Niles Canyon Railway near San Francisco, CA is located in Sunol, California and has the makings to show the entire family a great time. If you have a young child's birthday coming up soon and can't think of the perfect gift, consider taking him and his friends to Niles for a train ride and birthday party. Most people that go here claim the best part is getting to climb the cupola and watch as the scenery goes by. You can bring your own lunch, snacks or birthday cake, which will make this a personal birthday party. You'll also be able to get some great photographs as well. They are constantly busy so if you want to ride the caboose, you will need to call ahead for reservations. On the holidays, they have their holiday lights trains are ready to go and they are beautiful. This ride is usually sold out well in advance so be sure to call early if you're interested.
When you're riding the train, you'll enjoy the fact that there are many cars so you can walk around to get a different seat if you wish. You'll love the staff that runs this train, as they know what they are doing and behave and dress in the manner you would expect from a commercial railroad engineer in the old days. The train ride from Sunol to Niles will take around 30 minutes. During this time you'll get to see the beautiful Niles Canyon as well as the maintenance yard where the cars are taken care of daily.
The Niles Canyon Railway also has a wonderful gift shop that has many train-oriented items such as engine hats, train whistles, cds with train sounds as well as Thomas the Tank merchandise. Your children will love this shop as much as you will.