Sunset Limited With Kids: A Trip Plan for Every Stop
This is the oldest named train in the country, it runs three days a week, and it takes two nights to get from New Orleans to Los Angeles. I was nervous about it. What I did not expect was how neatly it breaks into days: Louisiana bayous and a very high bridge the first morning, a desert lookout game the second, a children's museum in El Paso that opened in 2024, and a 5:35am arrival that is the first page of the book come true. My mom grew up in Louisiana and never saw West Texas. I kept thinking about that between Alpine and El Paso. Below is every stop, the three or four worth getting off for, and the ones you sleep through.
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: New Orleans to New Iberia or Lafayette.Leave at 9am, cross the Mississippi on the Huey P. Long Bridge, bayous and sugar cane until noon, and a children's museum five minutes from the Lafayette platform. The eastbound comes back at 5:15pm. Jump to Lafayette.
- Ages 4 to 8: Alpine to El Paso.Board at 10:41am, four hours of desert with a lookout list, and a 50-foot climbing tower at La Nube by mid-afternoon. Jump to El Paso.
- The big one: Houston to Tucson.Board after dinner, wake to the Pecos High Bridge, Alpine, El Paso and New Mexico by day, and a 1907 depot with a steam locomotive outside at 7pm. Jump to Tucson.
Read this before you go
Three things to know. First, this train runs three days a week, so getting off means a two- or three-night stay, not one; pick the day before you pick anything else. Second, book a Family Bedroom for a family of four: it sleeps everyone, meals are included, and the shared restroom is down the hall. Third, the train crosses three time zones and Arizona does not change its clocks, so set one watch to train time and keep meals and naps on it. Alerts are on the Sunset Limited page on Amtrak (opens in a new tab).
Tickets, rooms, what to pack for two nights, the Texas Eagle through cars from Chicago, and how the dining car works with a four-year-old are all in our Sunset Limited parent guide. This page is the fun part: where to get off and what to do when you do.
Westbound, Houston at 6:55pm is the last daylight stop of day one; San Antonio, Del Rio and the Pecos bridge come in the dark and at dawn. Maricopa at 9pm is the last stop before the second night, and Yuma, Palm Springs, Ontario and Pomona are passed between midnight and 4am. Eastbound the dark stretches are Pomona to Maricopa and Alpine to San Antonio. The train runs Monday, Wednesday and Saturday westbound and Sunday, Wednesday and Friday eastbound as of October 2026; daily service has been studied but not approved.
Stop 1 of 22NOLTrain 1 leaves 9:00am Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; Train 2 arrives about 9:40pm
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
The Sunset Limited leaves New Orleans at 9am, which means breakfast beignets, a streetcar to the station, and the Mississippi out the window before the kids have finished their first snack. The 1954 terminal is next to the Superdome, with a waiting hall lined by fresco murals that tell the story of Louisiana, and the Rampart-Loyola streetcar stops outside. Eastbound you arrive after bedtime, so book a hotel within a short cab ride.
Within twenty minutes of leaving, the train climbs the Huey P. Long Bridge and crosses the Mississippi more than 130 feet up, with barges and the whole river below. Everyone at a window on the left.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Passenger Terminal: a big waiting hall with the murals, restrooms, a staffed counter, checked baggage and the Magnolia Room lounge for sleeper passengers.
- at stopThe Rampart-Loyola streetcar at the door, which connects to the Canal Street lines.
- 15 minCanal Street, the French Quarter's edge and Cafe du Monde's beignets.
- 20 minAudubon Aquarium and the Insectarium at the foot of Canal Street, together in one building (admission).
- at stopLouisiana Children's Museum in City Park, by the Canal streetcar and a walk, or a cab, for ages 0 to 8 (admission).
- at stopAudubon Zoo, by the St. Charles streetcar, with a swamp exhibit and white alligators (admission).
A few hours here
- Eastbound: arrive at 9:40pm, cab to a hotel, and the aquarium and beignets in the morning.
Stay the night
Two nights before a westbound train: the Children's Museum in City Park and the carousel next door the first day, the aquarium and a streetcar ride the second, then a 9am departure with a bag of beignets. The City of New Orleans from Chicago arrives here the afternoon before, which is how we did it.
Snack stop: Cafe du Monde or any bakery on Canal Street; the station has vending and a small cafe. Buy fruit and crackers before you board.
