Carolinian With Kids: A Trip Plan for Every Stop
Nobody rides the Carolinian end to end with kids, and you should not either: it is 16 hours southbound and arrives in Charlotte at 11pm. What it is good for is pieces. Washington to Raleigh in an afternoon, with a two-hour engine swap in the capital to walk off lunch. Richmond to Rocky Mount. Charlotte to Salisbury at dawn for a roundhouse full of locomotives. The Northeast end of this train is the same corridor as every other train out of New York, so I keep those stops short and spend the words south of Washington, where the brick depots start. My daughter counted eleven of them.
By Kelsey Lizee Cecil. Times are approximate from the fall 2026 timetable; checked against Amtrak, NC By Train and each attraction in October 2026. Hours change; read the "know before you go" notes.If you only have one day
- With a toddler: Charlotte to Salisbury at 6:45am.Forty-three minutes, pajamas on, the Yadkin River bridge, and a roundhouse with a turntable three miles from the depot. The Piedmont brings you home. Jump to Salisbury.
- Ages 4 to 8: Washington to Raleigh.The Postal Museum's mail car during the two-hour stop, the tunnel under Capitol Hill, the Potomac, and a dinnertime arrival with a children's museum in the morning. Jump to Washington.
- The big one: Richmond to Durham.Board at 3:24pm after the Science Museum, cross the James, count the depots from Rocky Mount, and step off at 7:53pm across the street from a ballgame. Jump to Durham.
Read this before you go
Three things to know. First, this is one train a day, so getting off south of Washington means staying the night, except in North Carolina, where the Piedmont runs the same stops four times a day and makes everything from Raleigh to Charlotte a day trip. Second, the southbound train sits in Washington from 11:02am to 1:05pm for the engine swap; plan lunch around it. Third, the Northeast Corridor stops from Newark to Baltimore are the same on every train out of New York, so I point to the Northeast Regional plan for those and keep them short here. Alerts are on the Carolinian page on Amtrak (opens in a new tab).
Tickets, the Business Class seats you can pick, the cafe car, bathrooms and strollers are all in our Carolinian parent guide. This page is the fun part: where to get off and what to do when you do.
Amtrak is replacing the switches in the tunnel south of Union Station, and no train can run between Washington and Virginia that week. The Carolinian runs as a train from New York to Washington, a bus from Union Station to Alexandria, and a separate train from Alexandria south. Alexandria has no checked bags. If the ride itself is the treat, pick a date on or after October 26.
Stop 1 of 26NYPTrain 79 leaves about 7:04am; Train 80 arrives about 9:00pm
New York Moynihan Train Hall
The Carolinian starts at 7:04am under the glass roof of Moynihan Train Hall, which means breakfast on the train and Washington by lunch. It is the same first hour as every other train down the Northeast Corridor, and the New York end of this page is short on purpose: the Northeast Regional plan covers these stations in detail. Northbound you arrive at 9pm, late for small kids but with the hall lit up.
Look up at the skylight, then find the big clock, then the gate. Kids under 8 do not need more than that at 6:45am.
Right off the platform
- at stopMoynihan Train Hall: a glass-roofed hall with restrooms, a food hall, a staffed counter, checked baggage and the Metropolitan Lounge.
- 5 minPenn Station's lower levels and the subway, if you must.
- 15 minThe High Line's southern end, a walk in the air, free.
A few hours here
- Board. See the Northeast Regional plan for a New York day.
Stay the night
New York is its own trip; the Carolinian is how you leave it early.
Snack stop: The Moynihan food hall before 7am has coffee and pastries; buy the day's snacks here.
Out the window: The Hudson tunnels, the New Jersey meadows, then Newark within 20 minutes.
Checked baggage is available here and at Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, Cary, Richmond and Washington. Families with small kids are often boarded first; wait near the gate.
Stop 2 of 26NWKSouthbound about 7:24am; northbound about 8:40pm (drop-off only)our honest take: ride on
Newark Penn Station
A quick stop 20 minutes out, shared with NJ Transit and PATH. See the Northeast Regional plan.
None.
Right off the platform
- at stopA big 1935 station with a waiting room, restrooms and a staffed counter.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: Station cafes.
Out the window: Refineries, the airport and the meadows.
Stop 3 of 26TRESouthbound about 8:19am; northbound about 8:05pmour honest take: ride on
Trenton
New Jersey's capital, where the Delaware River bridge says Trenton Makes, The World Takes in giant letters. Watch for it on the right as the train crosses. See the Northeast Regional plan for the stop.
