Ethan Allen Express With Kids: A Trip Plan for Every Stop
The Ethan Allen is the one Amtrak train that leaves New York after lunch, follows the Hudson all afternoon, goes through a tunnel under a Vermont main street, and ends at a lakefront station with monkeys on the roof. Seven hours, one train a day, Business Class next to the cafe counter. My mom would have loved Burlington; she liked any town with a bike path and ice cream. We took the kids for a long weekend and they still call it the monkey train. Below is every stop, the ones to ride through, and the three or four worth a day.
By Kelsey Lizee Cecil. Times are approximate from the fall 2026 timetable; checked against Amtrak and each attraction in October 2026. Hours change; read the "know before you go" notes.If you only have one day
- With a toddler: Burlington to Middlebury.The 9:25am southbound, the lake, then the tunnel, then a waterfall downtown. Have a car meet you; the northbound does not come back until evening. Jump to Middlebury.
- Ages 4 to 8: Rutland to Saratoga Springs and back.The 11:06am south, Congress Park's carousel and springs, the Children's Museum, and the 5:56pm home. Jump to Saratoga Springs.
- The big one: a Burlington weekend.The 2:19pm from New York, dinner on the train, the tunnel in the dark, and three days of ECHO, the bike path and creemees. Jump to Burlington.
Read this before you go
Three things to know. First, one train a day each way, so every stop north of Albany is either a night or a car pickup; the Hudson Valley stops have hourly Empire Service trains and are covered on that page. Second, the northbound reaches Vermont after dark in every season but summer and gets to Burlington at 9:26pm, so the Vermont stops are morning stops on the southbound train. Third, Vermont discounts most trips inside the state, so a Burlington to Middlebury hop is cheap. Alerts are on the Ethan Allen Express page on Amtrak (opens in a new tab).
Tickets, Business Class, the cafe, strollers and what to pack for seven hours are all in our Ethan Allen Express parent guide. This page is the fun part: where to get off and what to do when you do.
Stop 1 of 15NYPTrain 291 leaves about 2:19pm; Train 290 arrives about 4:27pm
New York Moynihan Train Hall
The Ethan Allen leaves after lunch, which is the kindest departure time on the whole Amtrak map for a family: a slow morning, a packed dinner, and the Hudson out the left window until Albany. Moynihan Train Hall is the glass-roofed side of Penn Station, with a food hall and clean restrooms and a board that flips to your gate about ten minutes before boarding. Coach is open seating, so be at the gate early; Business Class in the club car sits next to the cafe counter, which with a snacky preschooler is worth the money.
The gate number flipping up on the big board and the walk down to the platform together, first in line.
Right off the platform
- at stopMoynihan Train Hall: a skylight, a food hall, restrooms, a staffed counter and a Mamava lactation pod.
- 5 minThe High Line's north end at 34th Street for a morning walk before the train.
- 10 minHudson Yards' shops and bathrooms.
- at stopThe 1, 2, 3, A, C and E subways under the station.
A few hours here
- Southbound you arrive at 4:27pm: the High Line for an hour, dinner, and the subway to wherever you sleep.
Stay the night
New York is a trip of its own. For this train, the morning before a 2:19pm departure is the Intrepid or the Natural History museum, then lunch, then the train.
Snack stop: The Moynihan food hall; pack a real dinner, because the train runs through dinnertime.
Out the window: The tunnel, then the Bronx, then the Hudson on the left with the Palisades across it.
Northbound you do not arrive in Vermont until evening. Pajamas in the carry-on, dinner in the bag.
Stop 2 of 15YNYNorthbound about 2:43pm; southbound about 3:48pmour honest take: ride on
Yonkers
A riverfront station 25 minutes from Penn with a science barge on the pier. It belongs to the hourly Empire Service, not to a once-a-day train to Vermont. Ride on.
The first clear look at the Palisades, left side.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 1911 station on the river with a waiting room and restrooms.
- 5 minThe Yonkers pier and the Science Barge (seasonal weekends).
- at stopHudson River Museum's planetarium and children's galleries, 1.5 miles, by cab.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
See the Empire Service plan.
Snack stop: Cafes by the pier.
Out the window: The Palisades across the river.
Stop 3 of 15CRTNorthbound about 3:02pm; southbound about 3:27pmour honest take: ride on
Croton-on-Hudson Croton-Harmon
A commuter station beside a big Metro-North yard. Croton Point Park's beach is a cab away. An Empire Service stop; stay on.
