Halloween Train Rides in Georgia (2026)

Trains and TravelHalloween Train Rides
Written By Kelsey Cecil

Updated October 14, 2026 · 16 min read

On Halloween afternoon, the SAM Shortline carries costumed kids from Cordele to Plains, the small hometown of President Jimmy Carter, where they trick-or-treat down Main Street before riding back. It is one of two Georgia family Halloween events on the rails still ahead after October 14, and both are gentle pumpkin and costume outings; neither is a haunted ride. To compare with other states, try our nationwide pumpkin and haunted train list.

The other ride is about as far from Cordele as Georgia gets. Up in the mountains, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway runs a one-night Trick or Treat Train on Oct 31, with candy aboard and a layover for trick-or-treating at the Tennessee line. Both rides fall on Halloween night itself, so families have to pick one, and picking early helps.

The short version

  • Macon is about an hour from Cordele, where the SAM Shortline Halloween Express leaves at 3:45 PM on Oct 31 for trick-or-treating in Plains and returns about 8:45 PM. From Atlanta it is about 2 hours 15 minutes.
  • North Georgia, Atlanta and Chattanooga families can aim for the Blue Ridge Trick or Treat Train, about 1 hour 45 minutes from Atlanta and 1 hour 30 minutes from Chattanooga, leaving at 5:00 PM on Oct 31 and back around 9:00 PM.

Georgia has no haunted train on our list for 2026, so every pick here is aimed at costumes and candy rather than scares.

Watercolor of a red train car on a cliffside track heading into a dark tunnel
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

Look inside the book

A dark tunnel, a brave corgi. Bring Rally along.

In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi rides into a dark tunnel, gets a little scared, and comes out to a big bright light and happy cheers. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to a Georgia pumpkin train.

Page 1 of 8

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

Like it so far? See the full book

25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.

Compare every Georgia Halloween train side by side

Every ride on this page in one table: type, dates left, the lowest posted ticket price, ride length, who it suits and whether tickets are still on sale. Tap a ride for the full details.

RideTypeDates leftTicketsLengthBest forStatus
Trick or Treat Train on the Blue Ridge Scenic RailwayBlue RidgePumpkin and costumeSat Oct 31See railroadAbout 4 hoursAll ages, toddlers welcomeOn sale
Halloween Express on the SAM ShortlineCordelePumpkin and costumeSat Oct 31From $33.99About 5 hoursAll ages, toddlers welcomeOn sale

The rest of October at a glance

When each Georgia Halloween train still runs

Oct 14Oct 21Oct 31

Pumpkin and costume ride Haunted ride Halloween night

Georgia Halloween train calendar: what runs which day

Every remaining date for every ride on this page, from today through Halloween weekend. Green is a gentle pumpkin and costume ride, blue is a haunted ride. Tap a ride to jump to its details.

Blue Ridge: Trick or Treat Train on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

Next: Sat Oct 31Best for: All ages, toddlers welcomeAbout 4 hoursDates left: Oct 31

This is a Halloween night outing in the North Georgia mountains, and it runs only once, on Oct 31. The train leaves Blue Ridge at 5:00 PM and rolls to the twin border towns of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee, where a layover of about two hours gives kids time to trick-or-treat with local merchants. Children get candy aboard, and riders vote in a People's Choice contest for the crew's costumes.

Expect to be back around 9:00 PM, well after dark and past many preschool bedtimes. The railway bills it as a family Halloween ride, not a scary one, and offers open and closed coaches. It has not published ticket prices, so call or check the operator site.

Trick or Treat Train on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway at a glance

Type
Pumpkin and costume ride: Evening family trick-or-treat train, not billed as scary
Dates left
Sat Oct 31 only
Tickets
Not sold out as of Oct 14: about 74 closed-coach and 121 open-coach seats left
Times
Departs 5:00 PM, returns about 9:00 PM
Ride length
About 4 hours, including a layover of about 2 hours in McCaysville and Copperhill
What's included
Train ride through the North Georgia countryside, candy for children aboard, a People's Choice contest for crew costumes, trick-or-treating with merchants during the layover
Price
Not published; call the railway or check the operator site
Ages and scare level
No minimum age stated; the railway calls it a family Halloween ride
Costumes
Encouraged; passengers vote on the crew's costumes in a People's Choice contest No costume? The Rally tunnel tee counts.
Strollers
No stroller policy posted; check the operator site
Parking
Parking details are not posted; check the operator site
Where
Blue Ridge depot, 241 Depot St, Blue Ridge, GA 30513

