excursions include visiting Fascia’s Chocolate Company as part of the Chocolate Decadence Tour, picking pumpkins as part of the Pumpkin Patch train; and spirit-sipping trips. In December, the North by Northwest Express includes a screening of the Hitchcock movie and a trip aboard the famous 20th Century Limited train featured in the film.