Out the window: Rail yards, then the long climb onto the Huey P. Long Bridge and the Mississippi, then swamp, cypress and the first sugar cane.
The terminal has checked baggage and the Magnolia Room for sleeper passengers. Families with small kids are often boarded first; be near the gate by 8:30am. The train runs only three days a week each way, so check the day before anything else.
Stop 2 of 22SCHWestbound about 10:30am; eastbound about 7:05pmour honest take: ride on
Schriever
A platform and shelter in the sugar cane for Thibodaux and Houma, with nothing to walk to. The reason to be awake here is the window: the hour after Schriever westbound crosses the Atchafalaya at Morgan City on a high bridge and then runs along bayous where egrets stand in the shallows.
The Atchafalaya River bridge at Morgan City, about 30 minutes after the stop westbound, with shrimp boats below.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and shelter; no building, no restrooms.
- at stopThibodaux and the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center, 10 miles by car.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: Sugar cane, cypress swamp, the Atchafalaya bridge, then Bayou Teche country.
Stop 3 of 22NIBWestbound about 11:56am; eastbound about 5:40pm
New Iberia
The first stop worth getting off for, three hours from New Orleans, in a bayou town with a 1900 brick depot a few minutes from Main Street. Bayou Teche runs right behind downtown, there is a playground on its bank, and ten miles away on Avery Island the Tabasco factory gives tours where kids watch the bottles go by on the line. New Orleans to New Iberia is the best short piece of this train with a small child: bayou country in daylight, and off by lunch.
The bottling line at the Tabasco factory, then the Jungle Gardens next door, where alligators sun on the bank and egrets nest by the thousand in spring (by car).
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1900 depot, a small waiting room; no checked baggage.
- 5 minMain Street's shops and cafes, and Bouligny Plaza on Bayou Teche with a playground and a bandstand.
- 10 minShadows-on-the-Teche, an 1834 plantation house under live oaks, better for the grown-ups (admission).
- at stopAvery Island: the Tabasco factory tour and Jungle Gardens, 10 miles by car (admission).
- at stopKonriko rice mill, the oldest in the country, a short cab ride (tour fee).
A few hours here
- Westbound: arrive at noon, lunch on Main Street, the bayou playground, and a hotel night; Avery Island by car in the morning.
Stay the night
A New Iberia night with a rental car: Avery Island in the morning, Bayou Teche in the afternoon, boudin for dinner, and the westbound at noon or the eastbound at 5:40pm.
Snack stop: Cafes and a bakery on Main Street, five minutes away; boudin from any grocery.
Out the window: Sugar cane and live oaks, then the edge of Lafayette.
No checked baggage and no ticket office; buy tickets in the app. The Tabasco tour and Jungle Gardens are a car ride; Avery Island has an entry gate.
Stop 4 of 22LFTWestbound about 12:24pm; eastbound about 5:15pm
Lafayette
The capital of Cajun country, and the best Louisiana stop after New Orleans. The station is the Rosa Parks Transportation Center, a 1911 brick depot that burned in 2001 and was rebuilt inside its own walls. The Children's Museum of Acadiana is a five-minute walk, downtown's splash pad is about the same, and Vermilionville, a living history village with Cajun fiddlers and a bayou, is a short cab ride. Three and a half hours from New Orleans, arriving at lunchtime.
The Children's Museum of Acadiana's play grocery and bubble room after lunch, then zydeco on the Vermilionville porch if it is a Sunday.
Right off the platform
- at stopRosa Parks Transportation Center: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter, checked baggage and the city buses.
- 5 minChildren's Museum of Acadiana on Congress Street, ages 1 to 10 (admission; check days).
- 5 minDowntown Lafayette and Parc Sans Souci, with a splash pad in summer.
- at stopVermilionville living history village and the Acadian Cultural Center beside it, by cab or bus (museum admission; the cultural center is free).
- at stopLafayette Science Museum downtown, with a planetarium, 10 minutes (admission; check days).
A few hours here
- Westbound: arrive at 12:24pm, lunch downtown, the Children's Museum (90 minutes), and the eastbound back toward New Orleans at 5:15pm. No night aboard.
Stay the night
A Lafayette night: Vermilionville in the morning, boudin and cracklins for lunch, the Children's Museum, and the westbound at 12:24pm the next train day. Remember the train runs three days a week, so this is a two-night stop or a one-way.
Snack stop: Boudin anywhere; downtown has a bakery and ice cream within five minutes.
