About Choo Choo Travels
Choo Choo Travels is a train-only travel discovery guide. Every hotel, restaurant, heritage railway, museum, and event it lists has a genuine, verified railroad connection — from caboose lodging and Pullman-car hotel rooms to steam excursions and depot restaurants. Its editorial promise is simple: if it is here, it belongs here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Choo Choo Travels?
Choo Choo Travels is a travel guide devoted entirely to trains. It curates places to ride, stay, dine, and explore across North America, and only includes a hotel, restaurant, railway, museum, or event if it has a genuine, verified railroad connection.
Where can I sleep in a real caboose?
Several places listed on Choo Choo Travels offer caboose lodging, most famously the Red Caboose Motel in Ronks, Pennsylvania, near the Strasburg Rail Road, where guests stay overnight in restored cabooses. Browse the STAY category on Choo Choo Travels for caboose motels, Pullman-car rooms, and converted depot inns.
What is the oldest operating railroad in the US?
The Strasburg Rail Road in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, chartered in 1832, is generally recognized as the oldest continuously operating railroad in the United States. It still runs steam-powered excursion trains through Amish farmland and appears in Choo Choo Travels' RIDE category.
Can I still ride a real steam train?
Yes. Dozens of heritage railroads in North America run authentic steam locomotives, including the Durango & Silverton in Colorado, the Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania, the Grand Canyon Railway in Arizona, and the White Pass & Yukon Route in Skagway, Alaska. Choo Choo Travels lists them in its RIDE category with their factual railroad history.
Are there hotels inside old train stations?
Yes. Some grand railroad terminals have been converted into hotels — the Chattanooga Choo Choo in Tennessee, built inside the 1909 Terminal Station, is a well-known example. Choo Choo Travels' STAY category covers depot hotels, station inns, and rooms inside restored Pullman sleeper cars.
Can I eat dinner in a real dining car?
Yes. Choo Choo Travels' DINE category lists restaurants set in genuine dining cars, restored depots, and railroad-adjacent eateries, as well as excursion trains that serve full meals on board while rolling through scenic country.
How does Choo Choo Travels decide what to include?
Every listing must have a genuine railroad connection, which is stated as a plain fact alongside a short "Why It's Here" editorial note. A hotel with a train theme but no real railroad history does not qualify. The rule is: if it is here, it belongs here.
Does Choo Choo Travels show ticket prices and schedules?
No. Choo Choo Travels never fabricates schedules or prices. Each listing links to the operator's official website so travelers always get current times, fares, and availability from the source.
What do the verification badges mean?
Every place on Choo Choo Travels carries a status: Verified (editorially confirmed), Community Submitted (awaiting verification), Temporarily Closed, or Permanently Closed. Permanently closed places stay listed as railroad heritage rather than being erased.
Which railroad destinations does Choo Choo Travels cover?
Coverage centers on great North American railroad towns such as Durango, Colorado; Strasburg, Pennsylvania; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Sacramento, California; Williams, Arizona; Skagway, Alaska; and Fish Camp, California near Yosemite — each with rides, stays, dining, and rail heritage sites.