The lettered bridge on the right southbound, a minute after the stop.
Right off the platform
- at stopA modern station with a waiting room, restrooms and a staffed counter.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: Station cafe.
Out the window: The Delaware River and the bridge with the slogan.
Stop 4 of 26PHLSouthbound about 8:47am; northbound about 7:30pm
Philadelphia 30th Street Station
A great 1933 hall with a huge bronze angel and a departures board that still flips, nine minutes of dwell on the southbound, and the Schuylkill River out the window on the way in. The Please Touch Museum, the Franklin Institute and the Liberty Bell are all a short cab or a long walk. The Northeast Regional plan has the full Philadelphia day; on the Carolinian this is a stretch stop at breakfast or dinner.
The angel statue in the main hall, if you are getting off; from the train, Boathouse Row and the art museum on the right as you cross the river.
Right off the platform
- at stop30th Street Station: a grand waiting room, restrooms, a food court, a staffed counter and checked baggage.
- 20 minThe Franklin Institute's giant heart and the Please Touch Museum's carousel, by cab or a long walk (admission).
- at stopThe Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, by cab, free.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard, or see the Northeast Regional plan for a Philadelphia day.
Stay the night
A Philadelphia weekend as in the Northeast Regional plan, then the 8:56am Carolinian south.
Snack stop: The station food court.
Out the window: The Schuylkill, Boathouse Row and the art museum on the right arriving southbound; the airport and refineries leaving.
Stop 5 of 26WILSouthbound about 9:18am; northbound about 7:00pmour honest take: ride on
Wilmington
Delaware's one real stop, a 1908 brick station on the Christina River with a riverwalk and a children's museum ten minutes away. On the Carolinian it is a two-minute stop; the Northeast Regional plan covers it.
The Christina River and the ships on the right.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 1908 station with a waiting room and a staffed counter.
- 10 minThe Riverfront's Delaware Children's Museum and the river walk.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
See the Northeast Regional plan.
Snack stop: Station cafe.
Out the window: The river, then Maryland farms and the Susquehanna bridge at Havre de Grace, which is the best view north of Washington.
Stop 6 of 26BALSouthbound about 10:13am; northbound about 6:10pmour honest take: ride on
Baltimore Penn Station
A 1911 station on the north side of downtown, with the harbor, the aquarium and Port Discovery a cab ride away. The Carolinian pauses for a few minutes; the Northeast Regional plan covers Baltimore. Between here and Washington the train runs the last leg under the wires.
The tunnel under Baltimore right after the stop, dark for a minute.
Right off the platform
- at stopPenn Station: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and the light rail outside.
- at stopThe Inner Harbor, the National Aquarium and Port Discovery, by cab or light rail.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
See the Northeast Regional plan.
Snack stop: Station cafe.
Out the window: The B&P tunnel, rowhouses, then BWI airport and Maryland suburbs.
Stop 7 of 26WASSouthbound arrives about 11:02am, leaves 1:05pm; northbound arrives about 4:50pm, leaves 5:40pm
Washington Union Station
The hinge of the trip. The southbound Carolinian sits in Washington for two hours while the electric engine comes off and a diesel goes on, and the train becomes a Southern train. Two hours is enough to walk out the front door of Union Station to the Capitol lawn, 10 minutes, or to the National Postal Museum next door, which is free and has a real railway mail car. Northbound the stop is under an hour. Washington is also where a lot of families start this train, and where the Northeast Regional plan ends.
The Postal Museum's railway mail car, with the sorting slots inside, then back through the Great Hall to the train. Tell them the engine is being swapped and let them look for the diesel.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Station: the Great Hall, restrooms, a food hall, a staffed counter, checked baggage and the Metropolitan Lounge.
- 2 minNational Postal Museum, next to the station, free, with a mail car and a stagecoach to board.
- 10 minThe Capitol grounds and the Capitol Visitor Center, free.
- 20 minThe National Mall's museums: Natural History's elephant and the Air and Space Museum, free.
- at stopThe National Zoo, by Metro, free.
- 5 minThe Metro's Red Line as a ride.
A few hours here
- Southbound: off at 11:02am, the Postal Museum (45 minutes), lunch in the station food hall, and back aboard by 12:45pm.
- Northbound: 50 minutes, enough for the Great Hall and a snack.
Stay the night
Washington is a weekend: the Mall's free museums, the zoo, the Metro. Board the Carolinian at 1:05pm for Richmond by 3:15pm and Raleigh by 7pm, or see the Northeast Regional plan for the full city.
Snack stop: Union Station's food hall is large and open; buy lunch for the train here.
