Mason Gill, of Houston, turns the page of the classic book “The Polar Express” while taking a train ride that reenacts the book. The approximately 60-minute ride leaves from Palestine and takes children to the North Pole to meet Santa.

Positive guest reviews have landed the Texas State Railroad among travelers’ favorite destinations.

The historic railway was recently recognized by Tripadvisor as a 2022 Travelers’ Choice award winner.

The award celebrates businesses that have received great traveler reviews from visitors from around the country on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months, according to Texas State Railroad Director of Business Development Amy Parady.

“As challenging as the past year was, TSR stood out by consistently delivering positive experiences to our guests,” Parady said. “We are honored to be recognized as a 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Our guests are our number one priority. Many guests come to experience a vintage train ride as it is a unique outing; however, we strongly believe they will return because of our customer service. Our team is firmly committed to providing the best experience possible.”

In a congratulatory press release, Tripadvisor Chief Commercial Officer Kanika Soni acknowledged the achievement of travel destinations being recognized in such a challenging time.

”The Travelers’ Choice Awards recognize the best in tourism and hospitality, according to those who matter most: your guests,” she said. “Ranking among the Travelers’ Choice winners is always tough — but never more so than this year as we emerge from the pandemic.”

Soni said she is impressed with steps the railroad took to “meet travelers’ new demands.”

One Tripadvisor review raved about the Railroad’s Wine in the Pines excursion.

“Found this accidentally online and it was interesting, so, we went. From the beginning to the end it was absolutely fabfrigentastic! We were in Car 42 (which I think was the best). Joyce and Jason were our train attendants and they were outstanding. Joyce had so much knowledge to share about the local area and the train, plus as an additional bonus, she gave us a lesson in Texas history,” the reviewer wrote. “The Wine in the Pines is one of the best trips we have ever taken. By the way, the wine was also outstanding along with the snacks and the dinner under the stars. Now we are looking forward to bringing our great grandson up in December for the Polar Express.”

The Texas State Railroad offers several excursions throughout the year including Wine in the Pines, Pumpkin Patch Express, Polar Express and Easter Egg Express, among others. This year the Railroad also added a new excursion, Rockin’ the Rails happening in September.