West Virginia Rails 2010

West Virginia Rails 2010 will be held at the South Side Depot, 126 S. Main St., in Petersburg, W.Va.

Getting there

The West Virginia Rails website says that Petersburg is within a two-hour drive from the Washington-Baltimore area, but online mapping sites calculate the drive from Baltimore at three hours, 15 minutes —covering about 175 miles.

Among the shortest routes: Take Interstate 70 West to U.S. 340 West through Virginia and then on to West Virginia. U.S. 340 West merges onto U.S. 340 south back into Virginia. Pick up VA-7 West and travel to Interstate 81 South. The interstate leads to VA 55 West, which leads back to West Virginia. Head toward East Moorefield and turn left at Old WV 55, which becomes Winchester Avenue. Turn left onto Main Street (U.S. 220).

Lodging

Rooms are going quickly, according to the Grant County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Among the hotels with some availability: the Northfork Mountain Inn, in Smoke Hole, W.Va. The log-cabin style inn is set against tree-lined mountains. Rooms start at $140 a night for two guests.

Tickets

General admission is $12 for adults, $9 for children ages 3-12, and free for age 2 and younger. There are several categories of train rides. An all-day adult train fare is $145 for first class, $95 for coach. Hourly trains are $18 for adults, $12 for kids 12 and under. The Saturday dinner train is $95 for first class, $65 for coach. Train fans can operate a steam locomotive — pull the throttle, blow the whistle and stop the train —for $85.

For more information, go to wvrails2010.com