Out the window: Leaving southbound the train drops into the First Street Tunnel under Capitol Hill, dark for two minutes, then crosses the Potomac with the Washington Monument behind on the right.
The two-hour southbound stop is on the timetable; ask the conductor before leaving the platform, and be back 15 minutes early. From October 16 to 26, 2026, track work closes the tunnel south of the station and the Carolinian runs as a bus between Washington and Alexandria; see the note at the top of this page.
Stop 8 of 26ALXSouthbound about 1:23pm; northbound about 4:20pm
Alexandria
The first Virginia stop, a 1905 station a short walk from King Street Metro and a 20-minute walk or a free trolley ride to Old Town's waterfront, where the Torpedo Factory art center and a riverside park sit on the Potomac. For a family in the Washington suburbs this is a better place to board than Union Station: easy parking and a smaller platform. The station is under construction and has no checked bags for now.
The free King Street trolley to the waterfront and the ducks at Founders Park, if you are getting off; from the train, the Masonic memorial tower on the hill right above the station.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 1905 station with a waiting room, restrooms and a staffed counter; no checked bags during construction.
- 5 minKing Street Metro and the free King Street trolley to Old Town.
- 20 minOld Town's waterfront: the Torpedo Factory, the Potomac Riverboat and Founders Park.
- 10 minThe George Washington Masonic National Memorial on the hill above the station, with a tower view (admission).
A few hours here
- Old Town by trolley (2 hours), if this is your boarding stop.
Stay the night
An Alexandria day: Old Town, the waterfront and the boat to the Wharf, then the Carolinian south at 1:23pm.
Snack stop: King Street's ice cream and bakeries by trolley.
Out the window: Leaving south the train runs past the Potomac Yard and under the Beltway, then into the woods along the old RF&P toward Quantico.
Alexandria has no checked baggage since April 2026 and its platforms use a lift rather than an elevator. During the October 16 to 26 track work the Carolinian's southern train starts here.
Stop 9 of 26QANNorthbound only, about 3:40pm; the southbound train passes throughour honest take: ride on
Quantico
A stop inside a Marine Corps base, with a 1950s depot and the Potomac right beside the tracks. Everyone using it must show DBIDS base credentials to a Military Police officer, so for most families it is not a stop at all. The southbound Carolinian does not stop here.
The river opening out on the left southbound, wide and tidal, right after the base.
Right off the platform
- at stopA small depot on the base; base credentials required.
- at stopThe National Museum of the Marine Corps, by car, free, with a glass spire you can see from the highway.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip, unless you have base access.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: The Potomac on the left southbound for a few miles, then the Quantico Creek trestle.
Northbound only, and only with DBIDS credentials. Use Fredericksburg or Alexandria instead.
Stop 10 of 26FBGNorthbound only, about 3:20pm; the southbound train passes throughour honest take: ride on
Fredericksburg
A brick 1910 station on a viaduct over the old downtown, with Civil War battlefields on three sides and a walkable main street under the tracks. The northbound Carolinian stops; the southbound does not, so for a Fredericksburg day from the south use the Northeast Regional trains that stop here many times a day.
The Rappahannock River bridge just north of the station, with the town's steeples on the left.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 1910 brick station on an elevated line, with a waiting room and restrooms.
- 5 minDowntown Fredericksburg's Caroline Street, with a toy store and ice cream.
- 10 minThe Rappahannock riverfront and Old Mill Park.
- at stopFredericksburg battlefield visitor center, by cab or a 15-minute walk, free.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard; the Northeast Regional covers this stop by day.
Stay the night
A Fredericksburg day by Northeast Regional, as in that plan.
Snack stop: Caroline Street cafes, five minutes under the viaduct.
Out the window: The Rappahannock bridge, then pine woods and the long straight run to Richmond.
Northbound only on the Carolinian.
Stop 11 of 26RVRSouthbound about 3:15pm; northbound about 2:20pm
Richmond Staples Mill Road
Not downtown. Staples Mill Road is a 1970s station in the suburbs, six miles from the river, and everything good in Richmond needs a cab from here: the Children's Museum of Richmond, the Science Museum of Virginia in the old Broad Street station with its giant pendulum, Maymont's farm animals, and the James River's rocks at Belle Isle. The Carolinian is the only daytime train to Raleigh from Richmond, so this is where Virginia families board for North Carolina.
The Science Museum of Virginia, inside a 1919 train station with a dome, where the Foucault pendulum knocks over pegs all day. Then the Children's Museum next door.
