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One of the greatest things about visiting San Francisco is the being near to some fantastic attractions. You can lodge in one city yet visit several. You get not only the conveniences of the city, but the beauty of nature is not far away from almost any spot within the city. In fact, a short train ride will take you quickly to some nearby attractions that are definitely worth checking out.

One of the first train tours I want to mention is not only a train tour but a bus and train tour. This trip goes from San Francisco to Yosemite Park. This excursion involves transfers back and forth from bus to train but offers some stunning scenery and the ability to enjoy it without the anxiety of driving, rest stops and the need to stretch your legs.

Sometimes a little inconvenience is worth a lot more convenience later in your trip. The train portion of the tour lasts about three hours and you get to spend three hours in Yosemite. For some it is not worth the hassle and for others it is just what the doctor ordered – time to rest and relax while on the way. This is by far the most complicated of the train tours heading out of San Francisco.

The second tour is to wine country. The beauty of these tours is in the fact that you can enjoy your wine tasting experience without the anxiety of who is going to drive. Everyone in your group can enjoy the outing equally. Even more than that however, is that many companies have made the train ride itself more the event than the wine tasting.

With offerings such as four course meals and Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre for your entertainment it is no wonder that this has become an event of choice for many excursionists to San Francisco. Although this may be a more than somewhat pricey alternative, it is well worth the cost. You can always cut costs elsewhere in San Francisco to make up for the expenditure.

Roaring Camp Railroads offers two train rides that are both equally tempting in vastly different ways. The first is a excursion back in time. This is probably my preference. On this trip you travel to the top of Bear Mountain while listening to tales about Roaring Camp’s part. This train tour lasts for an hour and is great fun, especially for the little ones.

The second event by Roaring Camp Railroads is the Beach Train, which will transfer you to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The round excursion from Roaring Camp to Santa Cruz and back is about three hours and well worth every penny if you have a future engineer among your children.

Perhaps the most magical of train excursions is the Christmas Train trip from Oakdale. This tour includes Santa, his elves and a little Christmas magic. What more could you ask for? Well, I suppose that that depends on whether you made the naughty list or the nice list. This train ride is magic for everyone that joins it, young and old alike will enjoy the magic that only Christmas can bring.

Whether you are a big kid, a little kid, or somewhere in between, I am ready to wager that the magic of a train ride has not been totally lost over the years. In fact, I am willing to bet that if you allow yourself to sit back and just enjoy yourself, you will enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of subjects, but is presently occupied with American Flyer Train Sets. If you would like to know more about train sets for kids, please go over to our website for some great offers.