Chattanooga

The Hotel Chalet at The Choo Choo

Restored 1920s and 1960s Pullman sleeper cars on the grounds of the Southern Railway's 1909 Terminal Station; ask for a train-car room.

The Hotel Chalet at The Choo Choo
WeaponizingArchitecture / CC BY-SA 4.0
Built
1909Terminal Station built 1906-1908 (public viewing June 1908) but did not operate until December 1, 1909 because of a court fight over crossings; converted into the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel complex in the early 1970s.
Style
Beaux-Arts
Architect
Don Barber (NRIS listing)
Type
Boutique hotel
Rooms
127
Credentials
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Inside a National Register historic district

The story

Construction of the Southern Railway’s Terminal Station began in fall 1906, and the public viewed the completed buildings in June 1908, but a court battle over overpasses kept it from operating until December 1, 1909; its brick-arched main entrance was its signature feature. Train service ended in 1970, and local businessmen formed Chattanooga Choo Choo, Inc. to turn the station and refurbished railroad cars into a vacation complex named for the Glenn Miller song. Trestle Studio began a $19 million restoration in 2022 that reopened the hotel as The Hotel Chalet; at the time of the report 25 of its 127 rooms had been restored inside 1920s and 1960s Pullman cars, keeping original Tiffany glass pendants.

Good to know

  • Breakfast: available
  • Address: 92 Choo Choo Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37408
Sources (4)

Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.