Tickets on the railroad’s site (opens in a new tab)

Cordele: Halloween Express on the SAM Shortline

Next: Sat Oct 31Best for: All ages, toddlers welcomeFrom $33.99About 5 hoursDates left: Oct 31

The SAM Shortline's Halloween Express leaves the depot at Georgia Veterans State Park at 3:45 PM on Halloween, makes a flag stop in Americus, and reaches Plains around 5:30 PM. Kids then trick-or-treat along Main Street in President Jimmy Carter's small hometown until the train heads back at 7:00 PM. A Tripadvisor reviewer noted that the kids trick-or-treated in a safe area there.

You board in daylight and pull back in around 8:45 PM, so the return leg is a dark, sleepy ride. Every seat is assigned and every passenger gets a candy treat. Costumes are encouraged but not required, and the railway has not posted a stroller policy or a fare for babies under 2, so check the operator site.

Halloween Express on the SAM Shortline at a glance

Type
Pumpkin and costume ride: Afternoon trick-or-treat train, family ride, not scary
Dates left
Sat Oct 31 only
Tickets
Not sold out as of Oct 14; about 249 seats open on the booking calendar
Times
Departs 3:45 PM, arrives Plains about 5:30 PM, leaves Plains 7:00 PM, returns about 8:45 PM; flag stop in Americus each way
Ride length
About 5 hours round trip, including roughly 1.5 hours in Plains
What's included
Train ride to Plains, trick-or-treating along Main Street, a candy treat for every passenger, assigned seats
Price
Coach: child (2 to 12) $33.99, adult $43.99, senior (62+) or military $40.99; Deluxe (13+) $53.99, Premium (16+) $93.99, Chairman's Class (18+) $123.99; plus tax and handling. Under 2 not stated
Ages and scare level
No minimum age stated; the railway calls it a family Halloween ride
Costumes
Encouraged, not required
Strollers
No stroller policy posted; check the operator site
Parking
Parking details are not posted; check the operator site
Where
Georgia Veterans State Park depot, 2459 US Hwy 280 W, Cordele, GA 31015

Tickets on the railroad’s site (opens in a new tab)

Already wrapped for 2026

  • Great Pumpkin Train (Southeastern Railway Museum), Duluth: Ran Oct 10 and 11, 2026, and has wrapped for the year; watch the museum's calendar next fall.

Rally’s Spooky Train Ride: Halloween shirts

The tunnel page from the book, Rally on his red seat in the dark, is printed on black shirts in sizes for the whole family, from baby to 5XL. Skip the costume hassle: no masks to fog up, no capes caught in the train door, just a shirt that already says Halloween and layers under a coat on a cold platform. A matching set makes for easy pumpkin train photos. See everything in the Rally shop.

Mountain Coats in Blue Ridge, T-Shirt Weather in Cordele

Georgia's two Halloween night rides could hardly feel more different. In Blue Ridge, mountain evenings on Oct 31 typically run in the 40s, and the Trick or Treat Train runs from 5:00 to 9:00 PM, well past the roughly 6:50 PM sunset. If you choose an open coach, dress kids in a warm layer under the costume, plus hats and gloves.

Down in south Georgia, the Cordele area usually stays in the 60s and 70s, so the 3:45 PM Halloween Express to Plains starts as a light-costume afternoon, though the train does not get back until about 8:45 PM and a hoodie earns its spot in the bag. Atlanta sits in between. Middle and south Georgia stay much milder at night than the mountains, so a family driving up from Macon or Atlanta to Blue Ridge should pack for a colder evening than the one they left.

What Georgia Parents Should Know Before Halloween Night on the Rails

  • Both of Georgia's remaining family trains, Blue Ridge and Cordele, run only on Saturday, Oct 31, so you will have to choose between them. Decide early.
  • Blue Ridge offers open and closed coaches. On a 40s mountain night, the closed coach is the gentler choice for babies and toddlers.
  • Bring a sturdy candy bag for Plains and for the Blue Ridge layover; both rides build in trick-or-treating, and both hand out candy on board as well.
  • The SAM Shortline posts its fares, from $33.99 for a child coach seat to $123.99 for Chairman's Class, plus tax. Blue Ridge has not published Trick or Treat Train prices, so call the railway before you set a budget.
  • Every SAM Shortline seat is assigned, so choose your family's seats together when you book.
  • The Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth hosts a Trains and Trunk or Treat open house on Oct 17, but its event page does not confirm train rides during it, so it is not listed here as a train event.
  • Stroller and parking policies were not posted for either Georgia ride, so plan on carrying little ones onto historic cars.

