Mt Dora & Lake Eustis Railway

was going to go do this, called to see if they were still in operation, no answer. Checked and found out via Wikipedia that **they’re no longer in operation.**

I suppose a child who has never seen a train before might be curious, but on a scale of 1 – 10, these trains are 1’s. They have bought old commuter train cars from around the country and somehow got them down here. When they arrived, they are rusted hulks in need of windows, paint, chairs etc. Many came from electrified tracks. Well guess what, these tracks are not electrified. So they have to retrofit them with car engines to make them run. Track foundations are not frequently inspected by the government with sections washing away by rain and errosion. No routine maintenance is performed on tracks since it is cost prohibited. This tourist train has been leased out to several companies over the past ten years. None of them had any great success. Most of the track runs along side the road. Great scenery eh?

Here another biased review of something in Mount Dora.
My parents, brother and I took our nephews on this train ride on a beautiful day in late December. I was dreading it — a train ride with two small children and my parents. That didn’t sound like fun. At all. But, but, but… it ended up being a really good time! The train departs just outside the entrance to the Lakeside Inn and across the street from the Chamber of Commerce. It’s quite spacious with big, comfortable seats. There is no glass in the windows, so I would not recommend this on a hot, super cold, or rainy day. It was the perfect activity for the weather we had — mid seventies, sunny and breezy. The train is narrated by a nice man from Central Florida. He tells all about the history of the area and how great big shitty developers have ruined Lake County. He will then answer any questions. The ride itself is smooth and relaxing. This isn’t a high energy activity. If you’re expected MC Hammer to rap while you’re riding on the train, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re expected to. COME ON RIDE THE TRAIN. you’ll disappointed. However, if you want some pretty scenery while riding in a cool old train car, you just may be pleasantly surprised.

We stumbled upon this train line and were just in time to purchase tickets for a 1 hour 15 minute ride to Tavares and back. I had never been on a «real» train before and neither had my toddler so we paid the $ 8 per adult for the round trip ride.
A man dressed in a old time conductor uniform narrates on the trip to Tavares telling interesting tidbits on Florida history and cracking jokes. He did a good job of entertaining and educating. On the way back you get to sit back and enjoy the countryside passing by.
This day the weather was cool and the passenger car had no windows. If it had been any cooler it would have been uncomfortable. The train crawls along so I’m not sure how fun it would be in the summer without air-​conditioning. There are groups of 4 seats throughout the cabin with 2 seats facing each other. There is plenty of room and it is a comfortable ride.
We picked up a flyer and saw that they also offer all you can eat pizza rides plus various dinner options, including a 4 course evening. I didn’t see any of the dining cars this day but it might be worth checking out, it is just a few steps from the shopping of Mt. Dora.