The rows of parked commuter trains on the right.
Right off the platform
- at stopA station with a waiting room, restrooms and Metro-North.
- at stopCroton Point Park's beach and playground, 10 minutes by cab.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
See the Empire Service plan.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: Haverstraw Bay, the widest point of the river, on the left.
Stop 4 of 15POUNorthbound about 3:44pm; southbound about 2:46pmour honest take: ride on
Poughkeepsie
A children's museum five minutes from the platform and a rail bridge turned into a sky-high park, with an elevator from the waterfront. The best Hudson stop for kids, and the Empire Service's hourly trains are the way to do it. On the Ethan Allen, ride on; it is covered in the Empire Service plan.
The Walkway Over the Hudson overhead a minute after the platform, on the left.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 1918 station with chandeliers, restrooms and a staffed counter.
- 5 minMid-Hudson Children's Museum on the waterfront (admission; check days).
- 10 minThe Walkway Over the Hudson's riverfront elevator (seasonal) and Waryas Park.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
See the Empire Service plan.
Snack stop: The waterfront.
Out the window: Two bridges overhead in a minute, then the river narrows.
Stop 5 of 15RHINorthbound about 4:00pm; southbound about 2:33pmour honest take: ride on
Rhinecliff
A 1914 station on a bluff with big arched windows, the stop for Rhinebeck's village and the biplane air shows at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, both by cab. An Empire Service day. Stay on.
The lighthouse across the river at Kingston.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1914 station: a waiting room with arched windows, restrooms, stairs or an elevator to the platform.
- at stopRhinebeck's village, 3 miles, by cab.
- at stopOld Rhinebeck Aerodrome's weekend air shows, summer and fall, by cab.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
See the Empire Service plan.
Snack stop: A cafe in the hamlet.
Out the window: The Kingston-Rondout lighthouse, left side.
Stop 6 of 15HUDNorthbound about 4:21pm; southbound about 2:11pmour honest take: ride on
Hudson
An 1874 New York Central depot a short walk from Warren Street's shops and a riverfront park with a playground beside the tracks. Lovely, and an Empire Service stop. Ride on.
The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse in the middle of the river, left side, right after the station.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1874 depot with a waiting room and restrooms.
- 2 minHenry Hudson Riverfront Park's playground.
- 5 minWarren Street's shops and ice cream.
- at stopFASNY Museum of Firefighting, free, by cab.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
See the Empire Service plan.
Snack stop: Warren Street.
Out the window: The Catskills across the river, then the last miles of the Hudson before Albany.
Stop 7 of 15ALBNorthbound about 4:49pm to 5:04pm; southbound about 1:34pm to 1:49pm
Albany Albany-Rensselaer
Fifteen minutes here while the engine is changed, in a big 2002 station across the river from Albany with a cafe and restrooms and a wide platform. It is the last stop with checked bags and the easiest place to board for a short Vermont-bound ride. Downtown Albany, with the free State Museum and its carousel, is a 10-minute cab ride; that day is in the Empire Service plan. The Ethan Allen's own best short hop starts here: Albany to Saratoga, about 50 minutes.
Walking to the end of the platform to watch the diesel engine couple on for the trip north.
Right off the platform
- at stopAlbany-Rensselaer: a waiting room, restrooms, a cafe, a staffed counter and checked baggage.
- at stopThe New York State Museum, free, with a 1912 carousel, by cab or CDTA bus, 10 minutes.
- at stopEmpire State Plaza's reflecting pools and the Capitol, next to the museum.
A few hours here
- The engine change from the platform, the cafe, and back on (15 minutes).
Stay the night
A night in Albany and the State Museum's carousel belong to the Empire Service plan; from here the Ethan Allen is about four and a half hours to Burlington.
Snack stop: The station cafe.
Out the window: Across the Hudson and away from it; the train turns north toward Saratoga.
Keep kids aboard during the short stop; the conductor will say if there is time on the platform.
Stop 8 of 15SDYNorthbound about 5:28pm; southbound about 1:11pmour honest take: ride on
Schenectady
A 2018 downtown station by Proctors theater. This is where the Ethan Allen leaves the Empire Service line and heads north. miSci, the science museum with a planetarium, is a mile away. Ride on.
The fork: the Mohawk and the Niagara Falls trains go left, you go right.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 2018 station with a waiting room, restrooms and a staffed counter.