Drive Times to Blue Ridge and Cordele From Atlanta, Macon and Chattanooga

Times are approximate with no traffic, and Atlanta traffic on a Saturday afternoon can easily add to them.

Drive times, no traffic

Blue Ridge
about 1 hr 45 min from Atlanta; about 1 hr 30 min from Chattanooga
Cordele
about 2 hr 15 min from Atlanta; about 1 hr from Macon

Keeping a Nervous Three-Year-Old Happy on a Georgia Halloween Night

Neither of Georgia's rides is pitched as scary. The Cordele train leaves in the afternoon, the trick-or-treating in Plains is on Main Street with local merchants, and a Tripadvisor reviewer described it as a safe area for kids. The only stretch that might unsettle a small child is the dark ride home, which ends around 8:45 PM.

The Blue Ridge Trick or Treat Train is the one to think through, not because of scares but because of length and darkness: about four hours, finishing as late as 9:00 PM. Crowds of costumed strangers can rattle a small child even when everyone is friendly. Tell your preschooler ahead of time that lots of people will be dressed up, that the masks are just pretend, and that they can hold your hand during the costume contest.

Watercolor of Rally the corgi dreaming about his toy turtle, green bone and yellow ball
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

In our book, Rally wakes up early, sees the suitcase and packs his turtle toy, his green bone and his yellow ball. A four-hour Halloween night in the North Georgia mountains deserves the same kind of packing: a warm layer to go under the costume, a candy bag that will not rip, a favorite small toy for the ride home in the dark. Add a stack of Rally the corgi coloring pages to the bag for the wait at the depot.

Rally's suitcase scene was my mom's idea long before it was mine; the story behind the book is about her.

Wizards in Chattanooga and Rides Over the Alabama, Carolina and Florida Lines

From Atlanta, about two hours of driving gets you to Chattanooga, where the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's gentle Rails, Wizards and Spells train still runs Oct 17, 18, 24 and 25, so it fits a weekend when Georgia's own rides do not; our Tennessee Halloween train guide has more, and the operator site has tickets.

West of Atlanta, roughly 2 hours 30 minutes away, Calera, Alabama hosts Pumpkin Junction, a gentle pumpkin train whose final weekend is Oct 17 and 18; our Alabama pumpkin train rundown tracks which runs are full. From Blue Ridge, Asheville is about 2 hr 45 min away, and its no-scare Hayride on the Rails trolley runs through Oct 31, covered in our North Carolina mountain and Piedmont ride guide. Heading down I-75 from Cordele, Florida's closest Halloween train is a haunted one in Williston, about 3 hours away, that its farm says may not suit small children, so see our Florida haunted and pumpkin train page for gentler picks farther south.

A train book for the ride

For a long, simple train day with no costumes involved, our guides to the Crescent out of Atlanta with kids and the Silver Meteor through Savannah with a family cover a very different kind of trip.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. They fit in a folder with a few crayons for the line at the depot or the drive home.

Get the free coloring pages for Blue Ridge
Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents, including one dark tunnel he is brave enough to ride through. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

More for train families

Sources

Checked against each railroad’s own pages and ticket calendars on October 14, 2026. Dates, prices and policies change, so confirm with the railroad before you go.

Halloween Train Questions Georgia Families Ask, From Blue Ridge to Plains

Is there anything for kids to do on Halloween in Blue Ridge, Georgia?

One family Halloween event in Blue Ridge is the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway's Trick or Treat Train, a gentle costume ride on Saturday, Oct 31 only. It leaves at 5:00 PM and returns about 9:00 PM, with a layover of about two hours in McCaysville and Copperhill for trick-or-treating with merchants. Children get candy aboard. As of October 14 seats remained in both open and closed coaches, and prices were not published.

Things to do for Halloween with kids in Cordele, Georgia?

