Piedmont With Kids: A Trip Plan for Every Stop
North Carolina owns this train, names its engines after its towns, and runs it four times a day each way, which makes it the best first-ride train in the Southeast. Nothing on it is longer than three hours and most of the good pieces are under 45 minutes: Raleigh to Durham for a children's museum, Greensboro to High Point for an 18-minute ride into a trench, Charlotte to Salisbury for a roundhouse full of locomotives. My daughter read the engine's name on the platform in Raleigh, City of Durham, and asked whether the train knew where it was going. Below is every stop, and which train to take to get there.
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: Greensboro to High Point and back.Eighteen minutes into a trench with the walls rising past the window, a children's museum at the far end, and a train back after lunch. Jump to High Point.
- Ages 4 to 8: Raleigh to Durham.The 10am train, a cab to the Museum of Life and Science for the butterfly house and the little train, and the 5pm train home. Jump to Durham.
- The big one: Charlotte to Salisbury and Spencer.The 10:25am train, a cab to the roundhouse, the turntable, a train ride around the old shops, and an afternoon train back. Jump to Salisbury.
Read this before you go
Three things to know. First, check your train number: trains 71 and 76 pass Burlington, High Point and Salisbury without stopping, and 77 and 78 skip Kannapolis. Second, there is no cafe on the Piedmont yet, only vending machines and free coffee and water in the lounge car, so the snacks you pack are the snacks you get. Third, during the State Fair in October the trains add a stop at the fairgrounds and the schedule shifts, so look at the fair-week timetable. Alerts are on the Piedmont page on Amtrak (opens in a new tab).
Tickets, seats, the lounge car, bathrooms, strollers and the named engines are all in our Piedmont parent guide. This page is the fun part: where to get off and what to do when you do.
Piedmont and Carolinian trains stop at a seasonal platform outside Gate 1 of the fairgrounds in Raleigh during the fair, and the number of stops changes by day. Amtrak says direct fair access this year is for trips within North Carolina only. Check the fair-week schedule before you book a hop that week.
Stop 1 of 11RGHWestbound trains leave about 6:30am, 10am, 12:45pm and 3:15pm; eastbound arrive about 1:55pm, 5:50pm, 8:50pm and 11:20pm
Raleigh Union Station
A new station in a 2018 shell of an old steel shop, in the Warehouse District, with a big bright hall and the city's children's museum and science museum both within a mile. Marbles Kids Museum is the best indoor morning in the Triangle for anyone under 10, the Museum of Natural Sciences is free and has a whale skeleton, and Pullen Park has a 1911 carousel and a miniature train that circles a lake. Start here on the 10am train for Durham, or end here after a Charlotte day.
The miniature train at Pullen Park, which is a real steam-shaped engine on a loop around the lake, right after a real train. Then the carousel.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Station: a big waiting hall, restrooms, a cafe, a staffed ticket window and checked baggage.
- 5 minThe Warehouse District's cafes, a bakery and Nash Square.
- 15 minMarbles Kids Museum downtown, ages 0 to 10, with an IMAX (admission; closed Mondays most of the year).
- 20 minNorth Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, free, with the Acrocanthosaurus and a butterfly room.
- 20 minNorth Carolina Museum of History next door, free.
- at stopPullen Park, a 30-minute walk or a short cab ride: a 1911 Dentzel carousel, a miniature train, pedal boats and a huge playground (small ride fees).
Half a day between trains
- Marbles (2 hours).
- Lunch in the Warehouse District.
- The 12:45pm or 3:15pm train west.
Make it a full day
Raleigh is a full day without the train: Marbles in the morning, the free science museum after lunch, Pullen Park's carousel and train until dinner. Then the 3:15pm Piedmont to Durham or Greensboro for the night, or the 10am the next morning.
Snack stop: Bakeries and cafes in the Warehouse District, five minutes from the door; Marbles has a cafe.
