The Chattanooga Choo Choo

The Chattanooga Choo Choo is the city's most famous piece of railroad history — a grand 1909 train station, immortalized by a big-band song, and reborn as a hotel and entertainment complex on the Southside.

The Terminal Station

The first train pulled into the newly finished Terminal Station on December 1, 1909, and at its peak the station handled dozens of trains a day, welcoming presidents among its passengers. Its great domed lobby was an architectural landmark. The last train departed on August 11, 1970.

The Song & the Rebirth

The name comes from the Glenn Miller Orchestra's 1941 hit “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” When the station reopened in April 1973 as a hotel and entertainment complex, the song was the theme; the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

What It Is Today

Today the Choo Choo is a walkable Southside complex — a hotel, restaurants and bars, a distillery, gardens, and event spaces on Station Street — and a recent revitalization has added to the food-and-drink scene around it. You can wander the grounds and the historic station even if you're not staying.

Visiting

It's an easy stop on a Southside afternoon: see the historic station and dome, walk the grounds, and stay for a meal or a drink. It pairs well with the Main Street district and the walkable Southside food scene.