Cordele's Halloween train is the SAM Shortline Halloween Express, a family ride leaving the Georgia Veterans State Park depot at 3:45 PM on Saturday, Oct 31. The train runs to Plains, where kids trick-or-treat along Main Street, then returns about 8:45 PM. Coach seats are $33.99 for kids 2 to 12 and $43.99 for adults, plus tax. As of October 14, about 249 seats were still open.

Can kids trick-or-treat in Plains, Georgia on Halloween?

Yes, by train. The SAM Shortline's Halloween Express leaves Cordele at 3:45 PM on Oct 31, reaches Plains around 5:30 PM, and gives kids time to trick-or-treat along Main Street in President Jimmy Carter's hometown before the 7:00 PM ride back. Every passenger also gets a candy treat. A Tripadvisor reviewer described Plains as a safe area for kids to trick-or-treat.

What are Halloween events for kids near Atlanta?

Both of Georgia's Halloween trains are a drive from Atlanta, and both run on Halloween night. The Blue Ridge Trick or Treat Train is about 1 hour 45 minutes north, leaving at 5:00 PM on Oct 31 with a trick-or-treat layover near the Tennessee line. The SAM Shortline Halloween Express in Cordele is about 2 hours 15 minutes south, leaving at 3:45 PM for trick-or-treating in Plains. Both are gentle family rides.

Halloween things to do with kids near Macon, Georgia?

The nearest Halloween train to Macon is the SAM Shortline Halloween Express in Cordele, about an hour south. It leaves at 3:45 PM on Saturday, Oct 31, kids trick-or-treat along Main Street in Plains, and the train is back around 8:45 PM. Coach fares start at $33.99 for children 2 to 12, plus tax, and costumes are encouraged but not required.

Is there a Halloween train in North Georgia near Chattanooga?

Yes. The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway's Trick or Treat Train is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Chattanooga and runs once, on Oct 31, leaving at 5:00 PM and returning about 9:00 PM. It is a family ride with candy aboard and trick-or-treating with merchants during the layover. Blue Ridge mountain evenings are usually in the 40s on Halloween, so pack warm layers, especially for an open coach.

Can kids wear costumes on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway train?

Yes, costumes are encouraged on the Trick or Treat Train, and passengers vote in a People's Choice contest for the crew's costumes. Because the train leaves at 5:00 PM and returns about 9:00 PM on a mountain night that is usually in the 40s, choose a costume that fits over a warm layer. Specific rules on masks or props were not posted, so check the operator site.

Is the Blue Ridge Trick or Treat Train too scary for a toddler?

It is not billed as scary; the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway calls it a family Halloween ride built around costumes and candy. The bigger issue for a toddler is timing: it leaves at 5:00 PM and returns about 9:00 PM, about four hours with the layover, and ends well after dark. A closed coach and a plan for carrying a sleepy child back to the car both help.

Is there a Georgia Halloween train running this weekend, Oct 17 and 18?

No, as of October 14 neither Georgia Halloween train runs on Oct 17 or 18; both the Blue Ridge and Cordele rides are on Oct 31, and both still had open seats. For a train this weekend, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's gentle Rails, Wizards and Spells ride in Chattanooga runs Oct 17 and 18, about two hours from Atlanta, so check its own site for tickets.

What is the SAM Shortline Halloween Express?

It is a Halloween afternoon excursion from Cordele, Georgia to Plains on the SAM Shortline. The train leaves the Georgia Veterans State Park depot at 3:45 PM on Oct 31, kids trick-or-treat along Main Street in Plains, and everyone is back about 8:45 PM. Seats are assigned, fares run from $33.99 to $123.99 plus tax depending on class, and the stroller policy was not posted.

Is the Great Pumpkin Train in Duluth still running?

No, the Southeastern Railway Museum's Great Pumpkin Train ran Oct 10 and 11 and has wrapped for 2026. If you missed it, the nearest Halloween train still ahead for Atlanta-area families is the Blue Ridge Trick or Treat Train, about 1 hour 45 minutes north on Oct 31. For next year, watch the museum's calendar in early fall, since the pumpkin train ran on an early October weekend.

Should we pick an open or closed coach on the Blue Ridge Halloween train?

For babies and preschoolers, the closed coach is usually the easier choice on this ride. The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway offers both for the Trick or Treat Train, which runs from 5:00 to 9:00 PM on Oct 31, and mountain evenings typically sit in the 40s. An open coach can work for older kids if everyone wears warm layers, hats and gloves under costumes.

Kelsey Cecil
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