Out the window: Leaving westbound the train passes the rail yards and the Dorothea Dix park land, then the State Fairgrounds on the right.
Raleigh has checked baggage and a staffed counter. Marbles is closed on Mondays most of the year; the science museum is open daily and free.
Stop 2 of 11NSFFair dates only, October 15 to 25 in 2026; a changing number of trains each dayour honest take: ride on
North Carolina State Fair
A seasonal platform just outside Gate 1 of the fairgrounds, used only during the State Fair in October. The waiting area is a tent at Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street. If the fair is your plan, this is a fine way to skip the parking, but in 2026 Amtrak says it is for trips within North Carolina only, and the number of stops changes by the day.
Riding a train to a fair and walking straight into the midway.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and a tent, across the tracks from Gate 1 of the fairgrounds.
- 5 minThe North Carolina State Fair: rides, animals, the giant pumpkin and fried everything (admission).
Half a day between trains
- Only during the fair; otherwise the train does not stop.
Make it a full day
A fair day by train, in October only.
Snack stop: Everything at the fair.
Out the window: The fairgrounds and the Ferris wheel on the right westbound.
Check the fair-week schedule the day before; the stops change by date and some trains are reserved for in-state trips.
Stop 3 of 11CYNAll four trains each way; about 17 minutes from Raleigh
Cary
A brick 1996 depot in downtown Cary, and the first real stop west. Downtown Cary Park opened in 2023 a 10-minute walk down Academy Street: seven acres with a playground that has been ranked among the best in the country, a lawn, water features and a free skating rink in December. The Page-Walker Arts and History Center, in an old railroad hotel, is a few steps from the platform. Cary to Raleigh is a 17-minute ride, which is the right length for a two-year-old.
The big playground at Downtown Cary Park, then back to the depot to watch the next train come through.
Right off the platform
- at stopA depot with a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed ticket window and checked baggage.
- 2 minPage-Walker Arts and History Center, the 1868 railroad hotel next to the tracks, with a small free history exhibit (check hours).
- 5 minDowntown Cary's Chatham Street shops, a bakery and ice cream.
- 10 minDowntown Cary Park, 327 S Academy St: playground, lawns, fountains and a cafe, free.
- 10 minCary Regional Library beside the park, with a children's floor.
Half a day between trains
- The park (90 minutes).
- Ice cream on Chatham Street.
- The next train either way.
Make it a full day
A Cary day: the park, the library, lunch downtown, the Page-Walker, and the evening train home. Or Koka Booth Amphitheatre by cab for a summer concert on the lawn.
Snack stop: Chatham Street's bakery and ice cream, five minutes away; the park has a cafe.
Out the window: Suburbs and pine woods between Cary and Durham, with Research Triangle Park's office buildings off to the right.
Cary has checked baggage and a staffed counter. Downtown Cary Park is open daily from 7am; the playground is free.
Stop 4 of 11DNCAll four trains each way; about 35 minutes from Raleigh
Durham
The station is a converted 1897 tobacco warehouse, and the Durham Bulls' ballpark is right across the street, which makes an evening game the easiest train-and-baseball night in the state. The American Tobacco Campus next door has a river walk and fountains kids can play beside. The Museum of Life and Science, with a train ride, dinosaurs, bears and a butterfly house, is one of the best in the Southeast and is ten minutes by cab. Raleigh to Durham on the 10am train and back on the 5pm is the classic Piedmont day.
The Ellerbe Creek Railway at the Museum of Life and Science, a small train that circles the animal habitats, then the butterfly house.
Right off the platform
- at stopDurham Station: a waiting room in the old Walker Warehouse, restrooms, a staffed ticket window and checked baggage, with the city bus hub beside it.
- 3 minDurham Bulls Athletic Park, across the street; the Bulls play April to September (tickets).
- 5 minAmerican Tobacco Campus: a man-made river, lawns, restaurants and the Bull City's old brick.
