Pere Marquette With Kids: A Trip Plan for Every Stop
The Pere Marquette is a one-a-day train with an odd schedule, and the oddness is the point. It leaves Grand Rapids at 6:00am and gets to Chicago at 9:08am; it leaves Chicago at 6:30pm and gets you home at 11:34pm. That is a whole Chicago day for a West Michigan family with no hotel and no parking. Going the other way, its stops are a beach town with a carousel and a Dutch town with a windmill, both overnights. My mom loved Holland in tulip season. Below is every stop and what to do when you get off.
By Kelsey Lizee Cecil. Checked against the Michigan Services timetable (September 2026) and each attraction in October 2026. Hours change; read the "know before you go" notes.If you only have one day
- With a toddler: St. Joseph.An overnight in a beach town where the carousel, the kids' Discovery Zone, the sand and the lighthouse are all a ten-minute walk from the platform. Jump to St. Joseph.
- Ages 4 to 8: Holland.A 250-year-old windmill that still grinds flour, a 1928 carousel, a beach with a red lighthouse, and Dutch pastries downtown. Tulips in May. Jump to Holland.
- The big one: the Chicago day.Leave Grand Rapids at 6:00am, the Shedd or the Field Museum, Maggie Daley Park, the Bean, dinner, and the 6:30pm train home with everyone asleep by Holland. Jump to Chicago.
Read this before you go
Three things to know. First, one train a day each way, so every Michigan stop is an overnight; the Wolverine and Blue Water do not serve this line. Second, the eastbound arrives in Grand Rapids at 11:34pm, so put the kids in pajamas at Holland and carry them off. Third, the morning train leaves Grand Rapids at 6:00am and the cafe opens after departure; bring breakfast. Alerts are on the Pere Marquette page on Amtrak (opens in a new tab).
Tickets, seats, bathrooms, strollers and what to pack are all in our Pere Marquette parent guide. This page is the fun part: where to get off and what to do when you do.
Stop 1 of 5CHITrain 370 leaves 6:30pm; Train 371 arrives 9:08am
Chicago Union Station
The Pere Marquette leaves Chicago at dinner time and arrives from Grand Rapids at breakfast, which makes it a commuter-shaped train for a very non-commuter purpose: getting a Michigan family to Chicago for a full day and home again. Union Station's Great Hall is the welcome.
Arriving at 9:08am, walk straight through the Great Hall and look up, then out to the river for the first architecture boat of the day.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Station: the Great Hall, restrooms, a food court and a staffed counter.
- 5 minThe Chicago Riverwalk and the architecture boats.
- 15 minMaggie Daley Park's giant slides, free.
- 20 minThe Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum by bus or a long walk along the lake.
- 15 minMillennium Park and the Bean.
A few hours here
- Riverwalk boat (90 minutes).
- Maggie Daley Park (1 hour).
- Lunch and Millennium Park before the 6:30pm train.
Stay the night
Arrive 9:08am, Shedd or the Field Museum, lunch, Maggie Daley, the Bean, dinner near the station, the 6:30pm train home. A whole Chicago day without a car or a hotel.
Snack stop: The station food court; the Riverwalk stands.
Out the window: Leaving Chicago eastbound you curve around the bottom of Lake Michigan past the Indiana steel mills, then the dunes.
The westbound arrival at 9:08am and the eastbound departure at 6:30pm were made for a Michigan family's Chicago day trip.
Stop 2 of 5SJMEastbound 9:14pm; westbound 8:10am
St. Joseph Benton Harbor
A beach town with a carousel, a children's museum and a lighthouse pier all within a 10-minute walk of the platform, and Silver Beach's sand right below the bluff. The train times are early and late, so this is an overnight, and it is a good one.
The Silver Beach Carousel, a modern carousel built like the 1910 original that once stood here, with a kids' museum next door and the lake right outside.
Right off the platform
- at stopA small station on the river between the two towns.
- 10 minSilver Beach: sand, a playground, the St. Joseph lighthouse pier.
- 10 minSilver Beach Carousel and the Curious Kids' Discovery Zone, next to each other on the beach (small admission).
- 12 minDowntown St. Joseph on the bluff: ice cream, a toy store, the Kilwin's fudge shop.
- 15 minCurious Kids' Museum on State Street, ages 1 to 10 (admission).
A few hours here
- Carousel and the Discovery Zone (90 minutes).
- Beach and the lighthouse pier (1 hour).
Stay the night
Arrive 9:14pm, sleep in town, then a full beach day: Curious Kids' Museum, the carousel, Silver Beach, ice cream on the bluff, and the 8:10am train west the next morning, or stay a second night.
Snack stop: Kilwin's fudge and ice cream on the bluff, the beach concession in summer.
Out the window: The lake appears on the left eastbound as you approach, and the lighthouse is visible from the bridge.
Stop 3 of 5BAMEastbound 9:50pm; westbound 7:32amour honest take: ride on
Bangor
A small farm-town platform near the Kal-Haven bike trail. A stretch stop, not a destination, and the times are dawn and bedtime.
None at these hours.
Right off the platform
- at stopA small platform and shelter.
- 5 minDowntown Bangor's few blocks and the Kal-Haven Trail head.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: Blueberry farms. Michigan grows more blueberries than anywhere, and they are right here.
