Everything about fall in Ohio makes me want to get outside and explore.
From the stunning fall foliage to the ever-growing list of family-friendly fall festivals and events, it’s hard to imagine a more idyllic time of year in Ohio. If you’re looking for a unique way to take in the fall colors or celebrate the season, I’ve got a suggestion.
Ohio has some fantastic train rides out there, just waiting for you to hop aboard for a good time. From smaller trains geared towards kids, to full-blown fancy train cars, there are so many seasonal train rides to choose from. Dates and prices below come from each railroad’s own page as of October 1. Only one runs into November: the Hocking Valley train’s last fall trip is November 1.
| Train | Where (drive from Columbus) | 2026 fall dates | Ride length | Tickets |
| Hocking Valley Scenic Railway | Nelsonville (about 1 hr) | Thu–Sun in October, plus Nov. 1 | About 2 hrs | $22 adult, $17 child |
| Zanesville & Western Pumpkin Patch Express | Mt. Perry (about 50 min) | Sat–Sun, Oct. 3–25, noon to 4 p.m. | About 40 min | $10 adult, $7 child |
| Ohio Railway Museum Pumpkin Patch Express | Worthington | Sat–Sun, Oct. 10–25, 11:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. | About 45 min | $15, ages 2 and up |
| LM&M Railroad Pumpkin Express | Lebanon (about 1 hr 15 min) | Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 | 1 hr 45 min with stop | From $24 |
| Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Fall Scenic | Peninsula, Independence or Akron (about 2 hrs) | October, extra Fri–Sat departures | 2 hrs Express or 3 hr 40 min Classic | $26–$39 |
| Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Halloween Express | Findlay (about 1 hr 45 min) | Fri–Sat, Sept. 25–Oct. 31, 6:30–9 p.m. | Short loop | $3 adult, $2 child |
| Lorain & West Virginia Railway Fall Foliage | Wellington (about 1 hr 45 min) | Sat–Sun, Oct. 3–4, 10–11, 17–18, 1:30 p.m. | 35–50 min | From $16.95 adult |
Zanesville & Western Scenic Railroad Pumpkin Patch Express
This is the closest fall train to Columbus that isn’t a museum loop, about 50 minutes east in Mt. Perry. The Pumpkin Patch Express runs every Saturday and Sunday in October through the 25th, noon to 4 p.m., with a train leaving on the hour. The ride is about 40 minutes out and back through Perry County woods and farmland, in a vintage enclosed coach or the open-air bench car, and it stops at a pumpkin patch on the way. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for kids 3 to 13, and free for 2 and under. Dogs are welcome. The depot is at 5700 State Route 204 in Mt. Perry; park across the road at 5705.
Website: Zanesville & Western Scenic Railroad
The Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad (LM&M Railroad)
LM&M Railroad offers historic train rides in Warren County, Ohio, departing from downtown Lebanon. Get cozy in a vintage passenger car while the historic diesel locomotive whisks you through the countryside. The fall ride is the Pumpkin Express, running October 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31. It’s about an hour and 45 minutes total: an hour on the train, then a 45-minute stop at the Lebanon Sports Complex with a Hocus Pocus character show, face painting, inflatables, and fall treats. Every ticketed rider goes home with a small pumpkin. Tickets start at $24 in the open-window coach and $29 in the deluxe coach, and infants under 2 are $10. Trains leave from the depot at 16 E. South St. in Lebanon.
Website: The Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad (LM&M Railroad)
Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc.
Looking to take the kids on their first train experience? This Findlay volunteer group runs quarter-scale trains, and its Halloween Express is a non-scary nighttime loop past the Halloween decorations. It runs Fridays and Saturdays from September 25 through October 31, 6:30 to 9 p.m., and admission is $3 for adults and $2 for kids 12 and under. If evenings don’t work, the daytime Pumpkin Train (Saturdays and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m., September 19 through October 25) hauls you out to the pumpkin patch and brings your pumpkin back on its own flatcar. Pumpkins cost extra.
Website: Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Fall Scenic
There is, perhaps, no fall train more iconic in the state of Ohio than the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s fall excursion, aka the Fall Scenic. There are two ways to ride it. The Express leaves from the Peninsula depot and runs about two hours round trip, which is the one to book with small kids. The Classic leaves from Rockside in Independence or the Northside depot in downtown Akron and takes about 3 hours and 40 minutes for the full 24-mile loop. Tickets run $26 to $39 per person, and the railroad adds extra Friday and Saturday departures for leaf season. Heads up if you board at Rockside: bridge construction means parking at Lock 39 and walking over.
Website: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
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Pumpkin Patch Express at the Ohio Railway Museum
The Worthington museum runs its Pumpkin Patch Express on three October weekends: the 10th and 11th, the 17th and 18th, and the 24th and 25th. Gates open at 10:45 a.m., and six trains leave an hour apart from 11:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., with 40 seats on each. The ride is a 45-minute round trip out to the pumpkin patch, and every kid from 2 to 13 picks a pumpkin that’s included with the ticket. Tickets are $15 per person for ages 2 and up. Back at the museum there’s trick-or-treating and games. Costumes are expected, and the museum says nothing about the day is scary. The museum is at 990 Proprietors Road in Worthington.
Website: Ohio Railway Museum
Hocking Valley Scenic Railway
Want to see a side of southeastern Ohio you’ve never seen before? I highly recommend spending a little time riding the rails of the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway. The fall foliage trains run Thursday through Sunday all October, plus November 1, out of the Nelsonville depot at 33 W. Canal St., about an hour from Columbus. Weekday trips leave at 1 p.m.; weekends have an 11 a.m. and a 2:30 p.m. departure. The round trip to East Logan takes about two hours, with heated coaches and open-air cars when the weather allows. Tickets are $22 for adults, $17 for kids 3 to 12, and $20 for seniors and military. Tickets on this train sell out, so book early.
Website: Hocking Valley Scenic Railway
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Lorain & West Virginia Railway Fall Foliage Trains
Wellington is a haul from Columbus, about an hour and 45 minutes northeast, so this one pairs well with a Lake Erie weekend. The all-volunteer Lorain & West Virginia Railway runs fall foliage trains three October weekends (Oct. 3–4, 10–11, and 17–18) at 1:30 p.m. Track work has the trip trimmed to about two miles north and back, 35 to 50 minutes, so treat it as a short vintage ride rather than a scenic marathon. On October 4 and 10 there’s also a 3:30 p.m. Pumpkin Patch Limited that stops in the woods so everyone can pick a pumpkin, and the pumpkin is included in the ticket. Adult tickets for the foliage trains are $16.95 in the coach and $22.60 in the caboose, with discounts for kids and seniors, and they’re sold online or at the station. Trains leave from 46485 State Route 18. The equipment is historic and not wheelchair accessible.
Website: Lorain & West Virginia Railway
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