The story
Opened by attorney James Ballowe as the third Choo-Choo Limited, it passed to George and Sue Doris (1974-2000), then to Jean Paxton-Eisenberg (2001-2020), whose family reopened it in 2022 after a two-year closure.
Everything that was here
- 1951–present · still open
The Choo-ChooRestaurant
A 1951 diner where a model train delivers your burger basket, still running in its 1956 building.
See the map in 1952 →
Connected places
Bon-Air Cafe and Country Club
Wheeling, IL
art deco
SS Admiral
St. Louis, MO
art deco
Kiel Opera House
St. Louis, MO
art deco
Explore the full web of connections on the map.
Nearby history
Des Plaines Theatre (Onesti Entertainment)
1476 Miner Street · 72 m away
After a $6.7 million city-funded restoration, the theatre reopened on Halloween night 2021 with Kevin Costner & Modern W
Sugar Bowl Restaurant
1494 Miner Street · 114 m away
Reopened in 2009 as a breakfast house under the original 1957 neon.
Des Plaines History Center / Kinder House Museum
781 Pearson Street · 391 m away
The city's history museum has lived in a relocated 1907 mansion since 1978.
McDonald's No. 1 Store (Ray Kroc Franchise)
400 Lee Street · 412 m away
Maine North High School
9511 Harrison St, Des Plaines, IL 60016 · 1.1 km away
Des Plaines Methodist Camp Ground
1250 Campground Road · 1.3 km away
One of the oldest continuously used Methodist camp meeting grounds in the Chicago area, founded in 1860 and listed on th
Know something about The Choo-Choo? An old photo, a date, a memory of what stood here before?
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