Out the window: Rice fields and crawfish ponds to Lake Charles, with cattle egrets following the tractors.
Lafayette has checked baggage and a staffed counter. Westbound arrives at 12:24pm and the eastbound at 5:15pm on the same days, which makes a day trip from New Iberia or New Orleans possible without a night.
Stop 5 of 22LCHWestbound about 1:55pm; eastbound about 3:30pm
Lake Charles
A platform near the lakefront, with no ticket office and no checked baggage, in a town that has rebuilt its waterfront more than once after hurricanes. Lafayette to Lake Charles is a 90-minute hop that ends before nap time runs out, and the lake is a ten-minute walk. We would not plan a night here, but as the end of a short first ride it is fine.
The lakefront promenade, with the bridge and the casino boats across the water.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and shelter; no building, no restrooms, no checked baggage.
- 10 minThe Lake Charles lakefront promenade and its playground (check that the park is open; it has been rebuilt after storms).
- 10 minDowntown's Central School arts center and the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu (admission; check days).
- at stopThe Creole Nature Trail and the beaches at Holly Beach, by car.
A few hours here
- Westbound: arrive at 1:55pm, the lakefront, a snack downtown, and a cab back to Lafayette or a hotel night.
Stay the night
Skip, unless a car is waiting for the Creole Nature Trail.
Snack stop: Downtown has coffee and a bakery within ten minutes; nothing at the platform.
Out the window: The Calcasieu River bridge leaving town, then flat pasture and the Sabine River into Texas.
No ticket office, no restrooms and no checked baggage. Do the potty run on board before this stop. Tickets in the app.
Stop 6 of 22BMTWestbound about 3:50pm; eastbound about 2:05pmour honest take: ride on
Beaumont
The first Texas stop, at a small station by the freeway with nothing to walk to. Beaumont has the biggest fire hydrant in the world outside its fire museum, a dinosaur-sized thing kids like, but it is a cab ride, and the train is here mid-afternoon on the way to a Houston dinner. Ride on.
Tell them about the hydrant and the oil gusher at Spindletop as the refineries go by.
Right off the platform
- at stopA small station with a waiting room.
- at stopFire Museum of Texas and the giant hydrant, by cab (free; check days).
- at stopSpindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, a rebuilt 1901 oil town, by cab (admission).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None at the station.
Out the window: Refineries, the Neches River, then pine woods and rice country toward Houston.
Stop 7 of 22HOSWestbound about 6:55pm; eastbound about 12:10pm
Houston
The end of the first day westbound, at dinnertime, in a 1960 station with tall windows at each end of a bright waiting room. Downtown is a 15-minute walk across a bayou, the Downtown Aquarium is closer than that, and the Children's Museum Houston, one of the best in the country, is a train ride away on the light rail. Many families board here instead of New Orleans, which skips the bayous but gives you Texas, the Pecos bridge and the desert in daylight.
For families who stay: the Children's Museum's three-story climber and its kid-size city, then Space Center Houston the next day to touch a moon rock.
Right off the platform
- at stopHouston station: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and checked baggage, with big parking lots and the freeway beside it.
- 10 minDowntown Aquarium on Bagby Street, with a white tiger exhibit, a Ferris wheel and a small train (admission).
- 15 minBuffalo Bayou Park's trails and the Sesquicentennial Park steps by the Theater District.
- 15 minMarket Square Park downtown, with a lawn and food stands.
- at stopChildren's Museum Houston in the Museum District, by cab or the METRORail Red Line from downtown, ages 0 to 12 (admission).
- at stopHouston Zoo and the Museum of Natural Science, both in Hermann Park by the same light rail (admission).
- at stopSpace Center Houston, 25 miles by car, with a Saturn V rocket and a shuttle to walk under (admission).
A few hours here
- Westbound: arrive at dinnertime, cab to a downtown hotel, and the Children's Museum in the morning.
Stay the night
Two nights in Houston: the Children's Museum and the zoo by light rail the first day, Space Center Houston by car the second, and the westbound at 6:55pm or the eastbound at 12:10pm.
Snack stop: Downtown has everything within 15 minutes; the station has vending. Dinner is served in the dining car westbound after Houston.
Out the window: Dark westbound soon after leaving. Eastbound the prairie and rice fields east of town in the afternoon.
