By Piccola New Yorker

The magic of trains in tailor-made adventures for kids

Traveling by classic train evokes a sense of nostalgia and adventure. If you are in New York City with kids and would like to experience a magical getaway, The Ethan Allen Express is 111% guaranteed fun for all family members. The Ethan Allen Express leaves from New York Penn Station and follows the Hudson River, making stops in upstate New York and southern Vermont, arriving in Rutland close to six hours later.

First things first: Here are some important tips to remember when traveling with kids on trains, brought to you by Amtrak. Welcome aboard, everyone! We wish you all a nice train trip.

The fun has just begun

Enjoy a virtual taste of this fantastic trip

Then watch this video, a true sensorial experience. It is a compilation of 63 shots of the Vermonter and Ethan Allen Express in all 36 Vermont towns the two trains pass through. From Vernon to Saint Albans and Fair Haven to Rutland, enjoy the sights, sounds and scenery of the two trains passing through the Green Mountain State during the late spring and summer months, as well as a visit from the Exhibit Train and a shot of the Adirondack from across Lake Champlain. Click here to pull up a map of all video shots on your screen.

Sweet yummy fun

Some of Vermont’s tours and experiential visits seem tailor-made for children. Try a factory tour at Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream for a bird’s-eye view of the production room and get a taste of the flavor of the day. Lake Champlain Chocolates takes you behind the scenes too, as does the Maple Grove Maple Museum where you can see maple syrup and candies being made. For another kind of treat, the entertaining tour of The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory follows the entire process from cutting, sewing, and assembly, to stuffing and dressing.

Traveling & Learning

Any number of how and why questions can be answered at Vermont museums that cater specifically to children. See our recommendations, and don’t forget the Shelburne Museum, where kids love exploring a 220-foot long steamboat that once carried people and freight in high style. There’s also exciting Revolutionary War history at many Vermont State Historic Sites. Don't forget the premiere science center, ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, which offers over 100 family experiences, 70 live species.

Vermont also welcomes families with attractions designed for loads of outdoor fun. Take a whole day at Bromley to enjoy the zip line, giant swing, water & alpine slides, and bumper boats. There’s an alpine slide at Stowe, too. Combined with their trampoline, climbing wall, obstacle course and Gondola Skyride, Stowe is bound to please.

For a different sort of outdoor exploration, there are countless pick-your-own farms where, depending on the season, you can pick berries, apples, pumpkins, and even your own Christmas tree. Corn mazes are the latest in great family fun. What could be more memorable than winding down paths flanked by 10-foot tall cornstalks at the Great Vermont Corn Maze? For information about family-friendly farms, click here.

It’s a never-ending fun journey

For bigger views, your kids can explore Vermont by train or boat, on horseback, by wagon or sleigh, or even with llamas. Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe offers sleigh rides, and you'll find horseback riding in all parts of the state. Take the Green Mountain Flyer Train in southeastern Vermont or special excursions in the Champlain Valley. To get out on North America’s sixth-largest lake, take a Lake Champlain Ferry ride from any of five Lake Champlain towns, or head out on a boat excursion out of Burlington and Shoreham. Want more? How about an underwater tour without getting wet? Check out the Shipwreck Tours in Burlington or the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

As you can see, The Ethan Allen Express leaving from New York Penn Station is a never-ending adventure of fun, history, culture, attractions, and learning for both kids and grownups. For detailed info and booking, click here.

The Ethan Allen Express leaves from New York Penn Station and follows the Hudson River

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