Arkansas & Missouri Railroad - Springdale, Arkansas

Connor T.

We really enjoyed our train trip. It was originally supposed to be the 8 hour ride to Van Buren, but weather posed a severe storm threat. Instead of canceling the trip, they changed the itinerary to the 3-4 hour round trip to Winslow. It was fantastic. The staff was attentive and I feel like they fed us way more than maybe they normally do. Scenery was interesting and nice to gaze at. However, consider bringing some games if you're on a longer trip.

Duane N.

Nice train ride from Springdale, AR to Van Buren, AR, and back. Very scenic. Three hour stopover in Van Buren could have been shorter as there was not much to see or do close to the station. Fortunately, there was a jeep show that helped! There are a couple of nice restaurants in town. We ate at, and recommend, Pasta Grill.

Megan D.

The experience gave us the answers we sought. We can handle a large train trip through the west mountains and landscapes. Just need room to be able to move around more on the ride. Circulation! Staff members (Jett) were informative pointing out sites sharing history along the ride to Van Buren. Van Buren is quaint. Boutique Shops & treasures to be found. Marvelous bookstore which is also a Wonderful Coffee Shop! Wish we saw more. There was a Jeep show in the middle of town. Very very nice people!

Jill C.

We took the trip from Springdale to Van Buren and had a wonderful time. Before ever leaving Springdale, we were able to visit the train museum and learn how the railroad has played such an important part in American history from the Orphan train to Presidential Whistle Stops. Lots to look at! We were boarded with the traditional conductor's whistle onto the classic car (we didn't pay for the upgrade) and loved just how clean and period correct everything felt. Seats were very comfortable for the 3 hour trip to Van Buren and we were treated to a narrative as we passed interesting sites along the way. Tunnels, tressles and amazing scenery - this trip has everything you want in a train ride. The station in Van Buren is in the heart of downtown with plenty of food and shopping options available. We had about 3 hours there before re-boarding for the trip back. We went the weekend of the Van Buren Steampunk Festival and had the best time at the festival. Great costumes, amazing food, games, vendors - everything you could ask for in a day's entertainment. We shopped the antique stores, picked up a couple of coffees at the bookstore and we were never bored for a moment. A full day's entertainment for not much money. And yes, America looks different by rail - a day well spent.

Jonathan P.

I don't think the ride itself was bad. The main reason for giving 3 stars comes down to value. We bought two tickets on the silver feather car. After tax it was almost $250 for two people. If we would have paid half that I would have rated it higher. We definitely felt a little let down by the whole experience.

The first disappointment was the ride definitely favors one side of the train, I believe the side facing east. The views were much better. So we had duck down pretty low to see out the windows on the other side of the train and couldn't really take pictures because other people were sitting at the tables. That would have been fine for first part of the ride but when we went upstairs in the dome for the return trip, we were on the same side. They should not only switch top and bottom but also switch the sides so everyone gets a window view of each side.

Then we were slightly disappointed with Van Buren. There really wasn't much to do or see. The 3 hours there was more than enough to see all the shops and have lunch. Nothing against Van Buren, just wasn't very exciting.

The breakfast and lunch was meh but I really wasn't expecting anything spectacular. The staff was fairly nice. And the train was what you would expect for something that is probably over half a century old.

One thing that is out of the railroads control but was really disappointing was the amount of junk and trash we saw along the trip. Not only litter but we saw so many properties that were just overtaken with trash and junk. Was a little sad to see such a lack of respect for nature and to see so many people's properties looking like junk yards and dumps.

Again, it wasn't a horrible experience, just didn't seem worth what we paid. Can't see us every doing any more trips with them.

Sue W.

My sister and I planned a trip to take our 92 year old mom for the train ride from Springdale to Van Buren. Staff were very helpful in providing ADA accommodations. Our "guys", Mike and Caleb, treated us like royalty. Interesting history and humorous stories kept us entertained to Van Buren. We strolled the downtown area and enjoyed friendly visits with local merchants.

We had decided to spend the night in Van Buren to keep our mom from tiring too much. Hotel accommodations were just short Uber rides away. Comfort Inn was very pleasant, well kept and reasonably priced. It was just a parking lot away from Malco Movie theater, so we ended the day with a movie.

The next morning we Ubered back to Van Buren to catch the train back to Springdale. All the railroad we employees we encountered made us feel like they were there just to take care of us.

Downtown Van Buren is a picturesque area and the area around the depot is lovely and relaxing. Our ONLY disappointment was few places were open on Sunday for us to browse between hotel check out and train departure times.

Mike and Caleb fussed over us again on the return trip, making sure we were fed and asking us about our time in town the day before.

I look forward to repeating the experience!

Karen V.

It was a nice train ride
Our Conductor, Chaplin Mike provided interesting and historical information along our trip
The Dome seating was a little tight Hard to get good pictures with guests sitting so close by Also hard to get good pictures with the glare off dome windows
The scenery was beautiful
We saw old town, farms, Frog Bayou River and some water running down the rocks
Went thru a tunnel and over tessel bridges
The servers were nice
Everyone was friendly and helpful
I think I'd like car 107 seating instead

Neil S.

The employees on the train were very friendly and informative. The ride was comfortable and relaxing. The stop in VanBuren allowed for a break in scenery to a small vintage town with an awesome Italian restaurant called Pasta Grill with superb food. The view was a little limited but yet scenic enough to enjoy the creeks, stonewalls, White river, and Boston scenic mountains. It's definitely a one-time great adventure for a train/nature enthusiast!!!!