Chattanooga, Tennessee
Leaving Montgomery, Alabama, we headed north through some mountainous terrain ( the Appalachian Mountains) to Chattanooga, Tennessee. As the name indicates, the town is known for its Chattanooga railway station and its Choo-Choo, an 1880 passenger train that traveled from Cincinnati to Chattanooga. We stayed in a hotel at the the station, the Hotel Chalet, and my room was an old Pullman car (see left)!
Chattanooga itself is located along the Tennessee River. Its population is about 190,000. Chattanooga was a crucial city during the American Civil War because of the multiple railroads that converge there. After the war, the railroads allowed for the city to grow into one of the Southeastern United States largest industrial hubs.
Divided by the Tennessee River, Chattanooga is at the transition between the ridge-and-valley Appalachians and the Cumberland Plateau, both of which are part of the larger Appalachian Mountains. Chattanooga's official nickname is the "Scenic City," alluding to the surrounding mountains, ridges, and valleys.
With the word Chattanooga, one is reminded of the 1941 hit song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller and his orchestra.
The current Terminal Station in Chattanooga replaced a previous station that was demolished in the early 1900s. Construction on the current station began in 1906, and the station was opened in 1909. Designed by New York architect Donn Barber, the station features a massive and iconic arched main dome inspired by New York's railroad station architecture.
The Terminal Station was the first train station in the South to help open a pathway to connect the north and the south, connecting the city of Cincinnati to Chattanooga. Eventually, the Terminal Station was serving some fifty passenger trains per day plus some freight and package service.
In 1970, the Southern Railway cancelled its last passenger train to Chattanooga—the Birmingham Special—and closed Terminal Station. Plans were laid for its demolition. Instead of being demolished, a group of business people seeking to trade on the "Chattanooga Choo Choo" song and its enduring popularity, decided to reopen the station as a hotel. The station reopened in 1973 as the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hilton and Entertainment Complex.
In 1989, another group of business people invested to refurbish and renovate the hotel and to bring in new management and staff. They renamed it The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. Hotel guests could stay in restored passenger railway cars.
A second renovation was launched in 2022 and was completed in 2023, with 127 rooms, including 25 Pullman train car rooms (I stayed in one of these rooms [left]). The hotel was renamed The Hotel Chalet, where we stayed, and we had dinner at its restaurant, Elsie's Daughter.
The Terminal Station remains one of the grandest buildings in Chattanooga, with an arched main entrance leading to a center section with an 82-foot ceiling dome with a skylight. The Terminal Station is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chattanooga itself is located along the Tennessee River. Its population is about 190,000. Chattanooga was a crucial city during the American Civil War because of the multiple railroads that converge there. After the war, the railroads allowed for the city to grow into one of the Southeastern United States largest industrial hubs.
Divided by the Tennessee River, Chattanooga is at the transition between the ridge-and-valley Appalachians and the Cumberland Plateau, both of which are part of the larger Appalachian Mountains. Chattanooga's official nickname is the "Scenic City," alluding to the surrounding mountains, ridges, and valleys.
With the word Chattanooga, one is reminded of the 1941 hit song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller and his orchestra.
The current Terminal Station in Chattanooga replaced a previous station that was demolished in the early 1900s. Construction on the current station began in 1906, and the station was opened in 1909. Designed by New York architect Donn Barber, the station features a massive and iconic arched main dome inspired by New York's railroad station architecture.
The Terminal Station was the first train station in the South to help open a pathway to connect the north and the south, connecting the city of Cincinnati to Chattanooga. Eventually, the Terminal Station was serving some fifty passenger trains per day plus some freight and package service.
In 1970, the Southern Railway cancelled its last passenger train to Chattanooga—the Birmingham Special—and closed Terminal Station. Plans were laid for its demolition. Instead of being demolished, a group of business people seeking to trade on the "Chattanooga Choo Choo" song and its enduring popularity, decided to reopen the station as a hotel. The station reopened in 1973 as the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hilton and Entertainment Complex.
In 1989, another group of business people invested to refurbish and renovate the hotel and to bring in new management and staff. They renamed it The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. Hotel guests could stay in restored passenger railway cars.
A second renovation was launched in 2022 and was completed in 2023, with 127 rooms, including 25 Pullman train car rooms (I stayed in one of these rooms [left]). The hotel was renamed The Hotel Chalet, where we stayed, and we had dinner at its restaurant, Elsie's Daughter.
The Terminal Station remains one of the grandest buildings in Chattanooga, with an arched main entrance leading to a center section with an 82-foot ceiling dome with a skylight. The Terminal Station is on the National Register of Historic Places.