When you hear the whistle blowing eight to the bar
Then you know that Tennessee is not very far
Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep it rollin’
Woo-woo, Chattanooga there you are

For over 60 years, all trains heading south, travelled through the famous Chattanooga Terminal Station. Until it closed in 1970. Just like with the Walnut Street Bridge, local investors saved the building from demolition so that visitors can take a trip back in time, boarding the trains for drinks, food and walk through the lovely Glenn Miller Gardens whistling to the tunes of the Glen Miller Orchestra.

Tennessee is famous for two things: Trains and whiskey so what a better place to partake in both than at the Choo Choo.

Next to the American Draft, a coal-fired Victorian train which arrived on time at Gate 11. That’s where I decided to stop to grab some famous Tenn spirits.

“Everything we pour is made in house,” my bartender Arlene mentioned.

“Super, then a Manhattan please,” I requested.

“Great selection. Sourced from a 3-year old Kentucky rye whiskey aged in our boxcar barrehouse,” she added.

I took one sip – Amazing taste, strong and the presentation, just the boxcar background was picture perfect.

“How long you’ve worked here?”I inquired.

“Just under a year. Before that I lived in the Northeast: Philly and Jersey to be exact. But it’s great to be back home. Lots have changed in the last 5 to10 years.”

“Really, there’s been a whole lot of growth?”

“Yeah, this used to be a ghost town – now there’s lots of energy here. New hotels, condos, restaurants – that’s why I came back.”

“I love the history, I’m a big Civil War buff,” a patron sitting at the bar added.

“Really, what’s the connection with the trains?” I inquired as I turned to see an older man with a long , gray beard sipping his Long Island with a bite of cherry.

“Well the Great Locomotive Chase started not too far from here, just over the border in Georgia. James Andrews commanded a train called the General and took it north towards Chattanooga and doing as much damage as possible to the Confederate railroad line.”

“Oh yes, I remember learning about Andrews Raiders in high school. History has finally come alive,” I responded with discerning interest.

“Lemme buy you a drink,” said my new friend, an ole timer who knew his history like his whiskey.

“That’s nice of you,” I replied congenially. “Whatever you’re having.”

“One Tennessee Mule coming right up,” Arlene snapped.

I was in this great Southern city at the historic riverfront last month enjoying happy hour and a live band at Puckett’s, then taking long strolls on Walnut Street Bridge over the swift-running Tennessee River. It was on the River where the Union attacked during the Civil War leading to the Confederates to retreat. There’s lots of history here and the city has cleaned up her act.

Used to be called the “most polluted city in America,” Chattanooga has made a 180 degree turn from the decrepit 70’s, making her one of my favorite Southern cities to explore.

And now I was at the iconic Choo Choo getting my fill up of good ole fashioned Tennessee whiskey and history.

Read more: Gate 11 Bar & Distillery:

Pardon me, boy
Is that the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?
Yes, yes, track twenty-nine
Boy, you can gimme a shine