Take The Train From Mineola And Avoid The Drama
You've seen the headlines from across the country of flights being delayed or cancelled for a ton of reasons (depending on who you ask) and let's face it, driving in Texas is an adventure in itself. With everyone itching to get back outside in these pandemic times I always try to find an alternative to the nonsense so I don't succumb to the madness.
Last year, we went on a camping road trip to Colorado early in the summer because we felt like it was the safest way to travel in the height of the pandemic and it proved to be a great call. At this exact same time last year we flew to Los Angeles while it was still essentially locked down and to be honest with you, IT WAS GREAT TOO! No traffic, empty beaches, it was amazing compared to if you go now.
But with an upcoming trip to Washington D.C. to see my son arriving, I decided to try something different to get to where am I going to avoid the recent craziness. I decided to take a "test trip" if you will, aboard an Amtrak train, which you can catch in East Texas in Longview and Mineola. I chose Mineola with my final destination being Temple, Texas along I-35 between Waco and Austin. Outside of "commuter trains", I never took a day long trip on a train so I was pretty excited to check it out.
Mineola is known as a "train town" from way back in the day and since you're asked to arrive 30 minutes early to catch your train, go ahead and check out the Transportation and Depot Museum on Front Street. Its a lot of cool stuff in there!
The Texas Eagle arrives and departs twice daily at 9:25 AM going to Dallas and all points west and 5:15 PM heading towards Shreveport and destinations due east. Now be mindful that trains can be delayed like every other form of travel. My train was an hour late but I still arrived to my destination on time! Spacious seats and gorgeous views made for a very enjoyable ride along the Texas countryside.
By the way, this trip only cost me $34!
Check out some photos in our gallery below!