To Be Announced     Click Here to View the Schedule

The San Luis Obispo Wine Lover's Train is just the ticket for those wishing a weekend escape to the beautiful wine country on California's South Central Coast! Enjoy two days and one night of first class service and personal attention. The weekend will be filled with wonderful adventure,  great food and lots of premium wine tasting! Private wine tours will be fun, educational and will tantalize your taste buds. Do you love wine?   Do you love adventure? Do you love the mystique and romance long associated with exotic train travel? Then ... please peruse these features.       First Class seating aboard private club car, Overland Trail. Sumptuous hors d'oeuvres prepared fresh on board by Chef Shawn Onboard wines and wine tasting hosted by our featured winery. Small group vans provide carriage from depot to hotel to wineries. Professional van tours of five wineries. One night accommodation at a Monterey Street Hotel property. Traveling companions are like minded, kindred spirits. Leave all the driving to us!   Join us for an escape from the rigors of the week for a first class adventure to San Luis Obispo ... one of California's most dynamic wine region. While enroute, you'll enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres and appetizers served with delightful wines from the San Luis Obispo wineries. Our waiter/porters, who have your comfort and enjoyment in mind, will beckon to your every call. Relax and leave the cares of the world behind as you board the San Luis Obispo Wine Lover's Train in Los Angeles. The moment you step aboard the Overland Trail, you become aware of the subdued elegance and refined Streamline Moderne appointments of an earlier, more gracious era. Our special conveyance:     The Overland Trail is a 1940s built, former Southern Pacific club lounge that was built as a mid train 1st class lounge for the San Francisco Overland. Carefully restored and upgraded to meet current Amtrak requirements, the Overland Trail can be entrained on virtually any Amtrak train for exciting destinations around the country. The car features a stunning Streamline Modern interior, a most gracious quarter-circle bar, a comfortable ride, and expansive picture windows. You'll arrive in San Luis Obispo in style aboard this gem from the past!   Our Routing: The SLOW Train transverses the spectacular "coast line" of the former Southern Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific). This was the route of the famed Coast Daylight, (hence our nod to the heritage of the line ... the San Luis Obispo "Daylight" Wine Lovers Train) described by many as, "the most beautiful train in the world". The train was inaugurated on March 21, 1937 and ran up until the advent of Amtrak in 1971. Our special car will be coupled to the regularly scheduled Amtrak train # 799, northbound and train # 798 southbound. We'll enjoy many scenic highlights through the large picture windows of the Overland Trail including the; Santa Susana pass, over 100 seaside miles along the mighty Pacific Ocean from Ventura to Surf, the "American Riviera" - aka, Santa Barbara, and the massive sand dunes at Pismo Beach, just to name a few.   Our Destination: Selected wineries of the San Luis Obispo Vintners and Growers Association will serve as special hosts during this 2-day getaway. With each sailing, one winery will take center stage as our featured winery and will provide our on-board-train wine selection as well as the location for our catered lunch on Saturday. The other four scheduled wineries of our weekend are no less special and will surely surprise us with some privileged tasting. South San Luis Obispo County, located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, has earned worldwide recognition and respect for the exceptional quality of wine grapes produced in this ideal viticultural area. The area includes the Edna Valley, the Arroyo Grande Valley, (each a designated American Viticultural Area), the Avila Valley and Nipomo. Wine growing in San Luis Obispo County stretches back to the missionary days of California viticulture, when the first grapevines were planted by the Franciscan padres who settled California in the 1880s. Today, because of this region's ideal world-class microclimate and soils, wine grapes are the leading crop in San Luis Obispo County, and more vineyards are being planted. The climate and soils have been proven to provide the perfect environment for growing and producing ultra premium quality wines.       What makes these valleys unique? Due to the unique geography of the South Central Coast, the valleys have east-west orientations and are distinguished by the extensive maritime influence on the climate and soil. The soils are dominated by marine deposits left eons ago when the valleys were under water. Loam and clay topsoil overlay calcareous marine deposits promoting complex flavors. The climate is tempered by marine air flowing directly into the valley from the Pacific Ocean. This cooling influence creates an unusually long growing season resulting in greatly intensified varietal flavors. All of these elements produce wine grapes and wines of complex flavors and intensity found only in the world's greatest wine regions. Above information courtesy of the SLOV&GA.   Our Itinerary: Saturday: Upon arrival at San Luis Obispo, our awaiting trolley bus or van will whisk us to our "base of operations", a delightful hotel property located on Monterey Street. Located within "old town" of San Luis Obispo, there are many boutique shops and fine eating establishments, but more on that later! After a brief respite to check in and freshen up ... away we go to our first winery. To ensure personal attention at each winery, our group will divide into small groups of between 10 to 15 patrons and will be transported by vans to our selected wineries. The wineries of the Edna and Arroyo Grande Valleys are nestled in beautiful, gently rolling hills, which will be expertly navigated by our professional, courteous and knowledgeable drivers. After our third winery visit (and some delightful education and tasting), we'll return you to your hotel for a restful evening and a chance to savor the exciting events of the day! There are fine dining establishments within walking distance or partake of the free old town "trolley" to explore even further. If you would prefer to visit Hearst Castle instead of the wine tour, individual reservations might be available, please inquire. There may be a small additional charge. Sunday: A day of shopping or ??? Take advantage of the free "Monterey Street Trolley" for dining, shopping and exploring ... stops out front of the hotel. After our morning adventure, we'll assemble at our hotel for our shuttle to the train station, and our journey home. On board, dinner will be enjoyed as the hors d'oeuvres, appetizers and buffet served foods will be in abundance along with your favorite beverages. We'll enjoy the sunset over the Pacific and arrive Los Angeles rested after a thrilling weekend escapade, "a wine lover's dream come true".   Click Here to view the selected wineries for this month's sailing!   Fares:   $399.00 per person double occupancy with standard room at a Monterey Street hotel property (Summer rates may be slightly higher) Fares include first class train service by vintage private railway car from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo and return, intimate 15 - passenger van transportation between train station and wineries and hotel, all wine tasting fees, one night hotel accommodation (continental breakfast included at the hotel) breakfast buffet and lunch aboard northbound train, and an evening meal on the southbound train.   Each sailing is limited to only 36 passengers. Not included but encouraged: wine purchases! Dinner Friday and Saturday, and lunch Sunday are "on your own". There will always be time for your wine purchases at each winery.   Please make check out to: Debbie Hatrick and mail to: 2054 S. Halladay Street Santa Ana, CA 92707-2904 You may board at any intermediate station (such as Glendale, Simi Valley, etc.)   Options:     Optional tours: Hearst Castle (in place of the wine tours) Would you prefer to be on your own in San Luis Obispo? Round trip rail transportation including all amenities onboard may be available. Round Trip Rail Fare only (if available): $279.00   One Way Fares may be available, please inquire. One Way Fare including tour package: deduct $149.00 from base fare. One Way Fare (if available) with no tour, $149.00