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| All aboard for a SMART Train adventure! |
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a rail line serving Sonoma and Marin counties. The first phase of the rail line was a 43 mile section connecting northern Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael. It opened in 2017. It has since expanded southward to Larkspur Landing, where there is connecting ferry service to San Francisco. Northward it has now expanded to the Sonoma County Airport (also known as Charles Shulz Airport). When fully completed the rail line will be 70 miles in length running from Cloverdale to Larkspur Landing. The stations along the way are mostly in the downtown areas, making it great for working commuters, residents, and grandparents looking for an adventure to share with their grandkids.
SMART Train Information and Schedules
Beth and I had taken James on a SMART train adventure a few years back. We all enjoyed it, so we thought we would try it again. This time instead of three of us, Emma was now old enough and was excited for her first ride on a real train (not an airport shuttle train). As we began to plan the day it just seemed to be getting better and better. First we learned that during the summer the SMART train had a great deal going, those under 18 and senior citizens could ride for free. We all fit into one of those two categories so the price was definitely right! We then learned that parking at the Sonoma County Airport SMART Station was free! What a deal we had going, park free and ride free!
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| Waiting patiently behind the red line........... |
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| .........here it comes! |
The trains run on a very convenient schedule (approximately every hour) in each direction, with service starting early in the morning and continuing into the evening. We did a little research and found that the ride from Sonoma County Airport to the town of Cotati was approximately 30 minutes, and that there was a nice casual burger joint (Acme Burger) just a short half mile walk from the Cotati station. Not only was the train ride fun, it was also very scenic. We passed by multiple green vineyards loaded with grapes that will be harvested soon.
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| Away we go! |
The walk from the station to the restaurant was easy, and there were even two more unexpected surprises. As luck would have it, it was Tuesday and Tuesday is Kid's Day at Acme Burger. This meant free ice cream and a toy were included with every kids meal. Also, there happened to be a Dollar Tree next to the Acme Burger. Give a kid a few dollars in a Dollar Tree and they can have a blast picking out a few treasures. After a few minutes of deliberating, both James and Emma had selected their treasures and we were happily on our way back to the train station for the ride back.
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| The restaurant had a free foosball table that kept us entertained while we waited on our food. |
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| The sign said "free kiddie cone"......... |
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| ........I'd hate to see what the "large cone" looked like! |
One thing we noticed on the ride back was that the train was pretty busy. A lot of the passengers seemed to be kids near James and Emma's ages traveling with their grandparents.
We certainly weren't the only Smart grandparents taking advantage of a great offer and making wonderful memories.
