Roaring Camp Railroads, Santa Cruz

GREAT!! A must do for families and individuals. Make sure you buy your tickets online and check in and pickup your boarding pass before boarding the train. We had to wait for several people to get off the train and go do this. The staff are friendly and Charles the Conductor provided full time education and entertainment. Thank you to him, Doug the engineer and George the steam guy(maintained the steam was at the right levels to keep the engine going). The tour was about 90 minutes and they take you through the beautiful Coastal Redwood trees hundreds of years old. They let you get off for about 8 minutes while they prepare the train for the return ride. The roots of these magnificent trees could go for thousands of years. The information provided on the regeneration of these trees and their ability to be fire retardant was fascinating. They offer a place to recharge with food, drinks and ice cream. Overall an excellent experience! It’s pricey like $100 for 2 adults and parking but worth it!

Wedding Day at Roaring Camp. See pics. Beautiful. I’ve never been here before, but what a cool experience! The wedding guests arrived and strolled through Roaring Camp until the wedding train was ready for boarding. Then we got on our private train and took a ride through the redwood forest to a small wooded clearing where a fairy tale ceremony took place. The weather was perfect, but perhaps I needed a warmer coat. This really was something to remember. After some champagne and pics we all boarded the train and headed back to Roaring Camp, where we attended the reception in Bret Harte Hall. By that time, Roaring Camp had closed to regular guests and the wedding attendees had the entire town privately. Very cool.