When we talk about travel, we usually talk about destinations, but this month’s column is all about the journey!

Riding Oklahoma’s passenger train, the Heartland Flyer, is the tenth and final thing on my list of travel resolutions for the year. I am a bit of a train enthusiast, so this won’t be a first-time journey for me. In fact, in addition to riding the Heartland Flyer twice and traveling the length of the Eastern Seaboard on another Amtrak route last July, I have also boarded trains in five other countries. So speaking as someone who has literally gone the distance, I can tell you that trains are officially my favorite mode of transportation. Why? Well let’s just take the Heartland Flyer as an example.

The Flyer makes one round trip between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth every day, with stops in Norman, Purcell, Pauls Valley, Ardmore, and Gainesville. When making the same trip by car, I have to worry about traffic, rest stops, driver fatigue, and gas prices. But on the train, I simply get on and then get off about four hours later. The bathrooms onboard are clean, the café car is well stocked, and I can usually squeeze in a nap if I’m not too interested in the scenery.

And speaking of scenery, have you ever seen a bald eagle from I-35? Although I haven’t, in January and February they are usually easy to spot when the train passes through the Washita River area south of Pauls Valley—sometimes the conductor even slows down for a better view.

Trains can be a particularly good transportation choice for families, if for no other reason than the fact that they are trains; most kids will be excited just to get onboard and see one in real life—which can’t be said for the family truckster. Also unlike the minivan, passengers can get up to stretch their legs and move around the car, and there are occasionally entertainment programs taking place during the journey, like the upcoming Santa Train on December 13, during which Santa will ride the train to talk with children and hand out candy canes onboard and at every stop along the route. In the summer, the Trails and Rails program occasionally provides volunteers from the National Parks Service to talk about the history and geographic features of the areas that fly by the train’s large windows.

One of the obvious drawbacks to train travel is that when you get where you are going, you don’t have a car—but there are ways around that problem. If your destination is Fort Worth, there are a number of attractions within five miles of the station, such as the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the Fort Worth Botanical Garden. Cabs are available in front of the station, and there are also public transportation options.

Disembarking at one of the train’s earlier stops might be an even better option for families with children because the fares will be cheaper, the ride shorter and the small towns are easier to navigate on foot. In Pauls Valley, for example, the Toy and Action Figure Museum is just a couple blocks from the station, and the Santa Fe Depot Museum around the corner houses a retired steam locomotive and a vintage caboose, as well as other artifacts. In Gainesville, a free trolley operates on weekends between the train depot, downtown, the Frank Buck Zoo, and the Gainesville Factory Shops, where you will find more than three dozen name brand outlet stores.

No matter where you decide to end your journey on the Heartland Flyer, I know you won’t regret taking the train. Because it follows a different route than the highway, you will see parts of Oklahoma you could never see from a car. And because you won’t be watching the road for once, you will see something else that is often missing in the car on road trips: your family, having fun.

Chelsey Simpson is an editor who lives in Edmond with her husband and her miniature schnauzer, Ellie.

For more information about the train including schedules, destination information and special events: HeartlandFlyer.com

For information about attraction and public transportation in Fort Worth: TexasEagle.com/stations/FTW.htm

The Toy and Action Figure Museum: ActionFigureMuseum.com 

To book tickets and check prices for the Heartland Flyer (fares often vary, but children 2-15 ride for half-price): Amtrak.com