Our luxurious Nashville Yards hotel comes drenched in history. Such is to be expected given the pedigree of the spectacularly elegant building The Union Station Nashville Yardsoccupies: It was built back in 1900 as a train depot on the L&N Railroad, stood long abandoned, and then was beautifully transformed into a boutique hotel in the mid-1980s.
Our hotel’s past isn’t only on display in its wonderful architecture and other historical features. We have our own paranormal reputation, one we’re proud to say landed us a special honor recently. (And just in time for Halloween…)
The Union Station Nashville Yards Voted the Best Haunted Hotel in America
In this year’s edition of the USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, our hotel was ranked number-one in a lineup of the country’s best haunted hotels. That puts us at the top of a heap that also includes Seattle’s Hotel Sorrento, Fainting Goat Island Inn in Nichols, New York, The Marshall House in Savannah, and the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, well-known for its connection to Stephen King’s horror classic The Shining.
Indeed, the ghostly side of our luxury boutique hotel is widely known, especially when it comes to Room 711 and a spirit named Abigail.
Room 711 & Other Union Station Nashville Yards Hauntings
The story goes that Abigail, as a 20-something young woman, came to the Union Station depot during World War II to see off her beau, a soldier headed for the frontlines in France.
The soldier, sadly, never came home: He was killed in battle. Stricken with grief, they say, Abigail returned to the railway station and threw herself in front of a train.
Abigail’s spirit seems to be in residence at our hotel, and in particular in the legendary Room 711. Guests staying here have reported all sorts of unexplained phenomena, among them strange noises from within and above the room; one man said he’d heard a sound like furniture dragging from overhead, though Room 711’s on the top floor of the hotel. Flickering lights, figures photographed in mirrors, sudden plunges of temperature: A night spent in Room 711 can be an intriguing one, to say the least!
Why Room 711? One idea is that Abigail favors it for the view it allows of the railroad tracks below.
There have also been anecdotes about a uniformed soldier out on the tracks—thought by some to be Abigail’s lost love, returned in the spirit dimension to reunite with her.
Rest assured that Abigail’s is a benevolent spirit. We like to think of her as a persistent, unaggressive presence, and we consider Room 711 something of a tribute to her.
Stay at The Union Station Nashville Yards This Halloween Season
We’re honored that readers voted us the best haunted hotel in America, and we’d love to welcome you to our luxurious accommodations during the Halloween stretch of the calendar! Whether you want to brave Room 711 or not, you’ll love our grand decor, our Marriott Autograph Collection warm hospitality, and all of our onsite amenities. You also can’t beat our location, set within the vibrant business and entertainment district of Nashville Yards.
Call one of our bespoke rooms or suites your Nashville home-away-from-home this October, and pay your respects to Abigail when you do!