Tennessee Central Railway Museum - Nashville, Tennessee

Rick Baur

Our very first experience. Got to say, we really enjoyed the great hospitality and train staff. Our host was very friendly and the train Chief came around and talked with us! That's the kind of customer service I appreciate. It was a train robbery and everyone did an outstanding job on their performance. The trip down and back was very nice. We have booked another trip in October. The museum was very educational and the staff greeted us with opening arms. This is a great place to visit and would strongly recommend taken a trip there.

Lindsay B

My mom and I went on the wine train ride from Nashville to Watertown. Plenty of parking on-site and attendants to direct traffic. While the train didn't leave until 10am, we arrived at 9am and there was already a ton of people parked and boarding the train. Also, they do not open the bathrooms on the train until the train starts moving. There are two toilets in the museum/ waiting area and we waited in line for 45 minutes to use the bathroom before boarding the train. So either arrive earlier or stop at a gas station and use the bathroom before parking. The boarding process was easy and pretty straightforward. We were in car 4711 towards the engine and furthest from the dining/ snack car. There are 4 seats grouped together, so you will be facing another couple if you don't have 4 people in your group. Each seat had some paperwork about Watertown, the wine list, and a wine glass to keep as a souvenir. The trip to Watertown took about 2 hours and during that time our hostess gave us 13 very small samples of Delmonaco wines. She was very kind and knowledgeable and explained in detail the scents and tastes of each wine. The trip to Watertown was very enjoyable (probably because we were all a bit buzzed). When we got to the town there were few amenities. A couple of boutiques, an archives museum, Mexican restaurant, meat and 3 restaurant, coffee shop, library, the Delmonaco restaurant, and a BBQ food truck. We opted to eat at the food truck and sit at one of the many benches surrounding the downtown square. After lunch, we made our way to the Delmonaco store where they had a live band and seating outdoors. There was unfortunately not enough seats for everyone. And many people were sitting on the grass, nearby rocks, and random structures. You are also able to purchase wine from the Delmonaco store to drink on the train ride back or save and take home. They recommended purchasing the wine immediately upon arrival to Watertown because of the long lines. We boarded the train at 2:30pm and left at 2:45pm. On the way back to Nashville, which took about 2.5 hrs, there was no entertainment so most of the passengers took naps or played on their phones. Overall, for $80 a person it was a bit lackluster, but I do recommend going on this adventure at least once. The wine was delicious (my favorite was the blackberry) and it was very fun to ride on a train! However, I do wish there were more food choices in Watertown and some kind of entertainment on the train going back to Nashville.

Kuechly Schultz

Negative Stars!

If you're excited about Oktoberfest and enjoy waiting in line for 2 hours, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, only to discover there’s no food, no Oktoberfest beer, and barely any entertainment, then this event is perfect for you. The advertised live band? They casually walked through our car, instruments in hand, but didn’t play a single note. It felt more like a taunt than a performance.

Honestly, we were expecting a fun, festive experience, but what we got instead was a nightmare. The train ride felt endless, cramped, and devoid of the joy we had hoped for. It wasn’t just the false advertising—it was the sheer frustration of being stuck in an overcrowded train, surrounded by equally disappointed passengers, with no sign of the experience we were promised.

Don’t make the same mistake we did. We spent our time and money on what we thought would be a fun Oktoberfest event, but instead, we were left feeling cheated. The worst part wasn’t just the long wait or lack of food and drinks—it was the letdown of what should have been a memorable day. We were excited, expecting something fun and festive, but what we got was a miserable journey, trapped in close quarters, wondering when it would finally end.

Please learn from our experience—save yourself the heartache and avoid this event. Tennessee Central Railway, this isn't just a bad review; it's a plea for you to respect your customers' time and money. We didn’t just want an apology—we wanted the experience we paid for, and unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

April Freeman

Great relaxed way to hang out with friends. Buy as a group to be in the same train car. Food and beverages are available at moderate cost. $ There is a gift shop on board. Bathroom facilities are available after you are underway. There is walking involved and stairs. Don't know how those in wheelchair would be accommodated. Staff is helpful and delightful. They seem to enjoy their jobs. Shout out to Shannon, Cecil, Ruben, Joe, and Sparky.

Scott Nangle

Had a Great Time!!!!
Took the "train robbery" ride to Watertown. The staff and "actors" were Awesome!!!
The ride to Watertown Very relaxing!!!

Mo Mo

I wish I would have read Google reviews before booking so I am writing one in hopes of saving someone else a wasted day. The train was clean and so was the station, that is about the only positive. We were on the Fall Foliage Tour and 6 hours looking at industrial sites and people's backyards was nothing short of excruciating. The advertisement was very misleading on water and soda being included in the ride. I require a lot of hydration and a teeny bottle was in the boxed lunch and a small 16 oz water is $2.50, as was a soda. The food for sale was just warmed up frozen food and the portions were extremely small. They were blaring music just above us during boarding so they started us off with a headache. Ted Brown, I think was the name of the volunteer on our car was angry and I didn't care to hear anything from him. He wanted to stand right over us and yell. I would not recommend getting seats in the middle of the car. Leg room is just not there. You cannot straighten your legs at all because of the seats facing each other. My favorite part was the trees on our ride to the station and on the way home, in the car.

Chris Staller

Highly recommend. Great location to step into railroading history. Also check out the model trains. We will be taking one of the excursions this summer.

Connie Hyde

I did the DelMonaco wine tasting train trip to Watertown. They had several types of wine to sample on the train ride to Watertown. They had plenty of snacks and food to eat on the train. When in Watertown there isn't much to do. You can buy whole bottles of wine from the winery and eat at one of the restaurants but be prepared to wait because the restaurants are very busy. Other then that there isn't anything in Watertown to do. Besides a few shops you can just relax and enjoy music and your wine. We were there for 3 hours before heading back. All in all it was worth the train ride and wine tasting.