Right off the platform
- at stopStaples Mill Road: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and checked baggage, open long hours; the busiest station in Virginia.
- at stopScience Museum of Virginia, by cab, 15 minutes: a dome theater, a pendulum and a toddler floor (admission).
- at stopChildren's Museum of Richmond, next to the Science Museum, ages 0 to 8 (admission).
- at stopMaymont, by cab: a free estate with a farm, bears, otters and a Japanese garden.
- at stopBelle Isle and the James River rocks, by cab, free.
- at stopLewis Ginter Botanical Garden, by cab, with a children's garden and a tree house (admission).
A few hours here
- Northbound: off at 2:20pm, cab to the Science Museum and the Children's Museum (3 hours), a hotel in the Fan.
- Southbound: a Richmond morning, then board at 3:24pm for Raleigh by 7pm.
Stay the night
Two Richmond nights: the two museums the first day, Maymont and the river the second, and the Carolinian either direction.
Snack stop: Nothing near the station; the museums share a cafe, and Carytown has ice cream.
Out the window: South of Richmond the train crosses the James on a high bridge, then runs through Chesterfield County's woods to Petersburg.
Richmond has checked baggage. The Main Street Station downtown is served by Northeast Regional trains, not the Carolinian; do not go to the wrong one.
Stop 12 of 26PTBSouthbound about 4:01pm; northbound about 1:30pmour honest take: ride on
Petersburg
A mid-century station in Ettrick, across the river from Petersburg's old town, with the Virginia State University campus a few blocks away. Pamplin Park and the Civil War battlefield are a drive. A platform stop for a family; ride on.
The Appomattox River under the bridge just before the station southbound.
Right off the platform
- at stopA small 1950s station with a waiting room and a ticket window.
- at stopOld Towne Petersburg and the Siege Museum, by cab.
- at stopPamplin Historical Park, by car, with a Civil War soldier museum for older kids (admission).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None at the station.
Out the window: The Appomattox, then pine plantations and peanut fields for an hour to the North Carolina line.
Stop 13 of 26RMTSouthbound about 5:32pm; northbound about noon
Rocky Mount
The first North Carolina stop and the start of the depot hunt. The station is a three-story red-brick 1893 depot that the Atlantic Coast Line made bigger, with a big mural across the street, and it is downtown. The Imperial Centre's children's museum, with a toddler playground, an alligator and a touch tank, is a 15-minute walk north, and Rocky Mount Mills, an old cotton mill on the Tar River with lawns and a greenway, is a mile beyond that. Southbound the stop is at dinnertime; northbound it is a lunch stop with four more hours to Washington.
Climb the stairs at the Imperial Centre to the children's museum's touch tank, then walk the Tar River greenway at the Mills.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1893 depot: a waiting room, restrooms and a staffed counter; staff will hold bags.
- 2 minStation Square's shops and the mural across the street.
- 15 minImperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences: a children's museum, science center and free art museum (small admission; check days).
- at stopRocky Mount Mills on the Tar River, by cab or a 35-minute walk: restaurants, lawns, cornhole and the greenway.
- 10 minDowntown's Main Street and the Braswell library's children's room.
A few hours here
- Northbound: off at noon, lunch at Station Square, the Imperial Centre (2 hours), and the southbound back at 5:32pm.
Stay the night
A Rocky Mount night: the Imperial Centre, the Mills for dinner and a run on the lawn, and the morning northbound or evening southbound.
Snack stop: Station Square has a coffee shop beside the depot; the Mills has restaurants and ice cream.
Out the window: Flat farms, tobacco barns and pine, with freight trains on the parallel CSX line.
The Palmetto and the Silver Service trains also stop here, so Rocky Mount has several trains a day to Washington. The Imperial Centre is closed Mondays.
Stop 14 of 26WLNSouthbound about 5:54pm; northbound about 11:40am
Wilson
Whirligigs. Vollis Simpson built giant wind-powered sculptures out of farm scrap in his yard for decades, and Wilson moved thirty of them into a downtown park a 10-minute walk from the station. They spin, clatter and shine, and small kids lose their minds. The station is a 1924 brick depot. That is the whole stop and it is enough.
Standing under the biggest whirligig in Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park on a windy day while it turns.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 1924 depot with a waiting room and restrooms.
- 10 minVollis Simpson Whirligig Park, 301 Goldsboro St S, free, with a splash pad in summer.
- 10 minDowntown Wilson's Nash Street cafes and the Whirligig Station market.
- at stopWilson Botanical Gardens, by cab, free, with a children's garden.
