You Can Sleep in an Actual Train Car at This Restored Chattanooga Landmark

The Chattanooga Choo Choo, Tennessee

The Chattanooga Choo Choo isn’t just a Glenn Miller song anymore. When Terminal Station was saved from demolition in 1973, it kickstarted downtown Chattanooga’s revival by turning train cars into hotel rooms and train platforms into gardens.

Today it’s part hotel, part museum, and a complete time capsule of American rail travel.

Here are some interesting facts about this Chattanooga icon.

The 116-year-old train station is now an awesome hangout spot

You can walk into the exact same terminal where trains pulled in back in 1909. The whole place cost $1.5 million to build and has this massive 82-foot dome ceiling with a skylight.

Architect Donn Barber designed it to look like a fancy New York bank, and at its busiest, 50 trains came through here every day. When they saved it from being demolished in 1973, they spent $4 million fixing it up, which kept all the original details intact.

The famous steam engine has been here since 1972

Engine #29 sits proudly on display—a 2-6-0 steam locomotive built in 1891. They brought it here from the Rebel Railroad in Tennessee and painted it to match the “Track 29” mentioned in the famous Glenn Miller song.

It stands 15 feet tall and weighs a massive 134,000 pounds. The engine represents the old Cincinnati Southern Railway locomotives that once ran through Chattanooga.

This place nearly got bulldozed in 1970

When the last train (the Birmingham Special from New York) pulled out on August 11, 1970, the station was headed for demolition.

Lucky for us, a businessman named B. Allen Casey led the charge to save it. They reopened it as a hotel on April 11, 1973—one of the first major building rescues in Chattanooga.

In 1974, they added it to the National Register of Historic Places because it’s such an important piece of architecture and history.

You’ll Stand Where Three U.S. Presidents Once Arrived

The Terminal Station welcomed Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt during its 61 years of operation.

Historical photographs throughout the complex document these presidential visits and other significant moments in the station’s history. The building served as a backdrop for wartime troop movements during both World Wars, with thousands of soldiers passing through its grand entrance.

Visitors can follow a self-guided historical tour using QR codes that provide detailed information about significant events.

You can actually sleep in a real train car

The Hotel Chalet lets you sleep in actual train cars from the 1920s and 1960s. They spent $19 million in 2023 to renovate everything, and now each Sleeper Deluxe room fits 2-4 people with queen beds and pull-out sofas.

Don’t worry—they didn’t skip on modern stuff. You’ll get high-speed internet, Italian sheets, Bluetooth speakers, and 55-inch smart TVs.

Glenn Miller Made Gold Record History Here

The song ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’ became the first gold record ever awarded in music history on February 10, 1942. RCA Victor gave Glenn Miller a gold-painted framed copy of the 78rpm disc during a live radio show after selling over 1.2 million copies.

Funny enough, when bandleader Glenn Miller, his main arranger Jerry Gray, and many musicians first rehearsed it for the 1941 movie ‘Sun Valley Serenade,’ they thought it was terrible. Mack Gordon (lyrics) and Harry Warren (music) wrote the song for the film and didn’t expect it to become a huge hit.

Tex Beneke, who played tenor saxophone and sang vocals, reportedly thought ‘it was a dog’ when he first heard it, but after arranging it differently, it became Miller’s best-selling recording ever.

Shopping here isn’t your typical mall experience

You’ll find shops selling local crafts, train souvenirs, and Chattanooga gifts in the same spaces that used to be ticket offices and baggage claim areas.

The Boxcar General Store sells food products made in Tennessee, like specialty jams, honey, and coffee. During the 2023 renovation, they created 10,000 square feet of shopping space with unique items you won’t find at regular stores.

The distillery makes liquor using Tennessee traditions

Gate 11 Distillery started in 2018 and makes small batches of vodka, gin, and whiskey. You can take a 45-minute tour to see how they turn grain into bottles of spirits.

The tasting room keeps the original brick walls from 1909 and covers 1,200 square feet. They produce about 500 gallons of liquor each month using a custom copper still made in Louisville, Kentucky.

This complex kickstarted downtown’s comeback

The Choo Choo helped transform Chattanooga’s Southside District from old warehouses into one of the city’s coolest neighborhoods. Free electric shuttles stop right out front and can take you to other downtown attractions in minutes.

You’re just 1.2 miles from the Tennessee Aquarium and 0.8 miles from the Convention Center. From the entrance at 1400 Market Street, you can walk to 25 restaurants and 15 art galleries.

Visiting The Hotel Chalet At The Choo Choo

You’ll find the complex at 1400 Market Street in downtown Chattanooga, open daily. Hotel check-in starts at 3 PM and check-out is by 11 AM, while you can access the grounds from 8 AM to 10 PM.

• Room rates range from $140 per night (standard) to $220+ for train car rooms
• A free electric shuttle stops at the property connecting to downtown sights
• You can bring your pets for an extra fee (service animals stay free)

From the property, you can walk to Chattanooga’s historic Southside district restaurants and shops, and you’re just 10 minutes from the Tennessee Aquarium.