Halloween Train Rides Near Vermont (2026)
The last Halloween Express out of Burlington that shows up in any listing ran in 2018, and the Okemo Valley foliage train wrapped up on October 4, so there is no Halloween train inside Vermont for 2026. That is the honest answer, and it is why this page points you over the line instead. Our state-by-state guide to Halloween train rides covers every state, and for Vermont the good news is that two gentle daytime rides sit within a day trip.
Southern Vermont has the easy version: the Hoosac Valley Train Ride in Adams, Massachusetts runs its first ever pumpkin patch trains this October, about 40 minutes from Bennington, and adds family Halloween Trains on October 31. Families up north and on the eastern side do better heading to North Conway, New Hampshire, where the Conway Scenic Railroad's Halloween Express hands treat bags to kids in costume and gives one free pumpkin to each booking that includes a child ticket. All of these run in daylight, are not scary, and are built for small kids. If you want more choices, the Massachusetts Halloween train page and the New Hampshire pumpkin train roundup list everything running there.
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 long drive from Vermont to a pumpkin train.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
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25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
The closest Halloween trains to Vermont
Adams, Massachusetts: Pumpkin Patch Rides
Pumpkin and costume ride Hoosac Valley Train Ride (Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum)
This is the short hop for Bennington and Rutland families: a vintage train with a stop at a pumpkin patch, new for 2026, in a booking slot of about 2 hours 30 minutes. Park at the Adams Visitor Center, 55 Depot Street, and check in at the green railcar on the platform.
Adams, Massachusetts: Children's Ghost Stories & Pumpkin Patch Excursion
Pumpkin and costume ride Hoosac Valley Train Ride (Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum)
A one-afternoon version of the Adams ride where an author reads ghost stories written for kids on board, paired with the same pumpkin patch stop. The museum's evening Chilling Tales trips are a separate thing and adults only.
Adams, Massachusetts: Halloween Trains
Pumpkin and costume ride Hoosac Valley Train Ride (Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum)
Another option for Bennington families who want a train on Halloween itself: two family-friendly departures of about an hour each, early enough to be home for trick-or-treating.
North Conway, New Hampshire: Halloween Express
Pumpkin and costume ride Conway Scenic Railroad
The pick for the eastern side of the state and a solid weekend trip from Burlington. The railroad calls it a fun, kid-friendly, not-too-spooky hour with Halloween characters and treats; kids in costume get a treat bag, and each booking that includes a child ticket can pick one free pumpkin, while supplies last. Departures run 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:45 PM, 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM.
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.
Adult tee
Sizes XS to 5XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Kids tee
Sizes S to XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Toddler tee
Sizes 2T to 5T, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Baby bodysuit
Sizes 3 to 18 months, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Frosty Starts and Mountain Afternoons on the Way to a Pumpkin Train
Late October in Vermont means days in the 40s and low 50s with frost on the windshield before you leave. All of these rides run in daylight, which helps, but the Berkshires around Adams sit at elevation and the Massachusetts research notes mornings and dusk often stay in the 40s by late October.
North Conway is mountain country too: highs in the 40s to low 50s, and early snow flurries are possible. Sunset there is about 5:45 PM on October 24, so the 4:00 PM Conway Scenic departure brings you back as the light fades. Pack hats and mittens in the car even if the morning looks bright in Burlington.
A Bennington Kid Who Hates the Dark Can Still Do These
None of these rides is a haunted train. Conway Scenic describes its Halloween Express as not too spooky, and the Hoosac Valley pumpkin rides and Oct 31 Halloween Trains are billed as family outings, not scares. The one to think about is the October 17 Children's Ghost Stories run in Adams: the stories are written for kids, but a four-year-old who gets rattled by a spooky voice may be happier on the plain pumpkin patch dates.
If your child is nervous, tell them the plan in order: the drive, the train ride, the pumpkins, the drive home. Knowing there is a pumpkin or a treat bag at the end does a lot of work.
In our book, Rally wakes up early, spots the suitcase, and packs what matters to him: his turtle toy, his green bone and his yellow ball. A long drive from Vermont to a pumpkin train is the same kind of morning, so let your kids pack their own bag of comfort things for the car.
My mom dreamed up Rally's trip before she passed, and how that story became a book is something I still think about every fall. For the ride home, a few Rally coloring sheets to print before you leave fit nicely in the back seat.
Planning a Vermont Road Trip to a Pumpkin Train
- Leave Burlington early for a Conway Scenic morning departure: it is about 3 hours to North Conway, and the 9:30 AM train is only realistic if you stay over.
- The Children's Ghost Stories ride in Adams runs once, at 2:00 PM on October 17, and the pumpkin ride runs only at 11:00 AM that day, so book early if Oct 17 is your date.
- In Adams, park at the Adams Visitor Center, 55 Depot Street, not the Berkshire Mill lot, and arrive 45 minutes early to check in; the museum shows prices only at checkout and has not posted costume or stroller rules.
- Conway Scenic invites kids to come in costume for a treat bag, but the free pumpkin is one per booking with a child ticket, so siblings may share. It has not posted a stroller rule, so ask when you book.
- Pack layers, snacks and a spare change of clothes for the car: these are day trips with mountain weather on both ends.
- Southern Vermont is the sweet spot here, about an hour from Adams, so a Bennington or Brattleboro family can do an 11:00 AM pumpkin ride and be home by mid afternoon.
