The Santa Clarita city trolley, once specifically for Six Flags Magic Mountain tourists, is now offering free rides from hotels to Old Town Newhall.
This year, the green and blue train-like vehicle with glossy, wooden benches will stop at more than just the theme park. Now the city has also added a new evening stop in Old Town Newhall.
The evening route through Old Town Newhall runs Thursday through Sunday, with the daily routes with the hotels still running seven days a week. The trolley stop in Old Town Newhall consists of three small stops between Main Street and two cross streets, 8th and 10th.
Tourists staying at the hotels, as well as any Santa Clarita residents in those areas, can hop on a trolley and stop at the downtown area between 6:10-11:07 p.m. There are two trolleys that come to each stop every 40 minutes, said Evan Thomason, economic development associate for the city of Santa Clarita.
Anyone in Santa Clarita, whether permanent or temporary, can enjoy the service until Labor Day weekend this year.
The stop, in service since Memorial Day weekend, is so visitors can explore the other offerings Santa Clarita has to offer, Thomason said.
“A lot of guests don’t know where to go to enjoy nightlife,” he said. “The trolley ensures that they can see Santa Clarita, and they don’t have to worry about navigation.”
“We also have a lot of residents living in areas with hotels,” he added. “So they can also hop on the trolley and enjoy downtown Newhall.”
The trolley has been around for the last 10 years, servicing the Marriott Embassy Suites; Hyatt Regency (where the Westfield Valencia Town Center Mall is); and Holiday Inn, all hotels located around Interstate 5.
Interested visitors or residents can go to visitsantaclarita.com/plan/trolley-service to see the trolley schedule, map and listing.
The trolley only drops off in the mornings to the Six Flags parks and picks up in the evenings, so the city suggests residents pay attention to the schedule to see which time they’re arriving at and which stop will come next.
The city is seeing the popularity of the stop this season to see if they want to continue year-round service, Thomason said.
“We’re becoming a travel destination, and we want visitors to discover everything, as well,” he said.
The stop at the Courtyard by Marriott & Embassy Suites is at the end of the cul-du-sac on Westinghouse Place. The Holiday Inn stop is located at the entrance. The Hyatt Regency stop is located near the hotel’s main entrance along the sidewalk.
