06/09/2025
Took a trip on the Texas State Railroad, Palestine, Texas to Rusk, Texas. It was a 1920s theme. Really fun to see all of the ladies and gents dressed up. The trip to Rusk is sbout 25 miles and took about 1 1/2 hours. Mostly wooded area and a few small farms, so not much to see on the way. The train was very comfortable.
Our car hostess was Joyce. Very sweet lady. She’s 81 years old. Doesn’t look it. She’s been working for the railroad for 14 years. She has lots of knowledge about the train history and the area. All of the staff were very professional and very helpful. Great Customer Service. The train is really charitable and gives back to the community.
Arrived in Rusk to a catered dinner which was served outside near the water. The area was decorated for the 1920s. Very cute. A few photo opportunities were available.
It was extremely hot, so would highly recommend some lawn fans to at least give a light breeze. The menu was ok. I had grilled pork chop which was cooked before hand with a spicy seasoning. Wish that had been listed on the menu. Butter should have been available for the potatoes and roll. While the meal was ok, it was at best, just a 5 out of 10.
The costumes were wonderful however I do have one recommendation for the ladies . You may want to take your flip flops so you can change shoes when the feeling arises. I and many others went the barefoot route halfway through the event.
I stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn Express. I would give this a 4 out of 5. The rooms are clean. The toilet seat in my room needed repair since it was coming off. The breakfast was a typical hotel free breakfast . Cheap, microwaved, likely previously frozen.
I booked my reservation through Expedia which apparently may be my mistake. Because of booking through a site different than the hotel’s site, the desk clerk would not allow me to check in 2 hours early. She said that since I had not booked through the hotel site there would be a $50 up charge for that. If I had booked through the hotel, I would have been allowed to check in early at no charge. The price for the room was a bit steep so I’m sure she could have accommodated an early check in. She had rooms available but refused to check me in a little early without paying the increase. So buyer, beware. This place is all about charging when and where they can.
The event was fun and worth tge adventure.
