Sleep, Dine & Shop Aboard Trains in Chattanooga Choo Choo
The Chattanooga Choo Choo train complex offers the unique opportunity to sleep in a Victorian sleeper car, ride an electric trolley and dine in an elegant train station.
Chattanooga was founded in 1836 as a riverfront city dependent on the railroad. It was once impossible to take a train from the Midwest to the South without passing through Chattanooga. A popular song forever cemented the idea of the Chattanooga Choo Choo in the minds of the American public, even long after the last trained rolled out of the station. The history of the Chattanooga Choo Choo is preserved in a redeveloped area of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The train station where rail riders waited for luxury cars at the turn of the 20th century has been converted into a world-class hotel, dining, and shopping area.
Climb Aboard the Chattanooga Choo Choo
The first thing most visitors notice when they enter the Chattanooga Choo Choo complex is a very old-looking train engine. The engine on display was never used on the Chattanooga rail line but is the kind of engine that was used when trains started running between Chattanooga and Cincinnati, Ohio in 1880. Visitors can walk climb into the engine and view the controls.
Amid a garden of well-landscaped plants and fountains are all sorts of train cars from Chattanooga’s rail history. There are dining cars now used as restaurants and even sleeper cars that visitors can rent for the night. Visitors can board an authentic electric trolley for a unique tour through the Choo Choo complex. The trolley is decorated with lights during the holiday season.
Spend the Night on a Train
The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel rents the same luxurious sleeper cars train riders enjoyed during the golden age of the railroad. Cars have been updated with modern amenities such as high-speed internet access and queen size beds.
If a standard hotel room is more enticing, the hotel has three buildings worth with king-size beds or two double beds, and all the amenities expected of a modern hotel. Suites with Jacuzzi tubs, web bars and seating areas overlook the gardens and pool.
Dine in the Historic Train Station
The train station, built-in 1908 in the true Victorian style, now houses several restaurants. The dome room, which once served as the station’s elegant lobby, is now a Victorian Lounge that serves drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The luggage room is now the Station House restaurant, where waiters and waitresses sing during dinner. Off of the dome, the lobby is a lavish garden-themed restaurant specializing in Southern food. A coffee house and sweet shop delight all ages.
Enjoy a Trip Back in Time
The Chattanooga Choo Choo area offers a nostalgic journey through Chattanooga’s rail history. The complex is located off of Interstate 24, at 1400 Market Street. The complex is unmistakable, clearly marked with the Chattanooga Choo Choo sign perched high above the city. A parking garage across the street offers ample parking space. Besides dining, there are diverse shops offering everything from magnets to stained glass art.