Houston has checked baggage and a staffed counter. The walk downtown crosses Buffalo Bayou on a busy street, so a cab is easier with a stroller. Westbound, the train leaves at 6:55pm and gets to San Antonio in the middle of the night, so pajamas on after dinner.
Stop 8 of 22SASWestbound arrives about midnight, leaves 2:45am; eastbound arrives about 5am, leaves 6:25am
San Antonio
The Sunset Limited passes San Antonio in the dark both ways, and sits here for hours while the Texas Eagle's Los Angeles cars are coupled on. Which is a shame, because the station is a ten-minute walk from the River Walk and the Alamo, and the DoSeum is one of the best children's museums anywhere. Families who want San Antonio ride the Texas Eagle, which arrives in the evening; see that trip plan. On this train you sleep through it, unless it is where you are getting off.
For families who get off: the river barges on the River Walk, then the Alamo, then the DoSeum's water room and its spy school.
Right off the platform
- at stopA station between the Alamodome and the 1903 Sunset Station, with a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and checked baggage, open overnight around the trains.
- 10 minHemisfair's Yanaguana Garden, a big free playground with climbing nets and splash features.
- 10 minThe River Walk and the river barges (fare).
- 15 minThe Alamo, free to walk in, with a timed ticket for the church.
- at stopThe DoSeum, the children's museum, by cab or bus, ages 0 to 10 (admission).
- at stopThe Witte Museum's dinosaur hall and the Pearl's food hall, by cab (museum admission).
- at stopSan Antonio Zoo and the little train in Brackenridge Park, by cab (admission).
A few hours here
- Sleep, unless this is your stop. Westbound, get off at midnight only with a hotel booked and a cab called.
Stay the night
Two nights in San Antonio: the River Walk, the Alamo and Yanaguana Garden the first day, the DoSeum and the zoo the second, and a Texas Eagle north at 6:48am or the Sunset Limited on at 2:45am westbound (hard) or 6:25am eastbound (better).
Snack stop: Nothing at midnight. The River Walk has ice cream and churros all day.
Out the window: Dark both ways.
The train sits here for a long time while the cars are switched; stay aboard and asleep. The westbound Sunset Limited's San Antonio arrival time is not shown in the public timetable, so expect roughly midnight and a 2:45am departure. Eastbound arrives before dawn and leaves at 6:25am.
Stop 9 of 22DRTWestbound about 5:52am; eastbound about 1:10amour honest take: ride on
Del Rio
A border town at dawn westbound, with the Rio Grande just south of the tracks and Ciudad Acuña across it. The stop itself is a small station. What matters is the next 90 minutes: the train leaves the river and crosses the Pecos River on a bridge 265 feet above the water, the highest railroad bridge in Texas, usually around 7am westbound.
The Pecos High Bridge, about an hour after Del Rio westbound. Be in the Sightseer Lounge with coffee; the canyon drops away on both sides for about half a minute.
Right off the platform
- at stopA small station with a waiting room.
- at stopAmistad Reservoir and its beaches, by car.
- at stopWhitehead Memorial Museum, with Judge Roy Bean's grave, by cab (admission).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: Breakfast in the dining car starts about here westbound.
Out the window: The Rio Grande valley at first light, then limestone canyons and the Pecos bridge.
Stop 10 of 22SNDWestbound about 8:27am; eastbound about 10:45pmour honest take: ride on
Sanderson
The Cactus Capital of Texas, a shelter beside the tracks in a town of a few hundred people. Breakfast time westbound. The desert has begun and the mountains of the Big Bend are rising to the south.
Count the different cactus shapes from the window. There are more than you think.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and shelter.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: Breakfast on the train.
Out the window: Creosote flats, mesas, and the first real mountains ahead.
Stop 11 of 22ALPWestbound arrives about 10:31am, leaves 10:41am; eastbound arrives about 8:45pm, leaves 8:55pm
Alpine
The mountain town of West Texas, 4,500 feet up, and the gateway to Big Bend National Park, 80 miles south by car. The 1946 Mission-style depot sits across from the Holland Hotel on the main street, the Museum of the Big Bend is a 20-minute walk up the hill, and the air is thin and cool after the bayous. Alpine to El Paso, the next four hours, is the best desert ride on this train, with longhorns, deer and the occasional dust devil.
Board at 10:41am westbound and give everyone a lookout list: a deer, a longhorn, a dust devil and a mountain shaped like a table. First to spot all four picks the snack.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1946 depot with a waiting room, across the street from the Holland Hotel and the shops of Holland Avenue.