- 10 minDowntown Durham's Five Points, with ice cream and a toy store.
- at stopMuseum of Life and Science, by cab, 10 minutes: dinosaur trail, bears, lemurs, a train ride and a butterfly house (admission).
- at stopDuke Lemur Center, by cab, by reservation only (admission); Duke Gardens, free, next to campus.
Half a day between trains
- Westbound: get off the 10am train at 10:35am, cab to the Museum of Life and Science (3 hours), and the 5pm train back to Raleigh.
Make it a full day
A Durham day: the museum, lunch at American Tobacco, a Bulls game in the evening with the train station across the street, and a late train home.
Snack stop: American Tobacco Campus has food halls and ice cream five minutes from the platform; the museum has a cafe.
Out the window: Leaving west the train passes Duke's campus off to the right, then farms and woods toward Hillsborough and Burlington.
Durham has checked baggage and a staffed counter. The Museum of Life and Science's train runs most days in good weather; check before promising it.
Stop 5 of 11BNCMost trains; trains 71 and 76 pass without stopping
Burlington
The station is the old North Carolina Railroad engine house, the last piece of a big 1850s repair yard, and that is a good thing to tell a train kid on the platform. The reason to get off is two miles away at Burlington City Park: a 1910 Dentzel carousel with hand-carved animals, a miniature train, an old steam locomotive and a playground. It needs a cab from the station, and the rides are seasonal.
The Dentzel carousel at City Park, one of the oldest still running in the country, then the mini train beside it.
Right off the platform
- at stopA depot in the old engine house with a waiting room, restrooms and a ticket window.
- 10 minDowntown Burlington's Main Street and Front Street cafes.
- at stopBurlington City Park, by cab: the 1910 carousel, a miniature train, rides and a playground (small ride fees; carousel runs spring to fall).
- at stopChildren's Museum of Alamance County in Graham, by cab (admission).
Half a day between trains
- City Park by cab (2 hours) and the next train, if the carousel is running.
Make it a full day
A carousel afternoon at City Park, the children's museum in Graham, and a Piedmont home.
Snack stop: Downtown cafes 10 minutes away; the park has a snack stand in season.
Out the window: Rolling farmland and the Haw River between here and Greensboro.
The 6:30am train 71 and the evening train 76 skip Burlington. The carousel at City Park runs roughly April to October on a limited schedule; check the city's page first.
Stop 6 of 11GROAll four trains each way; about 2 hours from Raleigh
Greensboro J. Douglas Galyon Depot
The grandest station in North Carolina, a 1927 Southern Railway depot with a tall waiting room, a mural map of the old railroad network on the wall and a tunnel under the tracks to the platforms. It is downtown, and the Miriam P. Brenner Children's Museum is a 10-minute walk, with a real fire truck, a play town and a tot room. LeBauer Park is beside it with a splash area. The Greensboro Science Center, with a zoo, an aquarium and a sky-walk, needs a cab. Greensboro to High Point is 18 minutes, the shortest real ride on the line and the one I would pick for a first trip.
Find Greensboro on the mural map in the waiting room, then the fire truck at the children's museum.
Right off the platform
- at stopGalyon Depot: a 1927 waiting room, restrooms, a cafe, a staffed ticket window and checked baggage, with the city bus center attached.
- 10 minMiriam P. Brenner Children's Museum, 220 N Church St, ages 0 to 10 (admission; closed Mondays).
- 10 minLeBauer Park downtown, with a splash pad, a playground and lawn games, free.
- 10 minDowntown Elm Street's ice cream and the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, for older kids.
- at stopGreensboro Science Center, by cab: zoo, aquarium, a planetarium and a treetop walk (admission).
- at stopBog Garden and Bicentennial Garden, by cab, free boardwalks over a marsh.
Half a day between trains
- Children's museum (2 hours).
- LeBauer Park and lunch on Elm Street.