Stop 4 of 5HOMEastbound 10:33pm; westbound 6:49am
Holland Padnos Transportation Center
A Dutch town with a working windmill on an island, tulips in May, and a downtown with heated sidewalks and a toy store. The transportation center is a 10-minute walk from downtown and a cab from the windmill. Early and late train times make it an overnight.
Windmill Island Gardens, with the 250-year-old De Zwaan windmill still grinding flour, a carousel from 1928 and, in May, half a million tulips.
Right off the platform
- at stopA modern transportation center with a waiting room and restrooms.
- 10 minDowntown Holland's 8th Street: a toy store, a candy shop, a bakery with Dutch pastries.
- at stopWindmill Island Gardens, 2 miles by cab, with the windmill, the carousel and the tulips (admission; seasonal).
- at stopHolland State Park and the Big Red lighthouse, by cab, with a wide beach on Lake Michigan.
- at stopNelis' Dutch Village theme park, by cab, with wooden shoe carving and small rides.
A few hours here
- Downtown 8th Street for pastries and the toy store (1 hour).
- Cab to Windmill Island for the windmill and carousel (2 hours).
Stay the night
Windmill Island in the morning, lunch downtown, Holland State Park's beach and the Big Red lighthouse in the afternoon. In May, Tulip Time, with wooden-shoe dancing in the streets. Two nights.
Snack stop: DeBoer Bakkerij for Dutch pastries, and the candy shop on 8th Street.
Out the window: Lake Macatawa on the right eastbound as you arrive.
Windmill Island is open April to October; Tulip Time is the first half of May and hotels fill up.
Stop 5 of 5GRRTrain 370 arrives 11:34pm; Train 371 leaves 6:00am
Grand Rapids Vernon J. Ehlers Station
The eastern end, with a children's museum, a public museum with a working 1928 carousel, and the Meijer Gardens' children's garden all within a short cab of the station. The train times are late night and dawn, so Grand Rapids is a home base, not a stop.
The carousel inside the Grand Rapids Public Museum, which turns inside a glass pavilion over the river. Then the Meijer Gardens' children's garden, with a tree house and a splash area.
Right off the platform
- at stopA modern station with a waiting room, restrooms and the bus terminal next door.
- 10 minGrand Rapids Children's Museum at 11 Sheldon Ave NE, ages 0 to 10 (admission).
- 12 minGrand Rapids Public Museum on the river, with the 1928 Spillman carousel and a planetarium.
- at stopFrederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, by cab, with a five-acre children's garden.
- at stopJohn Ball Zoo, by cab, with a funicular and a zip line.
A few hours here
- Children's Museum (2 hours).
- Public Museum carousel (1 hour).
Stay the night
Children's Museum, the Public Museum and carousel, lunch downtown, Meijer Gardens' children's garden, John Ball Zoo the next day. Then the 6:00am train to Chicago for a city day.
Snack stop: Downtown Grand Rapids has a dozen family restaurants and the Downtown Market food hall.
Out the window: The Grand River as you arrive.
The 6:00am departure is early. Pack breakfast; the cafe car opens after departure.
The tulip train
My mom went to Tulip Time in Holland once as a girl and talked about the wooden shoes for the rest of her life. I took my kids on this train in May for her. They did not care about the tulips. They cared about the windmill, the carousel, and the fact that the train came home in the dark and they got to sleep on it. That is fine. That is the trip.
Next in this series: the Wolverine, Michigan's three-a-day main line, and the Blue Water to Port Huron. Every route is on the Train Trips With Your Kids page.
Pere Marquette trips with kids: questions parents ask
How long is the Pere Marquette from Chicago to Grand Rapids?
About 4 hours. Train 370 leaves Chicago at 6:30pm and arrives in Grand Rapids at 11:34pm; Train 371 leaves Grand Rapids at 6:00am and arrives in Chicago at 9:08am. Note the one-hour time zone change at the Indiana line.
Can we do Chicago as a day trip on the Pere Marquette?
Yes, that is what the schedule is built for. Leave Grand Rapids, Holland or St. Joseph in the morning, arrive 9:08am, and the 6:30pm train takes you home. Nine hours in the city with no hotel or parking.
What is the best Pere Marquette stop for a toddler?
St. Joseph. The beach, the carousel, the Curious Kids' Discovery Zone and the lighthouse pier are a 10-minute walk from the platform. It is an overnight because of the train times, and a good one.
Do kids pay on the Pere Marquette?
Kids 2 to 12 pay half the adult fare and one child under 2 rides free on each adult's lap. Tickets are reserved.
Is there food on the Pere Marquette?
Yes, a cafe car with snacks, sandwiches and drinks. It opens after departure, so bring breakfast for the 6:00am train.
Which Pere Marquette stops should we skip with kids?
Bangor, which is a platform in blueberry country with dawn and bedtime train times. The other four stops are all worth it.
Sources and how I checked
- Amtrak Michigan Services timetable, September 2026 revision, and Amtrak station pages
- Silver Beach Carousel, Curious Kids' Museum, Windmill Island Gardens, Grand Rapids Children's Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum: hours and admission as posted October 2026
- Great American Stations and Wikipedia station articles for addresses and station history, 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.