We thought the train ride was too long because you couldn’t really see a lot along the way. We thought we would have Mountain View’s but there was none. On the left side of the train you could see views along the lake. That was nice. The rest of the way was just covered in kudzu. They really need to send crews up there to clean out all the kudzu. I will say all the staff was 100% awesome! Just so friendly and really working their hardest to make guests happy and ride the best possible. We took the premium open air gondola. It came with unlimited iced tea, a free cup and lunch. We had the non vegetarian lunch which was pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and baked beans. That was good.

My wife and I had a lively discussion when deciding if we should pay the extra money for First Class tickets. The answer is a resounding YES you should. The experience in first class is exceptional. The train ride in a 1940’s dining car along with the scenery, history lessons, lunch and adult beverages and, most of all, our guide/bartender Steve’s entertaining manner made the whole five hour excursion epic. The train ride in any car other than First Class is just a train ride and not an ‘experience’. Highly recommend it.

We did the Nantahala Gorge ride and had a fantastic time. Each rail car has its own "guide" who provides all of the services and narration. Ours was Steven and he absolutely made the trip! So many interesting things to learn on the journey. We rode in a first class car and the food, drinks, and car temperature were perfect. When you get to the turn around take the time to go step on the Appalachian Trail!

This is a wonderful half day excursion. Several options available for rail cars including open air, coach and first class. Choice of a pre-packaged box lunch or hot plate lunch. Alcoholic beverages are available for purchase. Seasonal specialty train rides like the Polar Express are appealing for children. Lots of history and the staff is amazing. Views are spectacular! Well worth the money!

Nancy Pappas was our Hostess in The First Class Adults Only Coach. She was very informative about the History of the area and the history of the train She made our trip so very enjoyable. She was a ray of sunshine with her wit and humor, always smiling, making sure we had everything we needed. She made this adventure more pleasurable than I expected!!!

We were really looking forward to this ride. Were on the moonshine tour. We sampled several moonshines and were able to order drinks. Steve was very knowledgeable and entertaining. The food, bbq was good. But save your money if you want to see anything, because all you will see is kudzu. Thanks to Steve for recommending some sites to see. We went to 3 and will get the rest next time.

We obviously had high expectations for this train ride… But like many of the other reviews, we were disappointed by the total lack of scenery, the small portions of food, the understaffed first class car… Even though our one server, Jacob was phenomenal. The ride was 4.5 hours at 20mph and it’s up and back on the same track. There was a guitarist that popped in and sang a couple songs and then was gone like the wind. It took our sever 1 hour 15 minutes to get our drink order, as he was doing everything himself in a car of 60 guests and just couldn’t keep up. This was a spur of the moment, bucket list trip, so we checked it off and will not repeat. :(

The train ride wasn’t what I expected it to be. The train car Catamount was nice, clean and great service . The scenery wasn’t there, all we saw was side of the mountain and other side was drained lake. The food wasn’t half bad.

Review on GSMRR Ticket issues but we got it resolved. Couples should always book seats on the same side of the table. (one by the window and one by the aisle) Be sure to book seats on the left side behind the engine if you want to see anything. Be aware that the river is lowered during fall and winter. A drained river is mostly dirt. The train stops at a rock quarry to get a diesel engine. That was the most interesting part of the trip. The train goes backwards after stopping at the rock quarry. It would be a better experience for everyone if they could turn the train around. The Nantahala Outdoor Center has restrooms and lots of places to watch kayakers, and a few gift shops- but not much else. I was surprised there weren’t any candy shops or ice cream shops. They could have had a lot of business from train passengers. The meal on the train was okay. We got roast beef, potatoes and gravy, green beans, and a roll. We were served lunch the first half and dessert the last half. Pumpkin cheesecake- good for those who like pumpkin. We were in a first class -adults only car. We could order adult beverages, at our expense. We got souvenir cups and a tote bag. Connie was our server and she was great! At the Bryson City station, the bathrooms were small and dirty and the lines were long. For the price of those train rides, that is a disgrace! There is a model train museum, which was the highlight of the trip for me. It was the largest model train sets I have ever seen! For the price we paid, I was very disappointed in this train ride.

This has been on our bucket list for quite some time. We took an extra day or two on a trip to be able to ride this train. The experience was good. Emily on the Natahala train car was very personable, friendly and accommodating to everyone. She made the experience pleasant. We did have some food served while on the ride. The whole experience takes about 5 hours which we thought it would be less time. It goes to the Natahala Gorge, then comes back with a stop at the Natahala Outdoor Center for an hour. Wish we had more time to explore the town of Bryson City. We saw some leaf changes which was nice.