Amtrak Unveils Free Guided Tours Program for Train Travelers
Monday, July 20th, 2009
Amtrak has partnered with the National Park Service to provide narrated, guided tours on some of its popular rail lines. The Trails & Rails program is a joint venture between the two organizations and will be operating on 12 trains across the United States. The program gives travelers the opportunity to learn about cultural landmarks and natural sites as they ride through different areas.The guides are comprised of volunteers who ride the trains to point out different landmarks and provide some insights about each destination. The tours vary depending on the itinerary, and travelers can enjoy in-depth commentary of several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, famous colonial and world heritage sites, and legends about different towns and cities. Some programs include live music, storytelling and other special performances performed by local and regional artists and performers.
National parks that are participating in the program include the: Amistad National Recreation Area, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Eerie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park, San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, Saratoga National Historic Park and the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site.
Some of the Amtrak trains participating in the Trails & Rails program include the Heartland Flyer, the Coast Starlight, the City of New Orleans, the Missouri Service and the California Zephyr. The guided tours are offered at no additional cost to all Amtrak passengers on participating routes, and the Trials and Rails program is scheduled to run through the summer 2009 travel season. Guided tours can be booked online on Amtrak.com, or through participating tour operators around the country.
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