If you’re curious what three weeks of traveling by train looks like–or if you just want to follow along on my journey–below is the itinerary for my fall foliage trip of the northeast by train. In West Virginia, I’ll see “gently rolling horse country, the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley, and the wild white-water rivers of West Virginia as they can only be seen by train.” Then on to Greensboro, North Carolina, the Potamic River in Alexandra, Virgnia, and end the tour at the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It’ll be a gorgeous route of fall colors with a number of river stops.

Northeast by Rail

Fall Foliage Trip

Itinerary

September 30-October 22, 2017

Assignments:

• Old Liquors Magazine: distilleries, liquor trends, amazing bartenders, hotels, or bars.
• Locavore: What does it mean to eat local? For what food/product is the area famous? Interview grower/producer and chef.
• Evolving Magazine: Wellness trends and practices.
• Bass Angler Magazine: Destination articles near fishing areas.
• Train Guide: How to get around/what to do near the train station.
• USAbyRail.blog: Destination articles
• Outbound Collective: Outdoor adventures/fall foliage

West Virginia

Huntington

September 30	DEPART Kansas City 7:43 a.m.	ARRIVE Chicago 3:15 p.m.
September 30	DEPART Chicago 5:45 p.m.
October 1		ARRIVE Huntington 7:09 a.m.

Lodging: October 1, 2, & 3 Holiday Inn & Suites Downtown

Itinerary:

Food:

1. Hot dogs: There are some excellent local restaurants, but I think what we have most in Huntington is hot dogs. I would definitely recommend Hillbilly Hot Dogs for a unique, one-of-a-kind experience.
2. The Wild Ramp is a local nonprofit market made up of producers and consumers throughout the area. “Wild” ramps aren’t grown but are foraged by some of our producers and are only available for a short time in the Spring, basically only April. They have very specific needs in order to grow and are usually on the damp/shaded part of a hillside. Interview Althea Crawford with Crawford Family Farm and Chef Kelly Dial at Heirloom Mobile Kitchen.

Liquor:

1. The Peddler just opened their brewery in Huntington. The Peddler is a brewpub and arcade that serves burgers, sandwiches, duck fat fries, and several other items. This is the first one they’ve had in the city in many years.
2. Summit Beer Station is a local tap room that was named one of America’s top 50 beer bars according to the Brewer’s Association and Cool Material.
3. Bonded by Bottles is also a great place to purchase craft beer – recently remodeled to add bar for growlers and on premise consumption.
4. Lastly, SIP Wine & Whiskey Bar is Huntington’s only wine bar. They offer special events multiple times a month.

Near Train:

• The Amtrak Station is conveniently located 3 blocks from downtown Huntington.
• In the heart of downtown is Pullman Square where visitors can shop at local boutiques and grab a bite to eat at one of the many local restaurants.
• Marquee Cinemas is also located in Pullman Square along with The Pottery Place where guests can paint their own piece of pottery.
• Harris Riverfront Park is located across the street from Pullman Square with beautiful views of the Ohio River.
• Marshall University is 9 blocks away for anyone interested in seeing the campus represented in the movie “We Are Marshall” along with the Memorial Fountain from the 1970 plane crash.
• Ritter Park is located 5 blocks in the opposite direction from the Amtrak Station on the Southside. It is the most popular park in Huntington and was named one of the “Great Places in America: Public Spaces” by the American Planning Association.
• New River Train Excursions
• Harris Riverfront Park

Culture/Arts:

• Heritage Farm Museum
• Huntington Museum of Art

West Virginia

Charleston

October 4

DEPART Huntington 7:16 a.m.

ARRIVE Charleston 8:21 a.m.

Lodging: October 4 and 5 Sheraton Four Points

Itinerary:

Wednesday, Oct. 4

10:30 a.m. –  Coffee at Taylor Books

11 a.m. – Explore downtown Charleston

Noon – Lunch at South Hills Market & Café

1:30 p.m. – Interview with April Woody at the Folded Leaf

2:15 p.m. – Interview Chef Richard Arbaugh and Howard White at South Hills Market & Café

3:00 p.m. — Explore Bridge Road Shops

6 p.m. – Capitol Market Mixer, Captiol Market

Thursday, Oct. 5

9:45 a.m. – Breakfast at Tudors Biscuit World

11 a.m. – JQ Dickinson Salt Works tour

12:30 pm – Lunch at TBD

1:45-2 p.m. –  Tour of WV State Museum and Capitol

5:30 p.m. – cocktails at Bricks & Barrels

6:30 p.m. – dinner at Bluegrass Kitchen

West Virginia

White Sulfur Springs/Lewisburg

October 6

DEPART Charleston 8:21 a.m.

ARRIVE White Sulfur Springs 11:39 a.m.

