Santa Barbara Vino Train

DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THE RSVP COUNT FOR THIS MEETUP. There may be a lot less seats left than indicated, so do call soon to purchase tickets and avoid disappointment. (We'll leave the ability to RSVP open until the event is filled so that nobody will get confused and think it is already closed). Please just call 1-800-539-7245 to RSVP.

WE ARE RUNNING WITH TWO CARS ON THIS TRIP

THE OVERLAND TRAIL IS $145 ROUND TRIP IF BOOKED ONLINE

THE SILVER SPLENDOR IS $160 ROUND TRIP IF BOOKED ONLINE

The Santa Barbara Vino Train is the perfect daycation. A day of wine tasting, eating and shopping in one of the greatest seaside resorts in the world.

Our starting point is the historic Los Angeles Union Station where we will board the Vino Train. The Vino Train is made up private vintage cars which are attached to the back of an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner. Departure time is 7:45am while your are being served a complementary Mimosa to start our journey. A continental breakfast including waffles, fresh fruit, sausage and a frittata is included on our trip north. After Ventura you're treated to wonderful views of the California coastline. At 10:15am we arrive in Santa Barbara.

From here you can follow a tour of the Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail or head out on your own. Arrangements can be made to be shuttle up to the Santa Ynez Valley to visit the vineyards. If wine tasting isn't your thing, Santa Barbara is home to several microbreweries and brewpubs. The city is also known for its restaurants and shopping. You have six hours to enjoy Santa Barbara which has been called the American Riviera.

At 4:30pm we re-board our train and head home. Dinner is provided as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean. We arrive back in Los Angeles around 7:15pm.

We are running two cars for this trip.

The first is the Overland Trail. She was built in 1949 by the Pullman Standard company for the Southern Pacific Railroad. She is a lounge/club car and has been restored to be just like she was in the 50's, including having a barber shop onboard! I doubt we'll have a barber for this trip but who knows.... For more information on the car go to www.overlandtrail.com.

The second car is the Silver Splendor. She is a dome car built by the Budd Company for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in 1956. The owner updated and converted her from a dome coach to a dome diner and lounge. There are 24 seats up in the dome and 24 seats in the lower level. All seating has tables. For more information on the Silver Splendor go to http://www.heritagerailways.us/

Many members from this Meetup Group have taken the Vino Train trip to Santa Barbara and the reviews have been great! If you'd like to see photos and travelogues from past trips on the Santa Barbara Vino Train, please visit: VinoTrain.com.

For online reservations go to https://store.goletadepot.org/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1821

Reservations by phone can be made at (714) 546-6923. (There's a $5.00 surcharge for telephone orders)

Make sure you check out our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/vinotrain