- 5 minProctors theater and State Street cafes.
- 20 minmiSci, the Museum of Innovation and Science, with a planetarium (admission).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Covered in the Empire Service plan.
Snack stop: State Street.
Out the window: Pines and farms; the Adirondack foothills begin to show on the left.
Stop 9 of 15SARNorthbound about 5:56pm; southbound about 12:35pm
Saratoga Springs
The best stop between the two ends, and the one the parent guide builds a day around: the southbound arrives at 12:35pm and the northbound leaves at 5:56pm, so a Rutland family gets five hours here without a car. The station is a mile and a half from Broadway (cab stand outside). Congress Park has a 1910 carousel, fountains of mineral water the kids will spit out and then ask for again, and a big playground. The Children's Museum at Saratoga, now in the old Lincoln Baths at Spa State Park, has a fire truck and a treehouse and serves babies to twelve-year-olds.
A ride on the Congress Park carousel, then a sip from the spring fountain, then the face.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 2004 station with a wave-shaped arched roof, a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and a cab stand.
- at stopCongress Park's carousel (seasonal), springs and playground, 1.5 miles, by cab or a 30-minute walk.
- at stopChildren's Museum at Saratoga at Spa State Park, by cab (admission; check days).
- at stopSpa State Park's pools in summer, the Automobile Museum, and the performing arts center's lawn.
- at stopThe race course, late July to Labor Day, with free morning workouts at the rail.
A few hours here
- Southbound from Vermont: arrive 12:35pm, cab to Congress Park, carousel and springs, lunch on Broadway, the Children's Museum, and the 5:56pm northbound home to Rutland.
Stay the night
A Saratoga night: Congress Park, the Children's Museum, Spa State Park, ice cream on Broadway, and either train the next day. The Adirondack to Montreal also stops here, so this is a junction for a bigger trip.
Snack stop: Broadway's ice cream shops and cafes.
Out the window: North of town the Hudson comes back, narrow and fast, on the right.
On race days in August, pre-book the cab; the town is full.
Stop 10 of 15FEDNorthbound about 6:17pm; southbound about 12:13pmour honest take: ride on
Fort Edward Fort Edward-Glens Falls
An old Delaware and Hudson depot with wooden trim and a small tower, the last New York stop. It serves Glens Falls, 4 miles, and Lake George, 15 miles, by cab, and Rogers Island on the river is a walk. The Ethan Allen and the Adirondack split just north of here. For a Lake George week, this is the stop; otherwise ride on.
The depot's little tower, then the last look at the Hudson before the train turns east.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform beside the historic depot, with a shelter.
- 15 minRogers Island visitor center, on the river, with Rangers history.
- at stopGlens Falls' World Awareness Children's Museum, 4 miles, by cab.
- at stopLake George village and its steamboats, 15 miles, by cab.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
A Lake George week by cab from here.
Snack stop: A diner in the village.
Out the window: The train turns east across the canal and into the hills toward Vermont; Whitehall's cliffs pass on the left.
No station services; arrange a cab before you arrive.
Stop 11 of 15CNVNorthbound about 7:08pm; southbound about 11:24amour honest take: ride on
Castleton
Welcome to Vermont. The depot here went up in 1850, which makes it one of the oldest buildings on the whole Amtrak system, and it sits by a college campus. Lake Bomoseen's beach is 4 miles by car. A pretty platform; the first Vermont stop worth getting off at is Rutland, ten minutes on.
Telling them this depot was already old when their great-great-grandparents were born.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform with a shelter beside the 1850 depot, no staff.
- 5 minThe Vermont State University campus at Castleton and its green.
- at stopLake Bomoseen's state park beach, 4 miles, by car.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip, unless Lake Bomoseen is the week.
Snack stop: A general store in the village.
Out the window: Green hills, red barns, and the first maple trees close to the window.
Stop 12 of 15RUDNorthbound about 7:35pm to 7:45pm; southbound about 10:56am to 11:06am
Rutland James M. Jeffords Station
Vermont's second city and the stop for Killington. The 1999 station is on the west edge of downtown, five minutes from Merchants Row, where Wonderfeet Kids' Museum moved into a bigger space in 2023 with a pretend Vermont town, a farmers market to shop and a train station with a caboose. Northbound you arrive at 7:45pm, which is bedtime; southbound at 11am it is a real morning stop. In winter the bus to Killington's ski slopes leaves from downtown.
