Top ten reasons to take Amtrak on your family vacation
Background: We took the train to our vacation in St. Augustine. Our toddler boys love trains so we thought it would be an adventure. It was.
10) Seats. The seats feel like, as a friend described it, a barber’s chair. There’s a footrest, a comfy headrest and friendly people around you (with whom you sometimes even want to chat).
9) Dining car. Not that the kids sat still, but it’s a cool picture later on.
8) Conductors. Sure, they’re on commuter trains, too, but we don’t ride those much down here. And for a 3-year-old, nothing is cooler than getting your train ticket punched.
7) Windows. Kids can stare at all those trucks, cows and orange groves in Central Florida. When they start crying, point at something out the window.
6) The coffee. It's good, and helps you survive the long ride.
5) Sleeper cars. We didn’t take one (trip was seven hours), but our 3-year-old was still fascinated by them. How can you not be?
4) Café car. Another distraction, even with the spilled milk and juice.
3) Regular stops. It’s the train, so who cares if the kid is crying? If somebody can’t handle it, they can get off at the next stop.
2) No traffic. Watch the traffic jams on I-95.
1) Your kid’s face when the train pulls in: You can’t beat that.
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