A train book for the ride
For a different kind of train day with kids, the Ethan Allen Express in Vermont is a regular passenger train that turns any weekend into a rail trip.
Free for train families
Print the Rally coloring pages before the drive
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 the drive
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 AmazonMore for train families
- Halloween train rides in every state: pumpkin trains and haunted rides by state
- Every Amtrak route with kids: find a train by city or station
- Halloween books for toddlers for the drive
What Vermont Parents Ask About the Closest Halloween Trains
Is there a Halloween train in Vermont this year?
No, there is no Halloween train ride confirmed inside Vermont for 2026. The Okemo Valley foliage train ended October 4, and the Burlington Halloween Express was last listed in 2018. The closest options are across the border: the Hoosac Valley pumpkin patch rides in Adams, Massachusetts, about 40 minutes from Bennington, and Conway Scenic's Halloween Express in North Conway, New Hampshire, about 3 hours from Burlington.
What Halloween events for kids are there in Burlington, Vermont?
There is no Halloween train in Burlington this year. The nearest train options are both a long drive: the Hoosac Valley pumpkin patch rides in Adams, Massachusetts are about 2 hours 45 minutes away, and Conway Scenic's Halloween Express in North Conway, New Hampshire is about 3 hours. The Conway ride runs October 24 and 25, with treat bags for kids in costume and one free pumpkin per booking with a child ticket.
Is there a pumpkin train near Rutland, Vermont?
Not in Rutland itself, but the closest one is about 1 hour 45 minutes south in Adams, Massachusetts. The Hoosac Valley Train Ride runs pumpkin patch trains on October 17, 18, 24 and 25, in booking slots of about 2 hours 30 minutes that include the patch stop. It is new for 2026 and billed as a family ride, not a scary one. Prices show only at checkout, so check the operator site.
What Halloween events can families do near Bennington, VT?
There is no Halloween train in Bennington, but Bennington is the best placed town in Vermont for one. The Hoosac Valley pumpkin patch rides in Adams, Massachusetts are about 40 minutes away on October 17, 18, 24 and 25. On October 17 at 2:00 PM, the same museum runs a children's ghost story trip, and on October 31 it adds family Halloween Trains at 1:30 and 3:00 PM.
Are there any Halloween train rides near Brattleboro, Vermont?
Not in Brattleboro this year. Southern Vermont families are about an hour from Adams, Massachusetts, where the Hoosac Valley Train Ride runs daytime pumpkin patch trains on October 17, 18, 24 and 25, with family Halloween Trains on October 31. Plan on about 2 hours 30 minutes for a pumpkin ride, including the patch stop. Park at the Adams Visitor Center on Depot Street.
Where should Montpelier families go for a Halloween train?
There is no Halloween train in Montpelier for 2026, and families on the eastern side of Vermont usually do best heading to New Hampshire. Conway Scenic Railroad's Halloween Express runs October 24 and 25 out of North Conway Station, about an hour each, from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Coach is $30 for adults and $24 for kids 4 to 12, and kids in costume get a treat bag.
Is the Hoosac Valley pumpkin patch ride worth the drive from Rutland?
Yes, if your kids are in the toddler to early elementary range. It is about 1 hour 45 minutes from Rutland, and the museum books each departure as a slot of about 2 hours 30 minutes including the pumpkin patch stop, so it fills most of a day. There are no toilets on the train, so use the station restrooms first, and check prices at checkout.
Is Conway Scenic's Halloween Express worth the drive from Burlington?
It is worth it as a weekend trip more than a day trip. The drive is about 3 hours each way for an hour-long ride, but the railroad calls it kid-friendly and not too spooky, with Halloween characters and treats. Each booking with a child ticket can pick one free pumpkin, while supplies last. It runs only October 24 and 25, with five departures each day starting at 9:30 AM.
Is the Hoosac Valley Children's Ghost Stories train too spooky for little kids?
It is designed for kids: an author reads ghost stories written for children on board, and the trip pairs the ride with a pumpkin patch stop. It runs once, at 2:00 PM on October 17, out of Adams, Massachusetts, about 40 minutes from Bennington. If your child scares easily, the regular pumpkin patch dates skip the stories. The museum's evening Chilling Tales trips are adults only and separate.
Can Vermont kids wear Halloween costumes on these New England trains?
Yes on Conway Scenic, which gives kids who come in costume a treat bag to fill on its Halloween Express. The Hoosac Valley museum has not posted a costume rule for its Adams rides, so check the operator site. Both are daytime family events, and with late October highs in the 40s and low 50s, plan costumes that go over a warm layer.
Which nearby Halloween train is best for a Vermont toddler?
The Oct 31 Hoosac Valley Halloween Trains in Adams or the Conway Scenic Halloween Express suit toddlers best, since each lasts about an hour, runs in daylight and is billed as a family ride. The Adams pumpkin patch rides are gentle too but take about 2 hours 30 minutes. Adams is the shorter drive from southern Vermont, and Conway adds treat bags for kids in costume.
Rally’s Spooky Train RideThe no-fuss Halloween costume
Skip the costume hassle. Wear Rally.
No itchy masks, no last-minute store run, no meltdown on the platform. Pull on the tunnel tee from the book and you are dressed for the pumpkin train, warm under a jacket, and matching in every photo.
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