A few hours here
- Whirligig Park and ice cream (1 hour), then the Palmetto or Carolinian on.
Stay the night
A Wilson afternoon: the park, the splash pad, lunch downtown, the botanical garden by cab, and the next train.
Snack stop: Nash Street cafes, 10 minutes from the depot; the park has a market hall.
Out the window: Farms, then the woods and small towns toward Selma.
Whirligig Park is open every day and free; the splash pad runs in warm months. Wilson also has the Palmetto and the Silver Service trains.
Stop 15 of 26SSMSouthbound about 6:27pm; northbound about 11:10am
Selma-Smithfield Union Depot
A 1924 depot with a small railroad museum inside and a curved track behind it where two lines join, which is why Selma exists. The town is small, with antique shops on Raiford Street and the Ava Gardner Museum three miles away in Smithfield for grandparents. A stretch stop for most families, and a sweet one for a train kid who wants to see a real junction.
The depot museum's model railroad, then the junction behind the station where the two lines curve together.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Depot: a restored 1924 waiting room with the Selma Railroad Museum inside (free; limited hours).
- 5 minRaiford Street's antique shops and a cafe.
- at stopSmithfield's Ava Gardner Museum and the Carolina Premium Outlets, by cab.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard, or the depot museum if it is open (30 minutes).
Stay the night
Selma Railroad Days in October, with equipment displays and a parade, is the day to come.
Snack stop: A cafe on Raiford Street, five minutes away.
Out the window: The junction curve behind the depot, then the Neuse River and the pine woods into Raleigh.
The depot museum keeps limited volunteer hours; do not promise it.
Stop 16 of 26RGHSouthbound about 7:07pm; northbound about 10:30am
Raleigh Union Station
Raleigh's 2018 station sits in a reworked steel shop in the Warehouse District, and the city has three of the best stops in the South for kids within a mile: Marbles Kids Museum, the free Museum of Natural Sciences with its whale skeletons, and Pullen Park's 1911 carousel and miniature train. Southbound the Carolinian arrives at dinnertime, which makes Raleigh the natural first night on a New York to Charlotte trip. Northbound it leaves at 10:38am, too early for a museum morning, so do Marbles the day before.
Pullen Park's miniature train circling the lake, with the carousel waiting, the morning after a long day on the real train.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Station: a bright waiting hall, restrooms, a cafe, a staffed counter and checked baggage.
- 5 minThe Warehouse District's bakery and cafes, and Nash Square.
- 15 minMarbles Kids Museum downtown, ages 0 to 10, with an IMAX (admission; closed Mondays).
- 20 minNorth Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the Museum of History, both free.
- at stopPullen Park, by cab or a 30-minute walk: the 1911 carousel, a miniature train and pedal boats (small ride fees).
- at stopThe Piedmont train to Durham, Greensboro or Charlotte, four times a day.
A few hours here
- Southbound: arrive 7:07pm, dinner in the Warehouse District, a hotel downtown, and Marbles in the morning before the Piedmont west.
Stay the night
Two Raleigh nights: Marbles and the science museum the first day, Pullen Park the second, and the Carolinian north at 10:38am or the Piedmont to Charlotte any time.
Snack stop: The Warehouse District's bakery, five minutes from the door; Marbles has a cafe.
Out the window: Leaving south the train passes the Dix park land and the State Fairgrounds on the right.
Raleigh has checked baggage. If you want a full day in the Triangle, the Piedmont runs four times a day from here to Charlotte, so you do not have to wait for tomorrow's Carolinian.
Stop 17 of 26NSFFair dates only, October 15 to 25 in 2026our honest take: ride on
North Carolina State Fair
A seasonal platform outside Gate 1 of the fairgrounds, used only during the State Fair. The waiting area is a tent at Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street. In 2026 Amtrak says fair access by train is for trips within North Carolina only.
A train straight to a midway.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and a tent across the tracks from Gate 1.
- 5 minThe North Carolina State Fair (admission).
A few hours here
- Fair dates only.
Stay the night
A fair day by train, in October.
Snack stop: The fair.
Out the window: The fairgrounds on the right southbound.
Check the fair-week schedule; the number of stops changes by date.
Stop 18 of 26CYNSouthbound about 7:28pm; northbound about 10:05am
Cary
A brick depot in downtown Cary with a staffed counter, checked bags and a 10-minute walk to Downtown Cary Park, seven acres with one of the best playgrounds in the country, opened in 2023. The old railroad hotel beside the tracks is now an arts center. A Cary family can board here instead of fighting Raleigh.
