Essex Steam Train & Riverboat in Connecticut 2024-2025

Spend some time with your family on a journey through the lovely Connecticut River Valley aboard the steam train and riverboat connection, the only such connection in the United States! Board the train at Essex Station to see several preserves and coves on the way to Deep River Landing. That's where the Mississippi-style riverboat, Becky Thatcher, will take you upriver and back past the Goodspeed Opera House and Gillette Castle. Back at Deep River, the next train will return you to Essex.

The season begins with everyone’s beloved tank engine at A Day Out with Thomas in late April and early May and ends up with the famous North Pole Express trains in November and December. June through October, you can enjoy magical golden hours on a Friday night Sunset Cruise on board the riverboat. From May to October, chill out and relish a four-course meal in the 1920s magnificence of restored Pullman dining cars aboard the Essex Clipper Dinner Train.