Seeing as how the new Harry Potter movie just came out, i thought i'd share my best Potter memory. When the last book came out a year or two ago, the Summit county town of Peninsula transformed itself into a magical village. The scenic railroad became the Hogwarts Express for the evening. Upon showing up at the Rockside station, we witness a sea of dorks dressed up just like us( i went as Sirius Black). Then we disembark.
Now you have a train full of dorks slowly chugging past wondrous vistas of the valley, all the while casting spells on each other and eating school lunches. The train is a restored old number that just oozes nostalgia. The trip takes about an hour. If you've ever sat on 77 or 271 in your car during rush hour, you wish this train was a light commuter deal we could take every day.
The town was fully decorated Potter style with each store taking on a corresponding Potter theme( winking lizard=leaky cauldron, etc ). All us dorks swarmed the town and made merriment late into the night. Now the part where I rip on people: Certain members of our entourage began complaining about how long the ride was. What the hell did you think would happen?? Have you ever seen a bullet train whizzing past you in Ohio?! Yes, it takes a while to get there. Relax, you're not driving. Have some fun. I guess that goes for any trip aboard the train, which operates all year long . At xmas, they also do a special trip. They have several stops all the way down to northern Akron.
It's the luxury and relaxation of Amtrak without the derailments.