The playground at Downtown Cary Park, then back to the depot to watch the next train.
Right off the platform
- at stopA depot with a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and checked baggage.
- 2 minPage-Walker Arts and History Center in the 1868 railroad hotel next to the tracks (free; check hours).
- 5 minChatham Street's bakery and ice cream.
- 10 minDowntown Cary Park, 327 S Academy St: playground, lawns and fountains, free.
A few hours here
- The park (90 minutes) before a northbound departure.
Stay the night
A Cary day as in the Piedmont plan, which stops here four times a day.
Snack stop: Chatham Street, five minutes away.
Out the window: Suburbs, then pine woods and the office parks of Research Triangle Park.
Cary has checked baggage.
Stop 19 of 26DNCSouthbound about 7:53pm; northbound about 9:45am
Durham
The station is a converted 1897 tobacco warehouse with the Durham Bulls' ballpark across the street, which means a southbound family can step off at 7:53pm into the middle of a ballgame. The Museum of Life and Science, with a train ride, bears and a butterfly house, is 10 minutes by cab and one of the best museums in the Southeast. Northbound at 9:45am this is the boarding stop for the parent guide's favorite short ride, Durham to Raleigh in 45 minutes.
A Bulls game with the station lights visible from the stands, or the little train at the Museum of Life and Science the next morning.
Right off the platform
- at stopDurham Station: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and checked baggage, with the city bus hub beside it.
- 3 minDurham Bulls Athletic Park across the street (April to September).
- 5 minAmerican Tobacco Campus: a man-made river, lawns and restaurants.
- 10 minDowntown's Five Points, with ice cream and a toy store.
- at stopMuseum of Life and Science, by cab: dinosaur trail, bears, lemurs, a train ride and a butterfly house (admission).
- at stopDuke Gardens, by cab, free.
A few hours here
- Southbound: arrive 7:53pm, a Bulls game or dinner at American Tobacco, and a downtown hotel.
Stay the night
A Durham day as in the Piedmont plan: the Museum of Life and Science, the ballpark, and the Carolinian north at 9:52am or the Piedmont any time.
Snack stop: American Tobacco Campus, five minutes from the platform.
Out the window: Duke's campus off to the right leaving south, then farms toward Burlington.
Durham has checked baggage. The Piedmont stops here four times a day, so a Durham day does not depend on the Carolinian.
Stop 20 of 26BNCSouthbound about 8:45pm; northbound about 8:55amour honest take: ride on
Burlington
A depot in the old North Carolina Railroad engine house, and a 1910 Dentzel carousel two miles away at City Park that needs a cab and runs in season. On the Carolinian the southbound stop is at 8:45pm, so this is a Piedmont stop, covered in that plan.
The carousel at City Park, by Piedmont, by day.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe engine-house depot, with a waiting room and a ticket window.
- at stopBurlington City Park's carousel and mini train, by cab, seasonal.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
See the Piedmont plan.
Snack stop: Downtown cafes 10 minutes away.
Out the window: The Haw River and rolling farms.
Stop 21 of 26GROSouthbound about 9:20pm; northbound about 8:20am
Greensboro J. Douglas Galyon Depot
The grandest depot in the Carolinas, a 1927 Southern Railway station with a tall waiting room, a mural of the old railroad map on the wall and a tunnel under the tracks to the platforms. The children's museum and LeBauer Park's splash pad are a 10-minute walk downtown. Southbound it is 9:20pm, pajama time; northbound 8:20am, and a Greensboro night before an early train works well, with the Piedmont as a backup four times a day.
Find Greensboro on the mural map while you wait, then the fire truck at the Miriam P. Brenner Children's Museum in the morning.
Right off the platform
- at stopGalyon Depot: a 1927 waiting room, restrooms, a cafe, a staffed counter and checked baggage.
- 10 minMiriam P. Brenner Children's Museum, 220 N Church St, ages 0 to 10 (admission; closed Mondays).
- 10 minLeBauer Park's splash pad and playground, free.
- 10 minElm Street's ice cream.
- at stopGreensboro Science Center, by cab: a zoo, an aquarium and a treetop walk (admission).
A few hours here
- Southbound: arrive 9:20pm, a downtown hotel 10 minutes away, and the children's museum in the morning.
Stay the night
A Greensboro day as in the Piedmont plan: the Science Center, the children's museum and LeBauer Park, then the Carolinian north at 8:24am or the Piedmont any time.
Snack stop: The depot cafe; Elm Street 10 minutes away.
Out the window: The downtown cut, then High Point's trench 15 minutes later.