- 5 minDowntown Alpine's murals, a bookstore and ice cream.
- 15 minKokernot Park, with a playground and a creek.
- 20 minMuseum of the Big Bend on the Sul Ross campus, with dinosaur bones and a huge pterosaur (admission; check hours).
- at stopBig Bend National Park, 80 miles by rental car, and Marfa, 26 miles.
- at stopMcDonald Observatory's star parties near Fort Davis, by car (admission; reserve).
A few hours here
- Westbound: arrive 10:31am, two nights in Alpine with a rental car for Big Bend, and the next westbound at 10:41am.
Stay the night
The Big Bend trip: rent a car at Alpine, two or three nights at the park's Chisos Basin or in Terlingua, the hot springs on the Rio Grande, and the train on from Alpine in either direction. The best way to get a family to Big Bend without driving across Texas.
Snack stop: Holland Avenue has coffee, a bakery and ice cream across from the depot.
Out the window: The Davis Mountains to the north, grasslands with pronghorn, then the long valley down to the Rio Grande and El Paso.
Rental cars in Alpine are few; book ahead. Big Bend's Chisos Basin lodging books out months early. Eastbound the stop is at bedtime.
Stop 12 of 22ELPWestbound arrives about 1:25pm, leaves 1:50pm Mountain time; eastbound arrives about 3:00pm, leaves 3:45pm
El Paso Union Depot
The big stop of the second day, and a good one. The train waits 25 minutes westbound and 45 minutes eastbound at a 1906 depot with a tall tower by Daniel Burnham, once called the first international railroad station in the country, with Juárez across the river. La Nube, a brand-new children's museum with a 50-foot climbing tower, is a ten-minute walk, the ballpark is next to it, and a streetcar runs from near the depot. Set the watches back an hour here westbound.
La Nube's climbing tower, then paper airplanes in its Fly High room, then the streetcar back to the depot.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Depot: a restored waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter and checked baggage.
- 10 minLa Nube, the children's museum that opened in 2024, with a climber, a water room and a sensory space for babies, ages 0 to 12 (admission; check days).
- 10 minSouthwest University Park, the Chihuahuas' ballpark, beside La Nube (game tickets).
- 10 minSan Jacinto Plaza downtown, with its alligator sculptures and a splash pad.
- 5 minThe El Paso Streetcar's restored 1950s cars, a loop through downtown and up to the university.
- at stopEl Paso Zoo, by cab, with a kids' zone and an Asian elephant (admission).
- at stopFranklin Mountains State Park, by car.
A few hours here
- Westbound: the 25-minute stop is enough to walk the depot and the plaza outside; do not try for La Nube.
- Alpine to El Paso: board at 10:41am, four hours of desert, off at 1:25pm and La Nube before it closes.
Stay the night
An El Paso night: La Nube and the ballpark the first afternoon, the streetcar and the zoo the next day, and the westbound at 1:50pm or the eastbound at 3:45pm.
Snack stop: Downtown has bakeries and ice cream within ten minutes; the depot has vending.
Out the window: Leaving El Paso westbound the train runs along the border for a stretch with Juárez on the left, then up the Rio Grande into New Mexico's desert.
El Paso has checked baggage and a staffed counter. The clocks change here: Central to Mountain westbound, so set watches back an hour. Ask the car attendant before leaving the platform; the scheduled stop is 25 minutes westbound.
Stop 13 of 22DEMWestbound about 3:38pm; eastbound about 12:50pmour honest take: ride on
Deming
A New Mexico desert town with a shelter by the tracks and a surprising museum in the old armory ten minutes away, with a doll room, a quilt room and Mimbres pottery. The Great American Duck Race is held here every August. Mid-afternoon westbound, a stretch at most.
If it is Duck Race weekend in August, the ducks.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and shelter.
- 10 minLuna Mimbres Museum in the 1916 armory, free, with a doll collection (check days).
- at stopRockhound State Park, where kids can keep the rocks they find, by car.
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None at the station.
Out the window: Yucca and creosote, with the Florida Mountains to the south.
Stop 14 of 22LDBWestbound about 4:33pm; eastbound about 11:55amour honest take: ride on
Lordsburg
The last New Mexico stop, a shelter in a railroad town near the Arizona line. Shakespeare, a ghost town with a saloon and a hanging story, is two miles south, but it opens only some weekends and needs a car. Ride on.
