The Chattanooga Choo Choo

“Pardon me boys, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?”  It’s a great nostalgic tune that describes well what Chattanooga has to offer for little boys and families.  

The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and model train museum in downtown Chattanooga is on the National Registry of Historic Places and allows families to step back in time.  There is a replica of the first train, a wood burning locomotive, that came into the station in 1880.  Children can climb up into the engineer box and explore the knobs and gears of the big steam engine.  

My boys love seeing the bright and colorful train and I try to sneak in a walk around the manicured gardens next to it.  There is also a trolley parked next to the train.  For $3 per person you can hop aboard and learn about the trolley industry of the 1800s in Chattanooga.  

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The garden that I love and the boys tolerate until they can get in to see the trains.

Close up of the model train exhibit.

The boys are entranced.

But my favorite part of the Choo Choo complex is the model train museum.  After riding up the elevator and through the lobby, you enter a long room and a miniature world.  The model exhibit shows Chattanooga and the Cumberland mountain community, and becomes my little boys’ wonderland.  Now, they have been to the museum several times and have established their favorite spots to watch the trains go around the mountains and towns. But the first time A went he was about two years old and he stayed on the raised platforms, awestruck, for 10, 15 minutes on end.  (if you have any experience with two year old boys, you will know that that just doesn’t happen, ever.)  

The museum has over 3,000 feet of track, and plenty of little curiosities that put a smile on your face.  The Model Train Museum is open seven days a week with admission only $5 for adults and $3 for children. This makes it one of the cheapest activities for families with young children in Chattanooga!  Of course, the Chattanooga Choo Choo has lots of other perks and attractions, like sleeping in an actual train car or being entertained by your waiter or waitress as you eat at the Station House restaurant.  You can check out all their information at http://www.choochoo.com, and let us help plan your choo choo experience.

Happy roving!
Kyleen