Greensboro has checked baggage. The Crescent and the Piedmont stop here too.
Stop 22 of 26HPTSouthbound about 9:40pm; northbound about 8:02am
High Point
The train drops into a mile-long trench through downtown and stops below the 1907 depot. The Qubein Children's Museum is a 10-minute walk, and the world's largest chest of drawers is a photo stop a mile away. On the Carolinian this is a night stop southbound and a breakfast stop northbound; the Piedmont plan has the High Point day.
The trench walls rising past the windows as the train arrives.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1907 depot above the trench, with a waiting room and a staffed counter.
- 10 minNido and Mariana Qubein Children's Museum (admission; closed Mondays).
- 20 minThe World's Largest Chest of Drawers.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard, or see the Piedmont plan.
Stay the night
See the Piedmont plan.
Snack stop: Main Street cafes.
Out the window: The trench, then rolling farmland toward Lexington.
The NC Amtrak Connector bus to Winston-Salem meets trains here; the kids discount does not apply on it.
Stop 23 of 26LEXFestival day only, one Saturday in late Octoberour honest take: ride on
Lexington Barbecue Festival
A one-day stop a block from the Lexington Barbecue Festival. The rest of the year the Carolinian rolls through. Lexington barbecue is chopped pork shoulder with red slaw.
A barbecue tray and a hush puppy, on the one day.
Right off the platform
- at stopA temporary stop at the Lexington Hospitality Center on festival day.
- 5 minThe festival on Main Street, free entry.
A few hours here
- Festival day only.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: Barbecue.
Out the window: Lexington's old depot on the right.
Stop 24 of 26SALSouthbound about 10:15pm; northbound about 7:28am
Salisbury
A 1908 Spanish Mission depot with gargoyles on its tower, restored in the 1990s, and the North Carolina Transportation Museum three miles away in the old Spencer shops: a 37-stall roundhouse, a working turntable, a train ride and cabooses to climb in. The parent guide's best first ride is Charlotte to Salisbury on the 6:45am northbound, 43 minutes, arriving at 7:28am in time for the museum to open. Then the Piedmont home.
The turntable spinning a locomotive at Spencer, then the museum's train ride around the shops.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1908 depot: a waiting room, restrooms and a ticket window.
- 5 minMain Street's toy store, ice cream and Cheerwine.
- 10 minHurley Park's garden and ducks, free.
- at stopNorth Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, by cab, 10 minutes (admission; train ride extra; closed Mondays in winter).
- at stopDan Nicholas Park, by car, with a mini train, a carousel and a petting zoo.
A few hours here
- Northbound: off at 7:28am, breakfast on Main Street, a cab to Spencer when it opens (3 hours), and a Piedmont back to Charlotte or on to Greensboro.
Stay the night
A Spencer day as in the Piedmont plan, with the Carolinian as the early train in.
Snack stop: Main Street, five minutes from the depot.
Out the window: The Yadkin River bridge north of town, and the Spencer roundhouse on the right as the train arrives from the north.
The Transportation Museum's train rides run most days April to October and weekends otherwise; check first. Southbound at 10:15pm this is a bedtime stop.
Stop 25 of 26KANSouthbound about 10:30pm; northbound about 7:10amour honest take: ride on
Kannapolis
A 2005 brick station with a cupola, a rebuilt downtown with a minor league ballpark, and Village Park's double-decker carousel and mini train a 15-minute walk away, in season. Kannapolis to Salisbury is 18 minutes, the shortest hop on the line. On the Carolinian it is 10:30pm southbound and 7:10am northbound; the Piedmont plan has the day.
Kannapolis to Salisbury northbound at 7:10am, 18 minutes, one reading of the book.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 2005 depot with a waiting room and a ticket window.
- 5 minDowntown's splash pad plaza and the Cannon Ballers' ballpark.
- 15 minVillage Park's double-decker carousel and mini train (seasonal).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard, or see the Piedmont plan.
Stay the night
See the Piedmont plan.
Snack stop: West Avenue's ice cream, five minutes away.
Out the window: Suburbs into Charlotte.
Stop 26 of 26CLTTrain 79 arrives about 11:00pm; Train 80 leaves about 6:45am
Charlotte
The Carolinian arrives in Charlotte at about 11pm and leaves at 6:45am, which are both hard hours with a four-year-old, and the station is a 1962 building in a rail yard two miles from uptown. So Charlotte on this train is a hotel and a cab. Once you are uptown, Discovery Place Science and ImaginOn, a free children's library with a theater, are the two best indoor days in the Carolinas, and the Blue Line light rail is a ride on its own. A new Gateway Station uptown is still under construction.