None.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and shelter.
- at stopShakespeare ghost town, by car, open on scheduled weekends (admission).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: Desert, then the Arizona line and the Chiricahua Mountains to the south.
Arizona does not observe daylight time, so in summer the clocks here match California; in winter they match New Mexico.
Stop 15 of 22BENWestbound about 5:38pm; eastbound about 8:55amour honest take: ride on
Benson
An open-air shelter with no restrooms, beside a replica of the old depot that is now the town visitor center. Kartchner Caverns, a living cave found in 1974 and kept secret for four years to protect it, is nine miles away by car and the only reason to get off. Without a car, stay aboard and tell the cave story over dinner.
The story of the two cavers who kept the secret, told as the sun goes down behind the Whetstone Mountains.
Right off the platform
- at stopAn open-air shelter; no restrooms, no building.
- at stopThe replica depot visitor center next to the platform, daytime.
- at stopKartchner Caverns State Park, nine miles by car, with cave tours that take kids 7 and up on the Rotunda tour (admission; reserve).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard.
Stay the night
A Kartchner night by car: the cave tour in the morning, Tombstone 25 miles away for the older kids, and the train on.
Snack stop: None at the station; dinner on the train is about now westbound.
Out the window: The San Pedro valley and the first saguaros before Tucson.
No restrooms at the stop. Do the potty run aboard.
Stop 16 of 22TUSWestbound arrives about 7:00pm, leaves 7:15pm; eastbound arrives about 7:38am, leaves 7:53am
Tucson
The best Arizona stop, at a restored 1907 depot downtown with a steam locomotive parked beside it and a streetcar at the door. The Children's Museum Tucson is a ten-minute walk, Hotel Congress is across the street, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, where the animals and the cactus are all real and outdoors, is a 30-minute drive. Westbound the stop comes at dinner, eastbound at breakfast; either way it is the Arizona stop to sleep in.
Locomotive 1673 beside the depot, a steam engine that was in the movie Oklahoma!, then the hummingbird aviary at the Desert Museum the next morning.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1907 depot: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter, checked baggage, and the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum with locomotive 1673 outside (free; limited hours).
- at stopThe Sun Link streetcar from the depot to downtown, Fourth Avenue and the university.
- 5 minHotel Congress and the cafes of downtown Tucson.
- 10 minChildren's Museum Tucson on Sixth Avenue, ages 0 to 10 (admission; check days).
- at stopReid Park Zoo, by cab or bus, small enough for a toddler (admission).
- at stopArizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 14 miles by car, with javelinas, a hummingbird aviary and the cactus garden (admission).
- at stopPima Air and Space Museum's hangars of planes, by car (admission).
A few hours here
- Eastbound: arrive at 7:38am, breakfast across the street, the Children's Museum, and a hotel night.
- Westbound: arrive at 7pm, the streetcar to dinner, and the Desert Museum tomorrow.
Stay the night
Two nights in Tucson: the Desert Museum by car the first day (go early, before the heat), the Children's Museum and the streetcar the second, and the train on in either direction.
Snack stop: Hotel Congress and the Fourth Avenue cafes by streetcar; the depot has vending.
Out the window: Saguaros and the Tucson Mountains in the last light westbound; the Catalinas at dawn eastbound.
Tucson has checked baggage and a staffed counter. The transportation museum keeps limited hours; the locomotive is outside and can be seen any time. Summer afternoons here top 100 degrees; plan the Desert Museum for the morning.
Stop 17 of 22MRCWestbound arrives about 8:32pm, leaves 9:02pm; eastbound arrives about 5:35am, leaves 5:55am
Maricopa
The stop for Phoenix, which is 35 miles north and has no train of its own. The platform is short, so the train pulls up several times to unload every car, and the station is a set of modular buildings by the highway. An Amtrak Thruway shuttle meets the train for Tempe and the Phoenix airport. If the grandparents are in Phoenix, this is the stop; otherwise it is a 30-minute wait in the evening and a 20-minute one before dawn.
For families bound for Phoenix: the Children's Museum of Phoenix's three-story climber, and the Desert Botanical Garden's butterfly pavilion in spring.
Right off the platform
- at stopA small modular station with a waiting room and restrooms, and a short platform.
- at stopAmtrak Thruway shuttle to Tempe and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, booked with the train.