Lodging: October 6 Maison Marcel and October 7 The Greenbrier

Itinerary:

Friday, October 6

11:39 a.m.    Arrive at White Sulphur Springs Depot

12:00 p.m.    Lunch at Draper’s at the Greenbrier

2:00 p.m.    Interview with Chef at The Greenbrier

4:00 p.m.    Interview with Tootie Jones at Swift Level Fine Meats

5:00 p.m.    Check-in–Maison Marcel

7:00 p.m.    Dinner at The French Goat

Saturday, October 7

9:00 a.m.     Visit Farmer’s Markets in Lewisburg

10:30 a.m.    Tour and Interview at Smooth Ambler Spirits

1:00   p.m.    Lunch at Stardust Café  

Visit Shop & Galleries of Downtown Lewisburg after lunch if time permits

4:00 p.m. Check-in at The Greenbrier –casino, massage, spa, meditation, hiking

North Carolina

Greensboro

October 8	DEPART White Sulfur Springs 11:39 a.m.	ARRIVE Charlottesville, Va 3:10 p.m.
October 8	DEPART Charlottesville 8:52 p.m.	ARRIVE Greensboro 12:15 a.m.

Lodging: N/A October 9-17

Itinerary:

October 9–17

LeBauer Park in downtown Greensboro is the newest destination that features attractions for people of all ages.  Located downtown on Davie Street.

Check out Hops Burger Bar.  They have two locations (Spring Garden St., and Battleground – Spring Garden is the original location and be prepared to wait to be seated if going at lunch and/or dinner).

SKYWILD (located at the Greensboro Science Center) is an animal inspired ropes course for those 8 – 99 yrs old.  It is outside above the zoo and if you are looking for outdoor adventure might be worth checking out.

 October 10

→11am – Greensboro Distilling Co. / Fainting Goats Andrew will be waiting for you to get a tour, tasting and interview. Greensboro Distilling Co – Fainting Goats Spirits. Produce gin, vodka, sing-male whiskey, rye whiskey and bourbon using 100% USDA certified organic grains that were grown in NC.

→1pm – Crafted: The Art of Street Food 

October 11

→11am – Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen Chef Felicia McMillan interview and then stay and have a great lunch

October 12

→1:30 pm – Edible Schoolyard 

Virginia

Alexandria

October 17

DEPART Greensboro 8:39 a.m.

ARRIVE Alexandria 4:02 p.m.

Lodging: Town Motel Alexandria

Itinerary:

Liquor:

The Hour

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg/Cumberland

October 18	DEPART Alexandria          12:57 p.m.	ARRIVE Philadelphia          3:54 p.m.
October 18	DEPART Philadelphia  4:45 p.m.	ARRIVE Harrisburg          6:40 p.m.

Lodging: N/A October 18, 19, 20

Itinerary:

Food:

• Chocolate? Scrapple? Mushrooms?
• Grain+Verse Bottlehouse’s menu includes handcrafted items from high-quality ingredients that are sourced around the Harrisburg area
• The West Shore Farmers Market has 50+ vendors with locally-grown food served at restaurants and markets.
• For the food angle, chocolate might be a good topic. I would suggest Brittle Bark, which was featured on the Today Show las year, which makes incredible chocolate and bark in downtown Mechanicsburg (about 10-15 minutes from Harrisburg).

Liquor:

→October 19—1:00 p.m. Midstate Distillery

• 1794 Whiskey Rebellion, named after the infamous whiskey rebellion during George Washington’s presidency.
• Near Harrisburg, in Middletown, there’s a great distillery called “Tattered Flag”.

Outdoors/Fishing:

**Bass Angler destination article about the area. Museums, arts, food, culture, wellness, nature… What would a group of women want to see/do while in town while their husbands are in a fishing tournament?

• The historic Allenberry Resort, which was once owned by the Crockett Family, was recently renovated. The resort offers beautiful cottages and rooms near the Yellow Breeches (which is quite popular for fly-fishing), a salt-water pool, skeet-shooting range, and full-service spa and wellness center.
• Allenberry is near the Appalachian Trail, which there are 46 miles of the AT in our county, but it’s also where hikers will find the midpoint and compete in the Half Gallon Ice Cream Challenge.
• Nearby is the Appalachian Trail Museum, the only museum in the country dedicated to hiking.
• Downtown Carlisle has over 30 unique restaurants within a few short blocks of each other, with tastes from around the world.

Chicago

October 21	DEPART Harrisburg 2:36 p.m.	ARRIVE Pittsburgh 8:01 p.m.
October 21	DEPART Pittsburgh 11:59 p.m.
October 22		ARRIVE Chicago 8:45 a.m.
October 22	DEPART Chicago 3:00 p.m.	ARRIVE Kansas City 10:11 p.m.

Six-hour layover:

Itinerary:

• Your Happy Place Liquors in the Logan Square Community – an Art, Cigar & Craft Spirits Boutique.  They host free tastings every Friday and monthly art receptions… many with Live Art Installations and live music. Every month a different Chicagoland Artist’s work is showcased and they also host charity events regularly. With a carefully curated selection of wines, cigars, craft spirits & beer and an urban art gallery ambiance along with delivery to neighboring BYOB restaurants and a free bottle chilling station.. Your Happy Place Liquors is definitely not your average liquor store.
• Female Mixologist at the Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago:
• Book a cocktail making class with KOVAL Distillery,
• Or tour one of Chicago’s distilleries including CH and Chicago Distilling Company.