Catch a Train Ride in Florida

The reason I love trains so much hit me as I walked inside the Vista-Dome car of the California Zephyr at South Miami-Dade’s Gold Coast Railroad Museum. I remembered the adventures my sister and I had traveling alone as kids from Chicago’s Union Station to Billings, Montana, to visit our grandparents on what may have been this very same car. The curvy staircase leading to the Vista-Dome, the cigarette-scented lounge and the cozy sleeperettes were all reminders of the romance of train travel.

Located near Zoo Miami, the museum is a good starting point to capture the essence of U.S. railway heritage before you venture off on a Florida train ride. The museum’s extensive collection of railcars includes the Presidential Pullman Ferdinand Magellan, used by FDR, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower; and FEC Passenger Coach #136, which evacuated Keys residents before the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Check out their impressive collection of old Miami aerial photographs, too. Admission, usually $12 for adults, is free on the first Saturday of the month. For an extra fee, you can take a train ride around the property.

Modern Train Travel

Set aside nostalgia for a look at the future of rail: the sleek Brightline station in Overtown, where you can board a fast train to Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach. At Citizens MiamiCentral, the high-tech station’s newest iteration of its food hall, you can grab Umami Burger and Cindy Lou’s Cookies for the ride. At Mary Mary, try empanadas, tequeños, panini and cocktails, wine and beer. By year’s end, Brightline will open stations in Aventura and Boca Raton and Orlando by late 2023. In the meantime, it’s a convenient way to spend a day or weekend in West Palm Beach, especially with the launch of BrightBikes, West Palm Beach’s first bike share program, located at the station. Cycle past Palm Beach mansions, take a beach break or explore West Palm Beach’s antique row and thrift stores. Bring the family or a group of friends on their special Allaboard Fare. Your well-behaved leashed dog can also ride along for a fun day of exploring.