Have you ever slept in an old train station...? It's a strange idea, don't you think? To spend an evening where people once found themselves in transit, rushing from one place to another. The Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee is a gorgeous homage to the past and a stunning place to say (or get married!) for those of us on this side of time. Take a moment and appreciate the beauty, then maybe book yourself a stay - it's worth it.
Union Station, located in the heart of downtown Nashville, was once used as a railroad terminal and has since been beautifully renovated to serve the city as a hotel. It opened to the public in 1900!
The terminal serviced eight railroads, getting passengers to and from the soon to be great Music City. It was used as a main point of call for thousands of US Troops during the second world war and was even utilized as a USO canteen.
Unfortunately, when the use of trains began to decline in the mid-twentieth century, so did the stunning terminal. It began to service only a handful of trains a day by the 1960's, making it almost obsolete to the intricate workings of Nashville. The station was completely abandoned by the fall of 1979.
Thankfully, the 1980s brought with it a fresh new crop of ideas, and a group of investors decided to take the building on as a project of sorts: they were going to renovate it and make it a premier place to stay. The plans fell through, but the idea was born.
As of January 2012, the station is a part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection Hotels. The "AAA Four Diamond Award" hotel offers 125 re-imagined and luxuriously appointed rooms, including 17 suites. [2]
After decades of disuse and confusion on the city's part, the building a Marriott International's Autograph Collection Hotel in 2012. The complete overhaul and renovation of the building was not completed until 2016, however. And just take a look at that interior design! The entire space is beautiful, intricately layered with southern charm and hospitality.
The marble floors are off-set with oak-accented doors, and the 65-foot vaulted ceiling in the lobby will drop your jaw. It boasts stained glass that is a century old, and features gold-leaf medallions.
There are some that even say the station is haunted, which means you may get more boo for your buck. (Ah...bad pun.) Some say a young woman wanders the platform outside, forever looking for the loved one she lost in the war. We wouldn't be TOO creeped out, though - a place this old and this beautiful needs a few ghosts to balance it out.
Located at 1001 Broadway, you can drive by the beautiful space, featuring Richardsonian-Romanesque design, or you can make a reservation for yourself. We'd recommend the latter, of course. This is truly the best way you can enjoy the city - by infusing yourself with its history.
Psst...did you know this epic ski town is better in the summer? Check it out!
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