- at stopChildren's Museum of Phoenix, the Arizona Science Center and the Desert Botanical Garden, all in Phoenix by car (admission).
- at stopThe Phoenix Zoo, by car (admission).
A few hours here
- Stay aboard, unless Phoenix is the plan.
Stay the night
Phoenix: the Children's Museum and the Science Center downtown by light rail from Tempe, the Botanical Garden, and the shuttle back to Maricopa for the train.
Snack stop: None at the station.
Out the window: Dark westbound, with the lights of the Gila River casino. Dawn over farmland and desert eastbound.
Book the Thruway shuttle on the same reservation as the train. The platform is short and the train stops more than once; wait where the attendant tells you.
Stop 18 of 22YUMWestbound about 11:49pm; eastbound about 2:47amour honest take: ride on
Yuma
A platform with no building and no restrooms, at midnight westbound and 3am eastbound, in a town where the Colorado River slows down and the Territorial Prison of 1876 sits on a bluff. The prison is a real museum with cells to walk into, and kids like it, but not at these hours. Sleep.
None at these hours. Tell them about the prison at breakfast.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform only: no building, no restrooms, no checked baggage.
- 15 minYuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park, up the hill by the river, daytime (admission).
- 10 minGateway Park on the Colorado River, with a beach.
A few hours here
- Sleep.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: Dark. The Colorado River bridge into California is crossed right after the stop westbound.
Westbound the clocks go to Pacific time after Yuma in winter; in summer Arizona already matches California.
Stop 19 of 22PSNWestbound about 2:02am; eastbound about 12:35amour honest take: ride on
Palm Springs
A platform among the wind turbines north of town, miles from anything, with no building and the train at 2am. Palm Springs itself has an aerial tram up a mountain and a children's museum, and it is a fine place for a family, but get there some other way. Nobody should be getting a three-year-old off here in the middle of the night.
None.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform and shelter in the desert; no building, no restrooms, cab needed.
- at stopPalm Springs Aerial Tramway and the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert, by car, daytime (admission).
A few hours here
- Sleep.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: Dark; the wind farm's red lights blinking.
Stop 20 of 22ONAWestbound about 3:54am (drop-off only); eastbound about 10:55pmour honest take: ride on
Ontario
A suburban platform near the Ontario airport, in the small hours, and the westbound train only lets people off. Sleep.
None.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform shared with Metrolink.
A few hours here
- Sleep.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: Dark.
Stop 21 of 22POSWestbound about 4:04am (drop-off only); eastbound about 10:40pmour honest take: ride on
Pomona
The last stop before Los Angeles, at 4am, drop-off only westbound. The Fairplex and the county fair are here in September, and the Pacific Surfliner does not stop here, so there is no reason to.
None. Start packing up; Los Angeles is 90 minutes away.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform shared with Metrolink.
A few hours here
- Sleep.
Stay the night
Skip.
Snack stop: None.
Out the window: Dark; the lights of the San Gabriel Valley.
Westbound, the car attendant will wake sleeper passengers around now. Have shoes and the bag ready.
Stop 22 of 22LAXTrain 1 arrives about 5:35am; Train 2 leaves 10:00pm Sunday, Wednesday and Friday
Los Angeles Union Station
The end, at 5:35am, which is the first page of the book: up before the sun, bags packed, someone waiting at the station. Union Station is the prettiest in the West, with a tiled waiting room, leather chairs and a garden courtyard, and it is five minutes from Olvera Street and ten from Chinatown. Nothing opens for a while, so sit in the garden, eat something at the station, and let the city wake up. Eastbound the train leaves at 10pm, so the kids board in pajamas.
Walk out the front doors as the sun comes up on the palm trees, then back inside to the garden patio with a hot chocolate while the grown-ups figure out the day.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Station: the 1939 waiting room, restrooms, restaurants, a staffed counter, checked baggage and the Metropolitan Lounge for sleeper passengers, with every Metro line below.
- 5 minOlvera Street's market stalls, the plaza and the old church, open from mid-morning.
- 5 minPhilippe's, a century-old sandwich counter with sawdust floors, open early.
- 10 minChinatown's dragon gate and bakeries.
- 15 minGrand Park's splash fountain and the steps of City Hall.
- at stopNatural History Museum's dinosaur hall and the California Science Center's space shuttle, by Metro (museum admission; the science center is free).
