Hit the rails

If you are looking to travel in the tradition of a bygone era (or just want to avoid gridlock and road rage), then Oklahoma City’s Heartland Flyer may be your ideal way to travel. Leaving from the Santa Fe Station at 8:25 a.m., the Heartland Flyer makes a daily round trip to the Amtrak station in Ft. Worth and back to OKC. From Ft. Worth, connections are available to Dallas, Chicago or San Antonio via the Texas Eagle.

The Heartland Flyer, which is usually made up of two Superliner Coaches and a Superliner II Coach/Café Car, comes wired for electricity with outlets dispersed throughout the train. With more leg room than most automobiles, you can stretch out and enjoy the scenic view of southern Oklahoma during your trip. The train is also part of the National Park Service’s Trails & Rails program, an innovative partnership that highlights the natural and cultural heritage of the land along the train’s path. Between May and October, a National Park Service guide from the Chickasaw National Recreation Area will provide on board narratives about the history of southern Oklahoma.

In addition to taking you south of the Red River, the Heartland Flyer makes stops in Norman, Purcell, Pauls Valley and Ardmore, giving you the option of taking in the history and attractions of other Oklahoma towns before catching the return train to Oklahoma City.