Wonderfeet's caboose, five minutes from the real train you just got off.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 1999 station with a waiting room, restrooms and a staffed counter.
- 5 minWonderfeet Kids' Museum on Merchants Row, ages 0 to 10 or so (admission; check days).
- 5 minDowntown Rutland: the Paramount Theatre, a bookstore, the Saturday farmers market.
- at stopPine Hill Park's trails and the Rutland pool in summer, by cab.
- at stopKillington and Pico, 15 miles, by cab or the winter ski bus from downtown.
A few hours here
- Southbound: get off at 10:56am, Wonderfeet, lunch downtown, and the northbound at 7:45pm back to Burlington, or a car.
Stay the night
The parent guide's favorite: the 11:06am southbound to Saratoga Springs for five hours of carousel and springs, home on the 7:45pm. Or a Killington weekend with the ski bus.
Snack stop: Downtown cafes and a creemee stand on Route 7 in summer.
Out the window: North of Rutland the valley opens up with the Green Mountains on the right and marble country on the left.
The train sits here 10 minutes while the crew changes ends. Checked bags: none north of Albany.
Stop 13 of 15MBYNorthbound about 8:26pm; southbound about 10:11am
Middlebury
The tunnel stop. In 2020 the railroad dug a 360-foot tunnel under Main Street and Merchants Row, and the train goes dark for ten seconds right before the platform. Read Rally's tunnel page after Rutland and count down. The station is a platform with a shelter and no staff, a ten-minute walk from a downtown with a waterfall in the middle of it, a toy store, and the Maple Landmark wooden toy workshop a mile up the road. Southbound, Burlington to Middlebury at 9:25am is the parent guide's first ride.
The windows going black under Main Street, then the waterfall at Otter Creek from the footbridge downtown.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and shelter at the Marble Works, no staff, no restroom.
- 10 minDowntown Middlebury: Otter Creek falls from the footbridge, the green, a bookstore and a toy store.
- 10 minVermont Folklife Center and the Middlebury College campus.
- 20 minMaple Landmark Woodcraft on Exchange Street: a wooden toy factory with a showroom and a viewing window (free; weekdays).
- at stopUVM Morgan Horse Farm in Weybridge, 3 miles, by cab (seasonal; admission).
A few hours here
- Southbound: arrive 10:11am, the falls, lunch on the green, Maple Landmark, and a car back to Burlington (the northbound does not return until 8:26pm).
Stay the night
A Middlebury night: the falls, the Morgan horses, a college-town pizza, and the 10:11am southbound on.
Snack stop: The bakery on the green and a creemee at the falls in summer.
Out the window: The tunnel, then farms and the Adirondacks across the lake far off on the left.
No staff and no restroom at the platform. Bags zipped and shoes on a stop early; the train does not linger.
Stop 14 of 15VRNNorthbound about 8:45pm; southbound about 9:54amour honest take: ride on
Ferrisburgh-Vergennes
A platform on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh, built for the 2022 extension, serving Vergennes, the smallest city in Vermont, 2 miles away. Rokeby Museum's Underground Railroad farm is up the road, and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is a drive. Nothing to walk to; ride on to Burlington.
Counting barns; this is the stretch with the most.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform with a shelter and a park-and-ride lot, no staff.
- at stopVergennes' falls and small downtown, 2 miles, by cab.
- at stopRokeby Museum, an Underground Railroad farm with trails, 1 mile north on Route 7 (seasonal; admission).
- at stopLake Champlain Maritime Museum at Basin Harbor, by car (seasonal).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None at the platform.
Out the window: Dairy farms, then the lake begins to show on the left as you near Burlington.
Stop 15 of 15BTNTrain 291 arrives about 9:26pm; Train 290 leaves about 9:25am
Burlington Union Station
The end, and the reward. Union Station is on the waterfront with four steel winged monkeys on its roof, the lake is across the bike path, and ECHO, the lake aquarium and science center with a frog room and a shipwreck exhibit, is three minutes away. Church Street's pedestrian blocks are a ten-minute walk uphill, with the original Ben and Jerry's scoop shop. The train gets in at 9:26pm, so the first night is bed; the morning is ECHO, the bike path and a creemee. Burlington is where I would take a kid for a first Vermont weekend.
Counting the four monkeys on the roof as you pull in, then the lake at sunset from Waterfront Park, which faces the Adirondacks.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Station, 1916, with a waiting room when open, restrooms and the monkeys on the roof.