- at stopGriffith Observatory, by Metro and the DASH bus, free.
- at stopThe Pacific Surfliner from this station to the beaches and San Diego, the train in the book.
A few hours here
- Arrive at 5:35am, breakfast at Philippe's, Olvera Street when it opens, and the Surfliner south by lunch.
Stay the night
Three nights in Los Angeles: the science center's shuttle and the dinosaurs, Griffith Observatory, a Surfliner to the beach, and the Coast Starlight north or the Southwest Chief east from this same station.
Snack stop: Philippe's and the station's cafes from early morning; Olvera Street's churros later.
Out the window: Arriving westbound in the dark: the San Gabriel Valley, the river channel, then the station's platforms as the sky goes gray.
Union Station has checked baggage and the Metropolitan Lounge. At 5:35am the lounge and the counter may not be open yet; the main waiting room is. Metro trains start early. Book a hotel that will take you at dawn or hold your bags.
Up before the sun, just like Rally
The first page of the book is Rally waking up early on the morning of the trip. On this train that page comes at the end. The attendant knocks at 4:30, the kids are confused and then thrilled, and you walk into Union Station as the sky turns gray and the palm trees come up out of the dark. My daughter asked if Grandmommy was waiting. I said not this time, and she took my hand and said that was okay, she would wait with me. We sat in the garden patio with hot chocolate until Olvera Street opened. That is the trip.
Next in this series: the Texas Eagle, whose Los Angeles cars ride this train west of San Antonio, and the City of New Orleans, which brings you to the starting line from Chicago. From Union Station the Pacific Surfliner is the train in the book, and the Southwest Chief goes back east the other way. Every route is on the Train Trips With Your Kids page.
Sunset Limited trips with kids: questions parents ask
How long is the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Los Angeles?
About 46 hours, two nights aboard. Train 1 leaves New Orleans at 9am on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and arrives in Los Angeles at 5:35am two days later. Train 2 leaves Los Angeles at 10pm on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday and arrives in New Orleans at about 9:40pm on the third day.
What is the best part of the Sunset Limited for kids?
The second morning westbound, from Del Rio at dawn to El Paso at 1:25pm: the Pecos High Bridge, 265 feet above the river, then Alpine and four hours of West Texas desert with deer, longhorns and dust devils. The first morning's Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi and the Louisiana bayous are a close second.
Which Sunset Limited stop is best for a night with kids?
El Paso, where La Nube, a children's museum that opened in 2024, is a ten-minute walk from the 1906 depot, or Tucson, where a 1907 depot has a steam locomotive beside it, a children's museum a ten-minute walk away and the Desert Museum a short drive. Remember that the next train is two or three days later.
Can we ride just part of the Sunset Limited with a toddler?
Yes. New Orleans to New Iberia is three hours (9am to 11:56am) and ends in a bayou town; New Orleans to Lafayette is three and a half hours and ends five minutes from a children's museum, with the eastbound back at 5:15pm the same day. Alpine to El Paso is four hours of desert. None needs a night aboard.
Does the Sunset Limited go to Phoenix or San Antonio in daylight?
Phoenix has no train; the stop is Maricopa, 35 miles south, with an Amtrak shuttle to Tempe and the airport. San Antonio is passed in the dark both directions, with a long stop while the Texas Eagle's Los Angeles cars are added. For a San Antonio day, ride the Texas Eagle instead.
Which Sunset Limited stops should we skip with kids?
All the night stops (San Antonio, Del Rio, Yuma, Palm Springs, Ontario and Pomona), plus the shelters: Schriever, Beaumont, Sanderson, Deming, Lordsburg and Benson. The trip is New Orleans, New Iberia or Lafayette, Houston, Alpine, El Paso, Tucson and Los Angeles.
Sources and how I checked
- Amtrak Sunset Limited timetable, fall 2026 (Trains 1 and 2), Amtrak Texas Eagle timetable for the through cars, and Amtrak station pages
- La Nube El Paso, Children's Museum Tucson, Children's Museum of Acadiana, Louisiana Children's Museum, Children's Museum Houston, Tabasco factory tours and Kartchner Caverns: hours and admission as posted October 2026
- Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, Museum of the Big Bend, Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park, and the Amtrak Thruway shuttle at Maricopa
- Great American Stations and Wikipedia station and route articles for addresses, station history, the Huey P. Long Bridge and the Pecos High Bridge, 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.