- The 18-minute hop to High Point, or a train home.
Make it a full day
The Science Center by cab in the morning, the children's museum after lunch, LeBauer Park until dinner, and the evening train. Greensboro also works as the night stop on a two-day Raleigh-to-Charlotte trip.
Snack stop: Elm Street has ice cream and a bakery 10 minutes from the depot; the depot has a cafe.
Out the window: Leaving west the train drops into a cut through downtown, then the furniture plants and warehouses of High Point.
Greensboro has checked baggage and a staffed counter. The children's museum is closed Mondays. The Crescent and the Carolinian stop here too.
Stop 7 of 11HPTMost trains; trains 71 and 76 pass without stopping
High Point
The train arrives in a trench a mile long and up to 35 feet deep, dug in the 1930s so the tracks would not cross Main Street, and the restored 1907 depot sits at the top. Downtown is the furniture capital, which means the world's largest chest of drawers a mile away and a lot of showrooms closed to the public. For kids the stop is the Nido and Mariana Qubein Children's Museum, a 10-minute walk, three floors of climbing, pretend play and water tables that opened in 2021.
The walls of the trench rising past the windows as the train comes in, then the climber at the children's museum.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1907 depot above the trench, with a waiting room, restrooms and a staffed ticket window.
- 10 minNido and Mariana Qubein Children's Museum, 200 Qubein Ave, ages 0 to 10 (admission; closed Mondays).
- 10 minDowntown High Point's Main Street cafes.
- 15 minHigh Point Museum and its historical park, free (check days).
- 20 minThe World's Largest Chest of Drawers on Hamilton Street, for a photo.
- at stopHigh Point City Lake Park, by cab, with a pool, a carousel and paddle boats in summer.
Half a day between trains
- Children's museum (2 hours), then the 18-minute hop back to Greensboro.
Make it a full day
The children's museum, lunch downtown, the chest of drawers photo, City Lake Park by cab in summer, and a train home.
Snack stop: Main Street cafes; the museum has a cafe.
Out the window: The trench walls, then out into rolling Piedmont farmland toward Thomasville and Lexington.
The 6:30am train 71 and the evening train 76 skip High Point. The children's museum is closed Mondays and closes early on Tuesdays; check hours.
Stop 8 of 11LEXFestival day only, one Saturday in late Octoberour honest take: ride on
Lexington Barbecue Festival
On the day of the Lexington Barbecue Festival the train makes a special stop a block from the festival. Any other day it rolls through. Lexington barbecue is pork shoulder with red slaw, and the festival is a street full of it with rides and a pig race. A planned full-time station is still a plan.
Chopped barbecue on a tray with a hush puppy, if it is festival day.
Right off the platform
- at stopA temporary stop at the Lexington Hospitality Center on festival day.
- 5 minThe Barbecue Festival on Main Street: barbecue, rides, music and the pig races (free entry).
Half a day between trains
- Festival day only.
Make it a full day
Skip.
Snack stop: Barbecue, on the one day a year.
Out the window: Lexington's old depot and main street go by on the right.
Check the festival date and the fair-week train schedule; the stop is listed only for that Saturday.
Stop 9 of 11SALMost trains; trains 71 and 76 pass without stopping
Salisbury
The best stop on the Piedmont for a train family, because the North Carolina Transportation Museum is three miles away in Spencer, in the old Southern Railway shops: a 37-stall roundhouse full of locomotives, a working turntable, a real train ride around the grounds and a car museum. The 1908 Spanish Mission depot in Salisbury, with gargoyles on its tower, is a fine place to start. Downtown Salisbury is a five-minute walk with a toy store and Cheerwine, the local cherry soda.
The turntable at the Transportation Museum spinning a locomotive, then the train ride around the shops, then a caboose to climb into.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1908 depot: a waiting room, restrooms and a ticket window, restored by the Historic Salisbury Foundation.
