A Vintage Train Experience Brings "Old Hollywood" To Michigan

Who wants to go on an old-fashioned train experience?

Growing up, I would watch Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Mission Impossible. In those movies, the train scenes were iconic. It made little Lisha want to travel on a luxury train so badly.

Now, I (and all Michiganders) can experience this experience.

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The Indiana Rail Experience is bringing the Tri-State Scenic Steam Excursion for this exact reason.

The Tri-State Scenic Steam Excursion will be an all-day trip on October 1st that takes travelers between Edon, Ohio, and southeastern Michigan.

During the trip, there is a three-hour layover in the historic downtown area of Hillside, Michigan.

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The train leaves at 9:00 AM and will arrive in Hillsdale by lunchtime so travelers can visit the local farmers' market, go on a walking tour of the city and/or enjoy lunch at any of the restaurants in town.

Credit: Canva

What should I expect?

According to the Indiana Rail Experience's website, all of their train rides are an "experience."

"Our events are meant to be sensory experiences - from the onboard accommodations and food service to the dramatic sights and sounds of a historic locomotive pulling the train. Passengers can enjoy standard accommodations in our open window coach or regular deluxe coach classes, or opt for a special experience on our open-air car or within our first-class lounge cars straight out of the 1940s and 50s."

Starting at $79 for the open window coach section of the train, travelers will experience the vintage train in style.

If this experience sounds like a fun time for you, your significant other, or the whole family, sign up for their waitlist to be notified when the ticket sales start on July 20th.

Check Out Michigan's Last Pre-1940's Great Lake Railroad Car Ferry

Before big bridges like the Mighty Mac, it was once harder to travel between one peninsula and the other. If you were lucky enough to own a car during this time period or wanted to travel between the two different peninsulas, you'd probably took a boat. The only other way would be to drive through Wisconsin to get to the U.P. This is one of Michigan's last pre-1940's Great Lakes Railroad Car ferry, which would transfer cars and people from one part of the state to another.