- 3 minECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain: the lake aquarium, turtles, a frog exhibit, a kids' water table (admission).
- 3 minWaterfront Park and the Island Line bike path, with bike and trailer rentals nearby in summer.
- 5 minThe Spirit of Ethan Allen lake cruises from the boathouse (seasonal).
- 10 minChurch Street Marketplace: street performers, a toy store, the Ben and Jerry's scoop shop.
- at stopShelburne Museum, with a carousel and a steamboat on land, 7 miles, by GMT bus or cab (seasonal; admission).
- at stopOakledge Park's beach and the Earth Clock, by bike path, 2 miles.
A few hours here
- Reverse direction: the southbound leaves at 9:25am, so a last morning is a creemee for breakfast and the lake from the bike path.
Stay the night
Three nights. Day one: ECHO and the waterfront. Day two: bikes on the Island Line to the beach, or the bus to Shelburne Museum's carousel and steamboat. Day three: Church Street, the lake cruise, and the 9:25am train home with the Hudson in the afternoon.
Snack stop: Creemees (Vermont soft serve, maple) on the waterfront in summer; Church Street for everything else.
Out the window: Arriving, the lake fills the left windows in the last minutes, with the sun setting over the Adirondacks in summer.
Arrival is 9:26pm, after bedtime. Book a hotel within a few blocks and have pajamas on by Middlebury. The old ferry to Port Kent, New York, has not run since 2019.
A tunnel, a lake and four monkeys
Every kid's book about a train has a tunnel in it, including mine, and most real train rides do not. This one does, right before a platform, in a town with a waterfall. That is the kind of thing a four-year-old remembers for years. The rest of the ride is a river and then farms and then a lake, and at the end there are monkeys on a roof and ice cream across the street. Go in the fall if you can. Sit on the left until Albany.
Next in this series: the Adirondack, which shares the line to Fort Edward and then follows Lake Champlain's other shore to Montreal; the Vermonter, the other train into Vermont; the Empire Service for the Hudson Valley stops; and the Lake Shore Limited, the overnight through Albany. Every route is on the Train Trips With Your Kids page.
Ethan Allen Express trips with kids: questions parents ask
How long is the Ethan Allen Express from New York to Burlington?
About 7 hours. Train 291 leaves New York at 2:19pm and arrives in Burlington at 9:26pm; Train 290 leaves Burlington at 9:25am and arrives in New York at 4:27pm. Rutland is about 5 and a half hours from New York.
Do kids pay on the Ethan Allen Express?
Kids 2 to 12 pay half the adult fare with an adult on the booking, and one baby under 2 rides free on each adult's lap. Vermont funds discounted fares for most trips that stay inside Vermont, so short hops like Burlington to Middlebury are cheap.
Where is the tunnel on the Ethan Allen Express?
Under downtown Middlebury, Vermont. It is 360 feet long, built in 2020 under Main Street and Merchants Row, and the train goes through it right before the Middlebury platform. Northbound it comes after Rutland; southbound it comes about 45 minutes out of Burlington.
What is the best Ethan Allen Express stop for a day with kids?
Saratoga Springs: Congress Park's carousel and springs, the Children's Museum at Spa State Park, and ice cream on Broadway. The southbound arrives at 12:35pm and the northbound leaves at 5:56pm, which makes a day of it from Rutland without a car.
Which side of the Ethan Allen Express has the view?
The left side northbound from New York to Albany for the Hudson, the right side southbound. In Vermont both sides are farms and hills; the lake shows up on the left in the last minutes into Burlington.
Which Ethan Allen Express stops should we skip with kids?
The Hudson Valley stops (Yonkers, Croton, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson) are better on the Empire Service, and Schenectady, Fort Edward, Castleton and Ferrisburgh-Vergennes are platforms. The trip is Saratoga, Rutland, Middlebury and Burlington.
Sources and how I checked
- Amtrak Ethan Allen Express timetable, fall 2026 (Trains 290 and 291), and Amtrak station pages
- Wonderfeet Kids' Museum, ECHO Leahy Center, Children's Museum at Saratoga, Shelburne Museum, Maple Landmark: hours and admission as posted October 2026
- Vermont Agency of Transportation (in-state fares) and Green Mountain Transit (Shelburne bus)
- Great American Stations and Wikipedia station articles for addresses, the 2020 Middlebury tunnel and the 2022 Burlington extension, 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.