- 5 minDowntown Salisbury's Main Street: a toy store, an ice cream shop and Cheerwine everywhere.
- 10 minHurley Park, a small garden with a creek and ducks, free.
- at stopNorth Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, by cab, 10 minutes: roundhouse, turntable, train ride, cars and planes (admission; train ride extra; closed Mondays in winter).
- at stopDan Nicholas Park, by car, with a mini train, a carousel, a petting zoo and a lake.
Half a day between trains
- Westbound on the 10am train: off at 12:45pm, cab to Spencer (3 hours), and the eastbound back at 3:11pm Tuesday to Thursday or 3:28pm other days, or a later train.
Make it a full day
A Spencer day: the museum from opening, the train ride, lunch in the museum's grounds, the roundhouse, Main Street ice cream, and the evening train either way. Or Charlotte to Salisbury on the 10:25am train 72, which is the first ride the parent guide recommends.
Snack stop: Main Street's ice cream and a bakery, five minutes from the depot; the museum has a snack bar on weekends.
Out the window: The Yadkin River crossing just east of Salisbury, then the Spencer shops' roundhouse on the right as the train approaches from the east.
The 6:30am train 71 and the evening train 76 skip Salisbury. The Transportation Museum's train rides run most days April to October and weekends in other months; check before promising a ride. The Crescent and Carolinian stop here too.
Stop 10 of 11KANMost trains; trains 77 and 78 pass without stopping
Kannapolis
A red-brick Colonial Revival station from 2005 with a cupola, in a downtown that was rebuilt around a minor league ballpark and a research campus. Village Park, a 15-minute walk, has the only double-decker carousel in North Carolina, a miniature train and a splash pad, all a dollar or two a ride in season. The Cannon Ballers play downtown in summer. Kannapolis to Salisbury is 18 minutes, about one reading of the book.
The top deck of the double-decker carousel at Village Park, then the mini train around the lake.
Right off the platform
- at stopA 2005 depot with a waiting room, restrooms and a ticket window.
- 5 minDowntown Kannapolis's West Avenue: a splash pad plaza, ice cream and the Cannon Ballers' ballpark (games April to September).
- 15 minVillage Park: the double-decker carousel, the Rotary Express mini train and a splash pad (small fees; weekends in spring and fall, daily in summer).
- 10 minDale Earnhardt's statue and the old Cannon Mills tower.
Half a day between trains
- Village Park's carousel and train (90 minutes), then the next train.
Make it a full day
A Kannapolis summer day: Village Park in the morning, downtown's splash pad and lunch, a Cannon Ballers game in the evening, and a late train home.
Snack stop: West Avenue's ice cream and cafes, five minutes from the depot.
Out the window: Suburbs thickening toward Charlotte, with the Concord speedway off to the left.
The evening trains 77 and 78 skip Kannapolis. Village Park's rides run on weekends from April and daily from Memorial Day to mid-August; check the city's schedule.
Stop 11 of 11CLTEastbound trains leave about 10:25am, 2:20pm, 5:05pm and 7:45pm; westbound arrive about 9:45am, 1:30pm, 4pm and 6:30pm
Charlotte
The end of the line, for now, is a 1962 Southern Railway station in a working rail yard on North Tryon Street, two miles from uptown. A new Gateway Station uptown has been under construction for years and is not open yet. From the current station it is a cab or a bus to Discovery Place Science, one of the best science museums in the Southeast, and ImaginOn, a free children's library with a theater. Freedom Park, Carowinds and the NASCAR Hall of Fame are all a drive. Charlotte to Salisbury on the 10:25am train is the easiest first ride from this end.
The rainforest at Discovery Place, then the free story room at ImaginOn, which is as good as any museum.
Right off the platform
- at stopCharlotte station: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed ticket window and checked baggage, in a rail yard; freight trains move nearby, so hold hands.