Discovery Place's rainforest and toddler floor, then the story room at ImaginOn, free, the morning after the late arrival.
Right off the platform
- at stopCharlotte station: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and checked baggage, in a working rail yard; hold hands on the platform.
- at stopDiscovery Place Science uptown, by cab: a rainforest, an aquarium and an IMAX (admission).
- at stopImaginOn, the children's library and theater uptown, free.
- at stopThe LYNX Blue Line light rail from uptown to the South End's parks and ice cream.
- at stopFreedom Park and the Charlotte Nature Museum, by cab (small admission).
- at stopCarowinds, by car, for tall kids.
A few hours here
- Arrive 11pm, cab to an uptown hotel, and Discovery Place in the morning.
Stay the night
A Charlotte weekend: Discovery Place and ImaginOn, Freedom Park and the Blue Line, Carowinds by car, and the Piedmont to Salisbury for the roundhouse. Then the 6:45am Carolinian north, pajamas on.
Snack stop: Nothing near the station at 11pm; uptown food halls in the morning.
Out the window: Arriving at night the yard lights and the uptown skyline off to the left.
The station is in a rail yard two miles from uptown; book a cab or a hotel shuttle for 11pm. Charlotte has checked baggage. Check Amtrak for the Gateway Station move.
Count the brick depots
My dad grew up on a street where the Southern Railway went by twice a day, and he could tell you which train it was by the sound. I never learned that. What I can do is stand on the platform in Rocky Mount with my kids and say this depot is older than your great-grandmother, and watch them look at it differently. Eleven brick depots between here and Charlotte. We did not get off at all of them. We looked at every one.
Next in this series: the Piedmont, which runs the North Carolina stops four times a day and makes them day trips, and the Crescent, which shares Greensboro to Charlotte in the dark on its way to New Orleans. The Palmetto shares Rocky Mount and Wilson on the coast line, and the Northeast Regional covers New York to Washington by day. Every route is on the Train Trips With Your Kids page.
Carolinian trips with kids: questions parents ask
How long is the Carolinian from New York to Charlotte?
About 16 hours southbound and 14 hours northbound, all in one day. Train 79 leaves New York at about 7am and arrives in Charlotte at about 11pm; Train 80 leaves Charlotte at 6:45am and arrives in New York at about 9pm.
Why does the Carolinian stop so long in Washington?
The electric wires end at Union Station, so the train swaps its electric engine for a diesel. Southbound the stop runs from about 11:02am to 1:05pm, long enough for the free Postal Museum next door and lunch in the station.
What is the best Carolinian stop for a night with kids?
Raleigh. The southbound arrives at about 7pm, the station is in a walkable district, and Marbles Kids Museum, a free science museum and Pullen Park's carousel and miniature train are all within a mile. The Piedmont runs on to Charlotte four times a day.
What is the best short Carolinian ride with a toddler?
Charlotte to Salisbury on the 6:45am northbound, about 43 minutes, arriving at a 1908 depot with the North Carolina Transportation Museum's roundhouse three miles away. Durham to Raleigh at 9:52am is about 45 minutes with a stop in Cary.
Does the southbound Carolinian stop at Quantico and Fredericksburg?
No. Both are northbound-only stops on this train, and Quantico is inside a Marine Corps base that requires DBIDS credentials. Northeast Regional trains serve Fredericksburg many times a day in both directions.
Which Carolinian stops should we skip with kids?
Newark, Trenton, Wilmington and Baltimore are covered in the Northeast Regional plan; Quantico, Petersburg, Selma, Burlington and Kannapolis are platforms on this train's schedule. The trip is Washington, Richmond, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Salisbury and Charlotte.
Sources and how I checked
- Amtrak Carolinian timetable, fall 2026 (Trains 79 and 80), NC By Train schedules, Amtrak's Pause for Progress page for the October 16 to 26 work, and Amtrak station pages
- Marbles Kids Museum, Museum of Life and Science, Science Museum of Virginia, Children's Museum of Richmond, Imperial Centre, Miriam P. Brenner Children's Museum, North Carolina Transportation Museum, Discovery Place: hours and admission as posted October 2026
- Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, National Postal Museum, Pullen Park, Town of Cary (Downtown Cary Park)
- Great American Stations and Wikipedia station and route articles for addresses, depot dates and the First Street Tunnel, cross-checked with Amtrak
Hours, prices and bus routes change. I update this page when they do; if you spot something out of date, tell me.