Museums
McMinn County Living Heritage Museum
Under $25Local history museum in Athens, Tennessee, showing the story of McMinn County through exhibits and programs.
SightseeingHistoricSeasonalFamily Favorite
Hiwassee Loop Train Ride
A 50-mile, four-and-a-half-hour excursion from Delano through the Hiwassee River Gorge to the 1898 loop where the track spirals over itself near Farner.
9406 Highway 411 · Delano, TN
About Hiwassee Loop Train Ride
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum runs its Hiwassee Loop excursion from a depot on Highway 411 in Delano, about an hour from its Chattanooga base. Climate-controlled vintage coaches follow the lower Hiwassee River Gorge past river views and old bridges to the Hiwassee Loop, completed in 1898 on the former 'Hook and Eye Line', where the track circles Bald Mountain and crosses 62 feet above itself. Onboard narration covers the line's history, and seats rotate at the midpoint so everyone gets the river side. The 50-mile round trip takes about four and a half hours and runs on a limited schedule from late March to late November, with fall foliage dates priced higher.
- #scenic train
- #hiwassee river
- #railroad
- #fall foliage
- #cherokee national forest
Printable maps
What's around here?
The closest stops to Hiwassee Loop Train Ride, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
12 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
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Transit: reachable by public transit
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Transit: reachable by public transit
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