- at stopDiscovery Place Science uptown, by cab or bus: a rainforest, an aquarium, a toddler floor and an IMAX (admission).
- at stopImaginOn, the children's library and theater uptown, free.
- at stopThe LYNX Blue Line light rail from uptown, as a ride, to the South End's parks and ice cream.
- at stopFreedom Park and the Charlotte Nature Museum, by cab (small admission).
- at stopNASCAR Hall of Fame uptown, for ages 6 and up (admission).
Half a day between trains
- Cab uptown to Discovery Place (2 hours), lunch, and the 2:20pm or 5:05pm train east.
Make it a full day
A Charlotte weekend: Discovery Place and ImaginOn the first day, Freedom Park and the Blue Line the second, Carowinds by car if the kids are tall enough, and the 10:25am train to Salisbury on the way home.
Snack stop: Nothing near the station; uptown has food halls and ice cream.
Out the window: Arriving from the east the train runs through the yard with freight cars on both sides, then the uptown skyline off to the left.
The station is in a rail yard two miles from uptown; plan a cab or the bus. Charlotte has checked baggage and a staffed counter. Check Amtrak for news on the Gateway Station move.
Short rides, many chances
Four trains a day means that if today goes sideways, there is another one. That is the whole gift of this line. My son had a meltdown on the platform in Durham once, the kind where you consider going home, and the conductor crouched down and asked him if he wanted to see the engine's name. It was City of Salisbury. He stopped crying to read it. We rode. That is the page from the book where Rally meets the conductor, and I think about it every time we board here.
Next in this series: the Carolinian, the once-a-day train that runs these same stops and keeps going to Washington and New York, and the Crescent, which passes Greensboro, Salisbury and Charlotte in the small hours on its way to New Orleans. The Palmetto covers the coast. Every route is on the Train Trips With Your Kids page.
Piedmont trips with kids: questions parents ask
How long is the Piedmont from Raleigh to Charlotte?
About 3 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 20 minutes, with four trains a day each way. Trains leave Raleigh at about 6:30am, 10am, 12:45pm and 3:15pm, and leave Charlotte at about 10:25am, 2:20pm, 5:05pm and 7:45pm.
What is the best first Piedmont ride with a toddler?
Greensboro to High Point, about 18 minutes on the midday train 73, with a children's museum a 10-minute walk from the High Point depot and train 74 back in the afternoon. Raleigh to Durham, about 35 minutes, is the next step up.
Which Piedmont stop is best for a train-obsessed kid?
Salisbury, for the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, three miles away by cab: a 37-stall roundhouse, a working turntable, a train ride around the grounds and cabooses to climb into.
Do all Piedmont trains stop at every station?
No. Trains 71 and 76 skip Burlington, High Point and Salisbury, and trains 77 and 78 skip Kannapolis. The State Fair and Lexington stops are event-only. Check the timetable for your train number.
Is there food on the Piedmont?
Only vending machines, plus free coffee and water, in the lounge car. North Carolina has funding for cafe service but it has not arrived. Pack real snacks and a water bottle for each kid.
Which Piedmont stops should we skip with kids?
The two event platforms (State Fair, Lexington) unless it is that day, and Burlington unless you are going to the carousel by cab. Every other stop has something for a family within 15 minutes of the depot, and Charlotte needs a cab to reach uptown.
Sources and how I checked
- Amtrak Piedmont timetable, fall 2026 (Trains 71 to 78), NC By Train schedules and Amtrak station pages
- Marbles Kids Museum, Museum of Life and Science, Miriam P. Brenner Children's Museum, Nido and Mariana Qubein Children's Museum, North Carolina Transportation Museum, Discovery Place: hours and admission as posted October 2026
- Town of Cary (Downtown Cary Park), City of Kannapolis (Village Park rides schedule), City of Burlington (City Park carousel), Pullen Park
- Great American Stations and Wikipedia station and route articles for addresses, station history and the High Point trench, 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.